For over an hour you are forced to witness rituals and listen to the
rigmarole of a village funeral, albeit with flash cuts to the past of
the dead man! Never in a film would you have watched the paraphernalia
of death go on and on in such detail. You already feel drained by the
crassness of the process, when the next death happens. Oh God, you
groan! And then another corpse surfaces! Soon you are dumped with yet
another. At this point you just give up. The hopelessly dark and
unbearably loud scenario in Madhayaanai Koottam (U) leaves you tired and exasperated.
Director Vikram Sukumaran’s purpose of showcasing the lives of those
steeped in dogma may be laudable, but the veracity in the treatment
doesn’t justify the effect it has on the viewer. Absolute lack of finer
feelings, little respect for the lives of others and loud performances
mar the appeal of MYK. Morbidity in excess can backfire. Wonder
how composer G.V. Prakashkumar could have allowed his maiden production
to be soaked in so much blood! In fact, the U certification for MYK
seems a cruel joke on the viewer. The young composer could have at
least salvaged the film with some subdued RR. But no, he has handed over
the department to Raghunandan and it is din most of the time. And the
only hum-worthy number, (‘Konakonda Kaari,’) doesn’t sound too original
either!
The son of a second wife is chased by the relatives of his dead dad,
Jayakodi Thevar, after a brawl, and it is murder and mayhem all the way.
For a while, the cat and mouse game is interesting. Also the
performance of Viji as the first wife of Jayakodi Thevar is a saving
grace of MYK. It is the work of a seasoned actor! Yet it doesn’t
mitigate the terrible impact of her grief-stricken final act, when she
spreads the blood of the man killed in the melee, on the floor, and
looks at her blood-stained hands in Lady Macbeth style!
Kadhir, the new hero, tries to do his best. But in the story that
highlights nothing but gore, he achieves little. Oviya’s gentle
overtures offer little relief.
Amidst this pandemonium, the few subtle touches — like hero Kadhir
pushing Viji’s hand away in the climax to indicate that he knows about
her treachery — could go unnoticed.
Madhayaanai Koottam is a very relevant title. And that’s about it.
Madhayaanai Koottam
Genre: Murder
Director: Vikram Sukumaran
Cast: Kadhir, Oviya, Viji
Storyline: The son of a man with two wives has to fight social stigma and treachery at the hands of some of his own people.
Bottomline: Bloody without respite
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