Maaman Movie Review: Aishwarya Lekshmi shines bright in this Soori-fronted melodrama that needed fewer detours
Maaman(2.5 / 5)
Family. Over the years, thanks to Tamil cinema's penchant for melodrama, this one word has resulted in or resolved many a conflict. If police stories are a sure-shot way for Tamil actors with starry aspirations to be considered seriously, then a family drama is the path taken by the same set of actors to become household names. Interestingly, Soori, who is already a household name, isn't content with just being the friendly neighbour, or the acquaintance with a heart of gold. It is time to become the patriarch, and that is exactly what happens in his latest film, Maaman, directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj.
In what seems like a wonderful touch, we hardly get to know the names of the central characters of Maaman. We only hear of them as someone's brother, uncle, aunt, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, etc... That is why when a character suddenly says, "It is time to go to Poonga's wedding," it makes you wonder who he is. Similarly, when you realise Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika, and the precocious Prageeth Sivan is named Inba, Rekha, Girija, and Nilan, respectively, it feels alien. Aren't they maama, doctor, akka, and laddoo? Full points to the writing of the film that enables such proximity with these characters. This connection must be established because there is very little novel going on otherwise. There are also quite a few things in the film that remind you of a few tropes that were prevalent in the blockbusters of the 90s and early 2000s, and honestly, they are best left back in that era.
Cast: Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika, Rajkiran, Prageeth Sivan
Director: Prasanth Pandiyarajan
Nevertheless, Maaman is a rather simple story that starts strongly, and finds an emotionally rich midpoint, only to meander into a retelling of OK Kanmani that doesn't augur well for anyone. Girija (Swasika) and Ravi (Baba Bhaskar) are a not-so-happy couple because they have been childless for almost a decade. Facing immense backlash from society and their own family, they finally have a child. But the film is not about these two. It is about the child and his maternal uncle, Inba (Soori). This bond transcends every other bond in the child's life, and it is this overbearing sentimentality that becomes a huge problem when Inba falls in love with Dr Rekha, and marries her.
In a film that needed the men to step up and make the right choices by themselves and their families, the burden of the same falls on the hapless women, who are, in turn, villainised for the narrative to progress. And Prasanth fills this film with so many convenient writing choices that it gets predictable to a fault. Yes, Inba is too attached to Nilan, but should that have remained unchecked for so long? Yes, Rekha says something about Nilan's behavioural issues, but should Girija, a teacher by profession, only react as a mother, and never once look at it from a teacher's perspective? Yes, there is the patriarch of the village Singarayar (Rajkiran) and his wife Pavunu (Viji Chandrasekhar), who play the aged couple, still full of love, but should the completion of their arc be so on our faces? Despite Maaman showing glimpses of nuance and understanding of the vagaries of the family dynamics, it finds itself circling back to a rather archaic perspective.
The sole voice of reason in the entire film is Aishwarya's Dr Rekha, who time and again, tries to reason out with Inba and his extended family that their actions are nonsensical at best. While it is pertinent to point out that the film doesn't paint her as this 'monster' who wants to break the family, they don't do enough to remove that aspect completely. She just wants to be with her husband without the kid wreaking havoc in their personal space. But Aishwarya is terrific in a role that is quite layered, but is never given the breathing space to become something more prolific. She is the moral compass of the film, and steals the show with her portrayal that showcases love and vulnerability, respect and shame, and rightful rage. It is odd that Soori, who has written the film himself, has given him a rather one-dimensional character. While he is quite effective as the titular maaman, he is even more convincing as the romantic lead of the film. It is beautiful how a throwaway line about this pairing doesn't focus on the more obvious low-hanging fruit of 'looks' but touches upon the difference in their professions. It is a wonderful touch, and full points to the makers and the actors for convincing us that Soori has it in him to pull off romance too. But he paints himself into a corner with the writing not complementing his strengths.
In addition, Prasanth packs the film with so many detours that Maaman, unfortunately, is forced to pull back a lot of punches. There are so many characters who just fill up the scenery and have nothing to do. Apart from Rekha, all the other characters are given just one layer to work on. Girija has to oscillate between crying her heart out and breathing fire. But there's this one pivotal scene featuring just her and her mother (Geetha Kailasam), and both of them oscillate from rage, understanding, vulnerability, apologetic, and simply helpless. It is a beautiful scene, and it is a pity that both actors, who continue from where they left off in Lubber Pandhu, don't get enough in the film. The precocious kid Nilan (Prageeth Sivan) doesn't have much to do except be a bundle of annoyance, and he is supremely effective in the role. We feel bad for Nilan because he is a product of poor parenting choices and convenient writing choices. But he is annoying to a fault, and in the larger scheme of things, it is a convincing portrayal, for sure.
After a terrific first half twist, which genuinely touches upon an issue that was neglected throughout the first half, the film loses steam because it tries to do various things. Maaman worked as long as it was just about the primary conflict. However, in an attempt to make an overarching commentary on marriages and masculinity, the film misses out on delivering a more complete film. Even that commentary was more effective when it was delivered through a gag where Bala Saravanan's Poongavanam steals the thunder rather than the drawn-out parallels between Inba-Rekha and Singarayar-Pavunu. Also, Bala Saravanan has the best lines in the film, and he aces it with a lot of panache. In some ways, it is a role we have often seen Soori playing in his days as a comedian, and the reversal of roles is quite a nice nod to the rise of the actor. One can't really fault the performances of the principal cast because it is filled with veterans who understood the assignment, but weren't given enough sheets to fill in.
Make no mistake, Maaman is a film that is based on the idea that Karan Johar popularised at the turn of the millennium, and one that Visu tried to subvert even in the 80s. For every "It's all about loving the family" there was a 'Distance makes the heart grow fonder,' and Maaman tries to do both in the same film, only to end up as a meandering mess despite having the potential to become this generation's Samsaaram Adhu Minsaaram. If only this was a film titled Athai, instead of Maaman. If only.