It’s rare that the main cast of a 30-year old film returns to reprise their roles in a sequel. Manal Kayiru 2, has S V Sekhar teaming up again with Visu and Kuriakose Ranga, for a follow-up to the plot of the 1982-superhit Manal Kayiru.
The latter directed by Visu and based on his stage play, had Kuttimani the protagonist essayed by Sekhar, placing a set of conditions for his future bride. He is duped by marriage broker Naradhar Naidu (Visu), into marrying a girl who did not fulfil any of those conditions. Decades later and to the present, it’s his daughter Nisha (Poorna) who lays down a set of similar conditions for her future groom. Ashwin, Sekhar’s real life son, plays Arjun the potential groom.
With Naidu set to foil Kuttimani’s plans this time round too, it had the potential to be an engaging play on family sentiment and humour. You’d also expect it to peak when Kittumani and Nisha realise that they had been taken for a ride. But while the first half has whacky lines and engaging comedy, the screenplay meanders in the second half with the humour quotient slackening.
The film opens with a brief introduction and a few scenes reprised from the original. It returns to the present, where Kittumani still holding a grudge against Naidu and determined to find a suitable groom for his daughter, zeroes in on Arjun (Ashwin). Not knowing, that Naidu had already made his move to upset Kittumani’s well laid plans. ‘He’s a born sucker and I am his persecutor’ remarks Naidu gleefully, as he sees Kittumani falling steadily in his trap. Sekhar’s brand of comedy, his play on words and his spontaneous repartee works here, and it holds together the first half of the film.
The film could have done with more style and form. A tad verbal and stagey in its presentation, there are however quite a few hilarious moments. Where Sami, Naidu’s assistant played by Saminathan, gets his space and gets noticed. Handling the comic portions quite well, Ashwin fares better here than in his earlier films. If only he would tone down his physique! Poorna cuts a pretty picture and performs spiritedly.
Taking about 148 minutes of viewing time, the film could have been trimmed and shortened. With its tagline of ‘Conditions apply’, the plot had the potential to turn into a fun-filled entertainer. If only the second half had been way more appealing and interesting!
Express Views
Film: Manal Kayiru 2
Director: Madan KumarCast: Ashwin, Poorna, S.V. Sekhar, Visu, Jayashree, MS Bhaskar.