'Maattrraan' (Tamil)
Director: KV Anand
Cast: Suriya, Kajal Agarwal
When a team that had given a huge hit earlier returns with a new venture, expectations are naturally high. The KV-Suriya combination had resulted in the racy frothy entertainer Ayyan. So, the duo’s coming together again for the much-hyped Maattrraan, did raise a lot of anticipation. But, the film with its whimsical screenplay and lackadaisical narration, turns out to be a huge disappointment.
Touted as a story of conjoined twins, it does begin as one. With the potential to turn into an amusing, emotional sibling saga. The early scenes provide some moments of fun, where conjoined twins Akilan and Vimalan — one sober and sensible, and the other carefree with a cheeky charm — do their joint act.
It’s fun to watch Suriya do his double act. In fact, the actor is the saving grace of the film. The twins warming up to Anjali, a language translator, is engagingly depicted. But, the rest becomes a wasted global trip on intrigues, cover-ups, murders and conspiracies. The KV-Subha team have this penchant for weaving in some social issue into their screenplay. But here they cram it with innumerable issues. There is the the use of performance-enhancing steroids in competitive sports, adulteration of baby foods for larger monetary benefits, and many more issues.
Khedekar plays a diabolical scientist Ramachandran, who aspires to create the perfect human, mixing the genes of various eminent people. The names of Illaiyaraja, Rahman and many other film celebrities are mentioned here. But it seems flippant in a serious context, and more a mockery than a tribute! The scientist is exposed early enough. The narration, in a mad rush, moves without focus or clarity. Appalling in its blunders, it is silly and ridiculous in its conception and handling of crucial incidents. At a point, Akilan separated from his twin, goes with Anjali to some
Russian banana republic to search for his answers. Long winded, it’s the worst scenario cooked up by the KV-Subha team, involving the Olympics and a helicopter crash. Akilan here beats up the military men single handedly, even holding a gun to the military dictator’s head. He gets to do a ‘Rambo’ in the woods, as he takes on dozens of his pursuers. Anjali has a lot to translate here, which she does with utmost sincerity. It’s this trait and her graceful demeanour which makes Kajal a pleasant watch. ‘Maattrraan’ smacks of overconfidence, and an utter disregard for the sense and sensibility of a viewer!