Honestly, director R. Kumaran has to be commended on two scores — first, for toning down the mindless mayhem in Mudhal Idam (U/A) to a certain extent at least! Though at the cost of consistency in characterisation! The tale of rowdyism and revenge would have been bloodier if the hero had been recklessly bold throughout. Suddenly heroic and suddenly timid, Maheswaran (Vidharth) confuses you no end! But thankfully it reduces the number of sabre-sporting stunt sequences in the film.
Second, the director ought to be complimented (and this isn't left-handed) for certain twists in the story that are a little removed from the run-of-the-mill. Not that they make much difference, because either way you are confounded.
The basic flaw is that the villains in Mudhal Idam have no strong reasons for their inimicality. Each wants to kill the other — but why? Suddenly, the kingpin decides to stop his sanguineous moves and lie low. Again, why? And of course, the hero is himself a villain. Doesn't the line make your head spin? It ought to.
A prodigal son being the protagonist of a film can never be seen as a healthy trend. But as it augured success for Paruththi Veeran , Karthi's clones began to find their way to the big screen. If it was Karthi and Saravanan as the incorrigible duo in Paruththi Veeran , it is Vidharth and Mayilsamy in Mudhal Idam . Even the aspirations of both the heroes are the same! How can roles be aped so unabashedly?
The otherwise intelligent and studious heroine falling for a lawbreaker and jailbird has become a cinematic norm. But why should the dialogue in which she gives her man the ultimatum of reforming or leaving her, be so similar to a classic such as Mouna Ragam ?
Half the problems arise out of the heroine's irritating indiscretions. In fact, be it the roles of the mother (Kalairani) or the villains, the characters are badly etched.
The saving grace of Mudhal Idam is the performance of the cast. All the actors — including debutante Kavitha Nair — do a reasonably decent job. Ilavarasu is spontaneous as always. The best, however, is Kishore, whose dignified screen presence, sadly, comes to nought. Why he is called ‘Karuppu' Balu is one of the several mystifying aspects of Mudhal Idam !
‘Aiythaane …' is a hum-worthy composition from Imman.
Generally, AVM Productions is never associated with a forgettable film. Tirupati was an exception, after which they made a dramatic return with Sivaji . Going by the reasoning, they should emerge with a memorable show next time.
Mudhal Idam
Genre: Action
Director: R. Kumaran
Cast: Vidharth, Kavitha Nair, Kishore
Storyline: Show of physical strength of the hero and the villains — of course, the purpose isn't clear.
Bottomline: First Place? Where did they get that from?
