Movie Review
Director Karthik Subbaraj’s latest offering Mahaan begins with Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “If freedom to make mistakes does not include freedom, then freedom is not worth attaining.” And it covers what the whole movie is about. Gandhi Mahaan (Chiyaan Vikram) comes from a family of ardent followers of Gandhian ideology. His father and forefathers worked hard for the country and applied the same ideology to Gandhi Mahan.
Plot
For 40 years, Gandhi had Mahaan Gandhi’s ideology down to a T. One day he decides he wants to get away from the lifestyle he’s been forced into. He lets off steam by getting drunk and gambling at his childhood friend Sathyavan’s (Bobby Simhaa) bar. It turns his life upside down. His wife Nachi (Simran) leaves him along with their son Dada (Dhruv Vikram). Gandhi Mahaan later joins forces with Sathyavan and Gnanam (Vettai Muthukumar) to become a liquor baron. When his son returns, he turns his world upside down.
Mahaan has Karthik Subbaraj written all over it. He knows how to take an old storyline and give it a brilliant ending. Mahaan’s story deals with the ideological differences between a father and his estranged son. If done right, it could have ended up as a neat commercial entertainment with social commentary. However, the film falters halfway through.
Throughout the film Gandhi Mahaan’s father (Aadukalam Murugadoss), Nachi and family members talk about Gandhian ideology. But ideology only applies to alcohol. And they only talk about alcoholism.
Gandhi’s ideology does not apply to other characters who kill each other in the blink of an eye. It is this inconsistency that does not draw the audience into the world of Karthik Subbaraj.
However, Chiyaan Vikram and Bobby Simha’s performances complete the mixed script. They are in top form. Be it their different looks or character arcs, both delivered a solid performance.
Dhruv Vikram is the surprise package in the film. He nails it with such restraint in some scenes. But in the scenes that require him to be a little crazy, he turns into a caricature. Mahaan is a film that gives more space to actor Vikram than his son Dhruv.
The initial scenes of Mahaa showing the meteoric rise of Gandhi and Satyava are mesmerizing. But when Dhruv’s Dada enters the story, the screenplay shifts to Gandhi’s conflicts.
Story
Mahaan very gentle. To come to terms with the story, one has to look past the crazy coincidences. Unexpectedly, Gandhi Maha reunites with his two friends and meets his son for the first time.
That said, Mahaan also has some delicious extensions. Be it the fight sequence between Vikram and Dhruv or the climactic act, these scenes will make you sit back and watch the exciting unfold of the proceedings.
Mahaan is also technically sound. Cinematographer Shreyas Krishna and composer Santosh Narayanan have taken the writing to a different level.
Mahaan could have been a solid gangster drama with a father-son conflict at its core. If only Karthik Subbaraj had delivered his ideas with a crisp script, Mahaan could have been better.
