The highhanded and often arm twisting methods that some multinational banks use to recover loans from customers who default on their payments, forms the theme of the film.
A pertinent issue that had made it to newspapers some time back, it’s a topic probably not touched on the Tamil screen. And it’s to the credit of director Sampath Arumugam, that he has made a sincere effort to move away from the routine themes and tackle a socially relevant issue.
The way some of these banks lure middle-class customers with what is supposed to be easy loan repayment schemes; their total change of behaviour from the cordial to the nasty and the ruthless when customers default on payments, are all brought out well through the character of Vardarajan, a lecturer in a college (Sreenath). In urgent need of money to help out Jeeva - his brother-in-law (Ramana) in a job offer, Varadarajan is enticed by the OCOC Bank (!) to take a loan of a couple of lakhs.
Months later, when he had thought that he had repaid it, he is surprised to be accosted by the bank’s recovery agents, who insist that he had to pay a hefty amount as penalty for delayed payment.
And then his nightmare begins where he is hounded and publicly humiliated at home and work place by the agents. Sreenath gets the best role of his career and plays it with perfect understanding.
Saravana Subbaiya as the bank officer leaves a mark.
Jeeva’s transformation from a carefree youth, to a vengeance driven one is well played out by Ramana. Debutant Richa Sinha is his romantic angle, and partner in song-dance numbers. The elaborate plot that Jeeva hatches to trap the bank and its agents who had driven his family to take a drastic step, may go over the head of a lay viewer. But its amusing nevertheless to watch the baddies fall in the trap. Engaging is the final courtroom scene where Jeeva hauled up for cheating the bank, raises some very pertinent points.
The dialogues are thoughtfully penned and the director (apprenticed with Sashi) seems to have done his homework well here. Throwing light on a hitherto untouched topic on Tamil screen, it reminds you of films like Poi Solla Porom that dealt with land sharks.
Mahaan Kanakku may not have the best of scripts going.
But it certainly is thought provoking and has some good moments.
