2018, Tamil, Amazon Prime, 6.6/10 IMDB, Directed by Radha Mohan
A specific disease centric movie or a movie which addresses the detrimental consequences of a disease is nothing new to us.
Alzheimer’s – we have witnessed the nature of the disease, the heart aches of the loved ones from Hollywood to Kollywood to all woods, the recent one being from the Mani sir’s OK Kanmani. Interestingly the husband role of the patient was played by Prakashraj but here, he is the one with the forgetful disease.
The movie takes off ‘Radha Mohan style’, soapy and sitcomy, but when Prakashraj emotes you are teased to expect more out of the professional.
One is even carried away to expect moments like the 2005, ripper Malayalam super hit ‘thanmatra’. Especially when he finds out he has misplaced his watch in dosa dough inside the fridge, while it was an important official file in freezer for Lalettan, in thanmatra..
Oops, someone keep bursting those bubble by poor screen play which keeps dangling between genres.
Vikram Prabhu seems to be lost in the plot, can’t say he made a wrong choice, poor guy, who would have thought a Prakashraj production, Radha Mohan combo, Illayaraja musical can go sloppy.
When illango kumaravel tries to pull us out with a kindergarden like comic relief, there you go, some one bursts the bubble and you are transported to the uninterestingly spun antagonist backdrop.
Feel sorry for Samudhrakani, even his melodramatic dialogue delivery fails to save him and the movie.
The ‘Mercury’ movie girl Indhuja, has done justification to the role offered to her. Emotes when needed at right lengths.
Cliches worked in alagiaya theeye, abiyum naanum, payanam and worked miracles in mozhi, but it didn’t budge us here, instead makes you day dream and yawn while Vikram Prabhu and Kani sincerely tries to score.
The only positive is Prakashraj. Through his blank blink at the neurologist just before he is pronouned with Alzheimer’s, his puzzled expression, as to why the doctor treats him like a 3 year old in a primary school interview, he translates to you what’s going on in his head- the curiosity, the agony, the disbelief, the fear, the anxiety all in those Rolly Polly eyes of his.
A fearful reaction, chanting kaaka kaaka kangavel kaaka in a villainous encounter, a touchy self appraisal video of his achievements made as soon as he is diagnosed for keepsake to know who he was before the disease takes away his memories for good.. he just steals our hearts. You long for more such moments, but all bubbles are burst..
If you like to watch again a 80’s subtle tickle minbimbangal TV series kind and curious about prakash’s nuances of method acting, give it a go, but at your own risk.