MASANI MOVIE REVIEW

Tamil cinema has continuously churned out religious supernatural films to cater to the sentiments of a large section of the masses, predominately the womenfolk. Sri Green Productions’ Masani provides yet another offering for that specific market.

During an early part of the film, the young hero Akhil schools a bratty young girl, played by Sija Rose, about the simplicity and intelligence of the village-folk, clearly spelling out the film’s target audience. Masani’s story is centered around an unfinished idol of a deity that continues to haunt the town of Kalvadagam. While the idea attracts interest the nature in which it is exposed is rather taxing for the viewer.

A fair bit of the first half is spent detailing petty one-upmanship between a young pair, lengthy comedy sequences which are simply below par and a couple of songs that do nothing to compliment the narrative. Masani’s saving grace is definitely its established star cast that features the likes of Sarath Babu, Roja, Aadukalam Naren, Uma Padmanabhan, Mano Bala, Y.Gee.Mahendran and several other familiar faces. While they might not have been challenged by the characters that they portray they can do no wrong with their performances. In addition, their involvement does add more credibility to the project.

Masani also boasts of the re-entry of Ramky, and one must say it is nice to see him back! His role has scope for comedy, romance and action and he gives the impression that he’s picked up exactly from where he left off. The central character of the film is undoubtedly Iniya. Apart from possessing enchanting looks, the young lady continues to show that there’s no shortage of talent within her. But sadly for her this film may just slip under the radar despite delivering yet another strong performance. The other pair in the film, Akhil and Sija Rose, is just about adequate.

The production value of the film is quite decent with good camera work and follows all the usual cues required to creep out the audience from time to time. One feels that the scope of VFX in this film has been wasted with below par graphics when compared to the standards the audiences have been exposed to. Clocking at nearly 2 and half hours, the film certainly overstays its welcome and the engaging factor takes a beating. Composer Fazil has definitely put some effort into the songs and the BGM and it shows, even if it’s occasionally loud.

With no 3D factor to add value, Masani turns out to be a normal fare. The film could find acceptance with the B & C centre audience.