Rajini Murugan Review: Delectable Festival Fare

Unpretentious in its scripting, unabashed in its intention of providing the audience some fun-time, Rajini Murugan keeps one engaged for most parts.
Rajini Murugan Review: Delectable Festival Fare

Unpretentious in its scripting and narrative style, unabashed in its intention of providing the audience some fun-time, Rajini Murugan keeps one engaged for the most part. The gags flow in quick succession, backed by some sparkling lines. And there is Sivakarthikeyan eminently watchable as Murugan.

Reveling in his role, the actor’s exuberance is infectious. Soory as his friend matches him step to step in their wacky acts. If anything is a downer, it’s the film’s running time of about 160 minutes which seems far too long. Set in Madurai, It has an uncomplicated storyline. The early moments depict friends Murugan and Thothathri whiling away time in idle pursuits.

Murugan in love with childhood pal Karthika, woos her relentlessly despite her blow hot-blow cold attitude towards him. Their fathers being best friends-turned- foes, she is wary of encouraging him. Humorous situations and witty lines mark these episodes. Brand placement in the earlier part is the on-your-face kind. Murugan’s dabbling in the real estate business to better his fortunes, gets him into confrontation with Mookkan the local thug. Samuthirakani as Mookkan falls in line with the feel of the film, his character more of a fraudster than a thug who terrorises.

Rajkiran who was on the sidelines in the earlier part gets his space in the second half. His ruse to bring his huge scattered family to the ancestral home works. But thankfully the director keeps a strong hold on the happenings here, without letting it seep into unnecessary melodrama. The songs (Imman) peppy and rustic in flavour, are mostly well placed except for the last one that seems to be thrust in forcibly. While thefirst part sustains a speedy momentum, the narration slackens in the second half.

Many a time watching mindless commercial entertainers catering to the masses, one yearns to see something different, and meaningful. But then seeing how eminent directors fall short in their attempt at making out-of-the-box fares, one feels gladdened that the pot boilers are here to stay. For, an unpretentious, engagingly crafted formulaic flick is far better than a shoddily etched pretentious fare. A fun-film and an unabashed entertainer, ‘Rajini Murugan’ is an ideal festival watch.

Film: Rajini Murugan

Director: Ponram

Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Keerthi Suresh, Rajkiran, Samuthirakani, Soory

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