As a huge fan of Vadivelu, I've to say this: It's great to see one of cinema's greatest comedians giving us an astonishingly unexplored side. Mari Selvaraj's Maamannan did that, and now, Maareesan. I could say the same about other comedians in South Indian cinema who underwent a similar evolutionary process to adopt these dark, heavy roles laced with a tinge of melancholy, and came out with flying colours. A few examples off the top of my head: Vivek, Jagathy Sreekumar, Indrans, Jagadish, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Salim Kumar, Kalabhavan Mani... It took the right time and right film to demonstrate these stunning, never-before-seen transformations of these actors.
So, is Maareesan the right showcase for a natural powerhouse like Vadivelu? Yes and no. It reveals dual personalities that clash in the most jarring way. Some films (and filmmakers) know how to get this tonal shift right. A perfect example of this was Mohanlal's Thudarum. Maareesan, too, was cleverly marketed: Its true behaviour was revealed to us only when we saw the actual film. The film opens with Fahadh Faasil's character, a thief named Dhaya, whose path crosses with that of Vadivelu's character, Maareesan, who tells him he has memory issues. We see an interesting dynamic slowly established, since Maareesan knows that the former is a fraud. So, now, all we have to do is sit back and look forward to whatever mind games will be played between these two, right?
It's the most basic plot and conflict: The protagonist wants something, but there is an obstacle. The "obstacle" here is the complications arising from Maareesan's dementia. (There is a scene where one character "simplifies" this condition for another who is confused about whether Maareesan is suffering from a Ghajini situation or a Moondram Pirai situation, and the former tells him it's the latter. The Kamal Haasan-Sridevi film is referenced again in a later scene with Fahadh and Vadivelu.) In another clever scene, Maareesan narrates his flashback to us, the audience, without breaking the fourth wall. It's striking because we initially assume Dhaya is the listener.
Maareesan's memory impairment occasionally misleads him into thinking Dhaya is his son Kumar. The film is most intriguing when Dhaya hopes to take advantage of this tricky situation to siphon off a large sum of cash from the older man. Whenever a film has a character with a memory problem, there are multiple possibilities in front of the writer. You could either do a detached story that doesn't require emotional involvement, or one that makes you reflect on ageing, memories, mortality, and whatnot.
Maareesan is a film that belongs to the latter, to a certain extent. It's the film that reminds you that life is all about memories. It reminds you that life is pointless without memories. It reminds you that memories are what give life to... life. And when you have a strong performer like Vadivelu, all the above emotions are expressed in the most poignant way possible, without seeming artificial or overdone.
And for a while there, everything was going fine. But then comes that intermission twist... and the film assumes a slightly different behaviour, and not in a good way. The so-called "twist" undoes everything that came before. I don't have a problem with this particular writing choice, per se. I have a problem with how overused it has become. Most recently, we had one Malayalam film and one Tamil that explored a certain motivation better, in more thrilling or innovative ways.
Maareesan, unfortunately, loses steam once it reveals that somebody is doing something for this particular reason. Even Fahadh's presence can't do anything to salvage the film in the latter half because, unfortunately, there is nothing new about his performance, which is essentially a blend of what he did in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum and Njan Prakashan.
There are more issues, but discussing them would take us into spoiler territory. In short: logical and continuity errors, unintentionally comical performances and fight sequences, and seemingly implausible scenarios that eventually prove detrimental. The only person who comes out unscathed is Vadivelu, who is, undoubtedly, the best thing about Maareesan. But is that enough?
Film: Maareesan
Director: Sudheesh Shankar
Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu, Kovai Sarala, Vivek Prasanna, Sithara
Rating: 2.5/5
