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| Madha Yaanai Koottam |
Death is an imposing presence in Vikram Sukumaran's Madha Yaanai Koottam. The film begins with a death and the back stories of the characters are revealed to us by the troupe which performs at this funeral. The threat of another death always seems imminent and by the time that happens, the film turns into a young man's struggle to defeat death that stalks him obsessively.
The passing of Jayakkodi Thevar ( Murugan Jee) sets the film's plot in motion. He is a powerful patriarch in Theni, with two wives. He lives with his second wife Prema (Ammu), and their son Parthiban (Kathir) and daughter Deepa, while his estranged first wife Sevanamma ( Viji) lives with her son Boologarasa and her dear brother Veera Thevar (Vela Ramamoorthy), who is quite powerful though less influential than her husband. Though things seem calm on the surface, there is always an undercurrent of tension in the relationships between these people and when Jayakkodi Thevar passes away, it spills over.
Prema and her children are prevented from entering the funeral house despite Boologarasa's protests by Veera Thevar, but very soon things take a turn for the worse when Kathir accidentally kills his son in order to protect his stepbrother. Now, he becomes a hunted man as Veera Thevar wants to avenge his son's death by murdering Kathir.
The first thing that strikes you in Madha Yaanai Kootam is the fetishistic detailing that has gone into shaping the film. The rituals in a funeral are portrayed elaborately, which only makes the film strongly atmospheric and help set it apart from similar south
ern Tamil Nadu-set action dramas. Like Ameer in Paruthiveeran, Sukumaran instantly transports us into the film's world, with the audio-visuals of therukoothu artists, parai, oppari, crackers and a sea of earthy faces. Ragul Dharuman's harshly lit frames (despite the excessive use of flares) and Raghunanthan's insistent background score lend the rawness this tale of misplaced pride and power politics demands, though how the film managed a 'U' certificate, despite the violence, is a bit of a puzzle.
The film loses a bit of steam in the second half as it soon turns from being a deceptive and volatile multi-threaded plot into a very familiar one-track narrative about revenge. The hunt for Kathir turns a bit repetitive quickly, and this earthy tale becomes cinematic, once Kathir evades his pursuers and seeks refuge in Kerala. His romantic angle, which lent some lighter moments in the first half, suddenly becomes distracting. His actions following his return to Theni feel false as well, as Kathir suddenly is turned into a larger-than-life character, after having spent most of the film as a young man at the mercy of circumstances. The climax, when he challenges and singlehandedly takes on his foes, feels totally out of place.
Still, there are things that Sukumaran does right even in this slightly underwhelming portion — like Sevanamma's actions, her interesting relationship with Veera Thevar and the subplot involving Ponram, a rival bigwig, who wants to take over the fiefdom of the Thevars.