NAGARAJA CHOZHAN MA, MLA. MOVIE REVIEW

When the announcement came, it really intrigued the interest of viewers. That's because the legendary character of Nagaraja Chozhan perished, under the vengeful anger of his illegitimate son. So how does this 'Amaithipadai 2' will work out as a sequel ? Nonetheless  the combination of Manivannan and Sathyaraj, will still invoke the interest, especially of those who are fond of sarcasm, since these two are the best of the best of that category. So how did this film fare ?

Being his 200th film, Sathyaraj proved that experience matters and he is definitely a class above, when it comes to performing quintessential sadistic and sarcastic characters. His perfectly-timed dialogue delivery and casual expressions were top class. He oozes the brashness and arrogance demanded by the character. Its just a pure delight to watch him taking potshots at others ! And playing the perfect foil fro him, is his 'partner-in-crime', Manivannan. These two veterans share fantastic chemistry between them, and their respective uniqueness, complements each other's styles and variations. This particular combo has been sorely missed in Tamizh cinema ! The only sore point was the younger Sathyaraj role of an CBI officer, which lacks screen space and time. Raghu Manivannan plays a small but significant role in the film and passes muster. Directors Seeman and Jegannath were very stiff and stoic in their performances. The rest of the cast such as Mrudula, Komal Sharma, Varsha Ashwathi, Anshiba, M.S Bhaskar, Vaiyapuri, Krishnamoorthy, Rajkanth, Sujatha and etc were just functional but insipid.

The technical department's work were just adequate and there's nothing much to speak about. Bhuji's costumes and Durai's make-up for the titular role of Sathyaraj's was spot on. The veteran looked perfect as how he would have aged from the original 'Amaithipadai' days. 'Supreme' Sundar's stunt choreography was overdone with excessive usage of ropes and outdated choreography. B.Sai's art direction was adequate, though he could have done better with the tribal episode and also for the interiors of the posh bungalows of the lead characters. R.Sudharsan's editing was functional and so does D.Shankar's cinematography. There are a couple of some good shots of the forest, but other than that, there's nothing else to discuss about. James Vasanthan's musical score was drab a humdrum. "Malai Mele" is a song shot on the celebration of a tribal wedding ceremony, which eulogized the importance of the pristine jungle. "Kannadi Paapa" is a typical item song, with two gals prancing around with dancers, amidst a house party. "Viraivil Vidiyum" is a situational song, picturized on the affected tribal community mourning their losses and their uprising against the corrupted titular character. The background score was too bland and unimpressive.

As his 50th directorial venture, Manivannan has taken the classic Nagaraja Chozhan character from his cult-hit 'Amaidhipadai' and made an unrelated spin-off. The movie is filled with current social problems and takes a liberal dose of mockery about the sorry state of the Tamil Nadu political scenario and its politicians. The problem with the script is that, its only enjoyable when the hot-shot combo of Sathyaraj and Manivannan is there. Other than that, there are no engaging scenes, pertaining to the other characters. The success of the original was due to the sarcasm-filled writing and also a strong emotional quotient, attached to the script. But in this film, the latter is missing, and what we have are just mere 'bullet-points' like highlights of all the scams and wrongdoings of the current politicians, narrated in a repartee between the two lead roles of Sathyaraj and Manivannan. And also, we had the fantastic musical score of 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraja in the original, which added more color to the film, but alas, its the other way around in this unrelated sequel.

'Nagaraja Chozhan' is definitely no where near the quality of its original, but fans of Manivannan-Sathyaraj combo might as well just enjoy the combination scenes, alone !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL