-by Malini Mannath
Director- Selvaraghavan
Cast- SJ Surya, Regina Cassandra, Nandita Swetha, Nakul Varshan
After a long delay the much anticipated Selvaraghavan-directorial ‘Nenjam Marapathillai’ has finally hit theatres. It is the ace director’s first step in the paranormal scenario, the question arising as to whether he is as much at home tackling the ghostly-zone as he was in delving in the dark recesses of the human mind. Its a yes and a no. While the first half has all the trademarks of a Selvaraghavan film and the director’s unmistakable touches, the second half seems like it has been directed by a proxy who has tried to emulate the director, but couldn’t quite touch the right chord!
Its an interestingly structured first half which gives no inkling of what the latter part of the storyline would be. It depicts the domestic life Ramasamy -aka Ramsay as a he liked to be addressed as. An ordinary worker who had manipulated his way up the ladder of the corporate firm, he had married his boss’s daughter Shweta (Nandita),the duo having a little son Rishi. Its what happens when Mariam a young orphan (Regina) enters the household to take care of Rishi, and Ramsay’s lecherous moves to seduce her falls flat. It could have been a predictable cliched scenario. But making all the difference is the director’s fascinating take on it and the casting of SJ Surya as the quirky amoral and amorous Ramasamy. The actor carries the film on his shoulders for the entire first half. Revelling in his role, he at times emulates Sivaji Ganesan and at times does a Jim Carrey, his deliberate over the top performance a delight to watch. So much so ,that it is difficult to envisage any other actor in that role. Nandita gets a meaty role But the weakly etched, ambiguously structured character soon takes its toll on her, the performance remaining one dimensional. As Mariam ,Regina renders a remarkably restrained and a controlled performance.
Its in the second half that the screenplay takes a downslide ,never to recover, the finale a damp squib. A feel of artificiality pervades here as the scenario turns ghostly, and the tormented spirit returns to claim its pound of flesh.
Providing key support to the narrative are the director’s lucky mascots cinematographer Arvind Krishna and music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. While the visuals are striking and the lighting and the play of colours impactful, the lively background score peps up the proceedings. There are a few songs, which though peppy and with some catchy lyrics act more like unwanted distractions.
Finally, the film ( 142 minutes) though amusing in parts, is a disappointment. While it has a lot of style, it could have done with a more coherent screenplay and a consistency in its narration.
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