Madha Gaja Raja Movie Review: A self-aware, largely entertaining throwback
Madha Gaja Raja Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,Madha Gaja Raja might not rank among Sundar C's best works, Ullathai Allitha and Kalakalappu, but it
Critic's Rating: 3.0/5
Madha Gaja Raja Synopsis: A young man decides to help out two of his childhood friends whose lives are in trouble due to a powerful media baron. Can a common man bring down a kingmaker?
Madha Gaja Raja Review: It is not often that a film that has been lying in the cans for over a decade ends up on the big screen. And even if it does, there hangs the question of how relevant it might for that generation of movie-goers. Fortunately, for Madha Gaja Raja, the film would have been considered old school even if it had released on its original released date, in 2013. The film has a distinct late '90s and early 2000s vibe, and this is its biggest plus (along with Richard M Nathan's highly saturated cinematography that makes the visuals feel contemporary). And Sundar C seems to be very much aware of it. Like Aambala, his later film with Vishal, Madha Gaja Raja is a throwback, and interestingly enough, this one is self-aware and largely entertaining.
The plot is only too familiar, and revolves around Madha Gaja Raja aka MGR aka Raja (a chirpy Vishal, who does everything that's asked of him), who runs a cable network, and reunites with his three childhood friends (Santhanam, Sadagopan Ramesh and Nitinsathyaa), thanks to a wedding. When he learns that two of them are in deep trouble because of the actions of Karkuvel Viswanath (Sonu Sood), a media baron who wields incredible power, he decides to take him on and put an end to his friends' woes.
The entire first half is just a placeholder for the film's Dhool-like conflict - a battle between a common man and a kingmaker. But unlike in that film, the tussle is played out mostly for laughs. In fact, the Dhool influence is felt in the other scenes, too. We get a residential area that houses multiple families. We have the half-sari-wearing heroine. A glam girl who is used for a generous dose of adult comedy. Foot-tapping songs (by Vijay Antony). And a comedian in prime form. But Sundar C smartly never makes it serious. Even the friends' situation is just used as a crutch to move the story forward.
Until then, all that the film does is meander from one scene to the next, setting up the characters and trying hard to make us laugh. It's mainly Santhanam's one-liners that keep us in good stead, and the comedian uses digs that he makes at his mother-in-law as a running gag to provide us with a few laughs. We also get a surprise cameo by a star!
Even in the second half, not everything works entirely. Since the approach is to steer clear of anything serious, the confrontation between MGR and Karkuvel isn't really something that sends sparks flying. Despite Sonu Sood playing this character, Karkuvel never comes across as a real threat. And the film fails miserably when viewed through the present day's political correctness lens.
That said, Sundar C is an old hand at keeping things engaging, so, at frequent intervals, we get stretches of comedy that have us breaking into a laugh. A scene in which Raja ends up in a well with Malathi (Anjali), his lover, who is mad at him due to a minor misunderstanding, and Maya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), the 'modern' girl who fancies him, plays around with the boundaries of adult humour (the film is certified U, though scenes like this one make us feel that it should have been at least U/A). Then, there is this portion involving the late Manobala — inarguably the film's highlight — which has everyone in splits.
Having cut his teeth with entertainers targeted at every section of the audience, the director also mixes up comedy with romance and action, so this keeps things moving. Madha Gaja Raja might not rank among his best works, Ullathai Allitha and Kalakalappu, but this is still an OG film that deserves what's now become a promotional mantra: 'Fight venuma fight irukku, dance venuma dance irukku, romance venuma romance irukku, glamour venuma glamour irukku, comedy venuma comedy irukku...'
Madha Gaja Raja Review: It is not often that a film that has been lying in the cans for over a decade ends up on the big screen. And even if it does, there hangs the question of how relevant it might for that generation of movie-goers. Fortunately, for Madha Gaja Raja, the film would have been considered old school even if it had released on its original released date, in 2013. The film has a distinct late '90s and early 2000s vibe, and this is its biggest plus (along with Richard M Nathan's highly saturated cinematography that makes the visuals feel contemporary). And Sundar C seems to be very much aware of it. Like Aambala, his later film with Vishal, Madha Gaja Raja is a throwback, and interestingly enough, this one is self-aware and largely entertaining.
The plot is only too familiar, and revolves around Madha Gaja Raja aka MGR aka Raja (a chirpy Vishal, who does everything that's asked of him), who runs a cable network, and reunites with his three childhood friends (Santhanam, Sadagopan Ramesh and Nitinsathyaa), thanks to a wedding. When he learns that two of them are in deep trouble because of the actions of Karkuvel Viswanath (Sonu Sood), a media baron who wields incredible power, he decides to take him on and put an end to his friends' woes.
The entire first half is just a placeholder for the film's Dhool-like conflict - a battle between a common man and a kingmaker. But unlike in that film, the tussle is played out mostly for laughs. In fact, the Dhool influence is felt in the other scenes, too. We get a residential area that houses multiple families. We have the half-sari-wearing heroine. A glam girl who is used for a generous dose of adult comedy. Foot-tapping songs (by Vijay Antony). And a comedian in prime form. But Sundar C smartly never makes it serious. Even the friends' situation is just used as a crutch to move the story forward.
Until then, all that the film does is meander from one scene to the next, setting up the characters and trying hard to make us laugh. It's mainly Santhanam's one-liners that keep us in good stead, and the comedian uses digs that he makes at his mother-in-law as a running gag to provide us with a few laughs. We also get a surprise cameo by a star!
Even in the second half, not everything works entirely. Since the approach is to steer clear of anything serious, the confrontation between MGR and Karkuvel isn't really something that sends sparks flying. Despite Sonu Sood playing this character, Karkuvel never comes across as a real threat. And the film fails miserably when viewed through the present day's political correctness lens.
That said, Sundar C is an old hand at keeping things engaging, so, at frequent intervals, we get stretches of comedy that have us breaking into a laugh. A scene in which Raja ends up in a well with Malathi (Anjali), his lover, who is mad at him due to a minor misunderstanding, and Maya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), the 'modern' girl who fancies him, plays around with the boundaries of adult humour (the film is certified U, though scenes like this one make us feel that it should have been at least U/A). Then, there is this portion involving the late Manobala — inarguably the film's highlight — which has everyone in splits.
Having cut his teeth with entertainers targeted at every section of the audience, the director also mixes up comedy with romance and action, so this keeps things moving. Madha Gaja Raja might not rank among his best works, Ullathai Allitha and Kalakalappu, but this is still an OG film that deserves what's now become a promotional mantra: 'Fight venuma fight irukku, dance venuma dance irukku, romance venuma romance irukku, glamour venuma glamour irukku, comedy venuma comedy irukku...'
