Brave & Bullish
STORY:
Durai (Shanmuga Pandian) comes from Malaysia to his native place in southern Tamil Nadu. He says his aim is to fall in love with a girl from his homeplace and marry her.
But he has other plans. For, he is the son of Rathnavelu (Samuthirakani), who lived in the village more than two decades ago. He was a man with a golden heart.
As Rathnavelu tries to unite rival communities by conducting Jallikattu, the traditional bull taming sport of Tamil Nadu, he gets murdered by unidentified persons.
Following this, his wife, along with their kid (Shanmuga Pandian), leaves for Malaysia. Now Durai is back in his native with a twin mission.
He wants to conduct Jallikattu in the village to fulfil the dream of his dad and also to find out the murderers of his father. Is he able to succeed or not?
ANALYSIS
Shanmuga Pandian, who was introduced as a mass hero in Sagaptham with gravity defying stunts, has delivered a subtle performance in Madurai Veeran. Though there is still lot of scope for performance, he is good, especially in action scenes.
Meenakshi is aptly cast as a village girl. The real hero of the movie is Samuthirakani, who owns the first half and delivers solid performance. The remaining members of the supporting cast are good.
Santhosh Dayanidhi’s musical score gels well with the rural feel of the movie. Director P G Muthiah, who is also the cinematographer, has come out with stunning visuals.
Real jallikattu protest scenes were shown in the movie, which might go down well with youngsters, despite they being looked forced. Another highlight of the movie is it is crisp and runs for a little more than 120 minutes.
Muthiah, in his debut directorial venture, has delivered a story with a message, but without getting preachy. Also, despite showing communal rivalry, he has carefully avoided glorifying any cast. Madurai Veeran may not be a great movie, but it certainly is a decent offering.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Pro: John Johnson
