Maamannan was released on June 29.
Maamannan, directed by Mari Selvaraj, also stars Udhayanidhi Stalin and Keerthy Suresh.
Maamannan, which literally means a great emperor in English, is a political thriller directed by Mari Selvaraj. The movie, which was released on June 29, has received mixed responses from critics and fans. Udhayanidhi Stalin, Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil, and Keerthy Suresh are part of the film.
Maamannan lays emphasis on how with power comes responsibilities. An MLA played by Vadivelu rises in the ranks from being a mere party worker. But as he gains his ranks within the political party, the question of self-respect and justice arises. After a heated argument where the MLA is disrespected, his son, Athiveeran, aka Veera, played by Udhayanidhi Stalin, lashes out that lets loose a chain of events. For those who don’t know, Vadivelu has made a comeback with this film. His character, wait a minute, has nothing to do with humour. Fans have fallen in love with Vadivelu’s latest avatar.
Fahadh Faasil plays the role of Rathinavel, the antagonist. He is terrifyingly brutal.
Udhayanidhi’s performance as a feisty youngster who questions the wrong and voices his opinions against it is quite refreshing to watch. Keerthy Suresh’s Leela is a social worker, who fights against wrongdoings but her scenes are very limited which could have been meatier.
Overall, both Udaynidhi Stalin (Athiveeran) and Vadivelu (the father) have pulled off stellar acting performances. Director Mari Selvaraj’s retelling of the classic Thevar Magan was risky but it seems to have pulled true. Maamannan is inspired by Thevar Magan, which starred Kamal Haasan and Shivaji Ganeshan. It was also remade in Hindi, titled Virasat, which starred Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Pooja Batra and Amrish Puri in important roles.
Maamannan is said to be special for Udhayanidhi Stalin as it will be his last film as an actor. As per reports, he is considering a sabbatical from acting to focus on his political career as a minister of the Tamil Nadu State government.
The expectations are high from the director Mari Selvaraj who has previously delivered critically acclaimed hits and successful movies titled Pariyerum Perumal in 2018 which marked his directorial debut and in 2021 Karnan which was received with massive appreciation from the mass and critics alike. Now, in 2023, he directed a political drama which is set to explore the nuances of the field along with the narration of a father-son duo who turn the tables of the game.
