Kollywood star Vikram and his son Dhruv Vikram’s action drama, Mahaan had direct to digital release today on Amazon Prime Video. Let’s check how it is.
Story: Gandhi Mahaan ( Vikram), a commerce teacher has a dream of living his life according to his wish. On his 40th birthday, Mahaan drinks and go home. Being a man from Gandhian family, Mahaan taking alcohol won’t go well with his wife Jhansi( Simran) and goes away from Mahaan along with their son Dada( Dhruv Vikram). Later, Mahaan emerges as a wealthy liquor king with the help of local liquor Mart operator Sathyavan( Bobby Simha). But as a twist, Mahaan’s son Dada returns as an encounter specialist to wipe off Mahaan’s kingdom. How will Mahaan face the circumstances? What is the main aim of Dada? To know the answer, you have to watch the film.
Performances: Undoubtedly, Vikram gave his best in the character that has multiple shades in it. While his acting as a soft natured school teacher during the initial stage of the film is okay, the actor brings authentic flavour to the proceedings in his transformation phase as a liquor king. Vikram’s slat and pepper look and his stylish makeover as a Liquor syndicate are added advantages for the film.
Dhruv Vikram is decent with his physical transformation and did a good job in his cop role. Bobby Simha as Vikram’s friend is believable in the role. The emotional bonding between Bobby Simha and Vikram has been presented on a decent note.
Sananth as Rocky and Vettai Muthu Kumar as wicked politician Gnanodhayam are apt in their roles. Simran did her part nicely but her screen time is limited to a few scenes. Other artists who played padding roles are okay in their respective roles.
Technicalities: Music by Santhosh Narayanan is okay but would have been even better as his background score for key scenes in the second half is done on a plain note. Cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is a major plus for the film as he captured the entire mood of the film nicely by using rich framing.
Editing by Vivek Harshan is okay. The production design is good and so is the case with the production values through the film.
Analysis: Acclaimed director Karthik Subbaraj directs Mahaan. The director tried to showcase the conflict between two opposite poles by using the father-son relationship as the major aspect which is good but the narration lacks a solid presentation.
Though a couple of scenes in both the halves are written and executed on an engaging note, the film has a few cliches in the narrative part. For instance, Dhruv Vikram entering the proceedings as an encounter specialist has not been presented on an effective note. Adding to it, the way Mahaan finishes off his thick friend Sathyavan just after an argument is also not showcased with enough drama.
To summerize, Mahaan is a routine action drama that runs on the father-son relationship. Despite having a good performance from Vikram and a few engaging scenes, the film falls flat due to the lack of gripping execution part.
Verdict: Lacks impactful narration!
Rating: 2/5
