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Meiyazhagan review : Karthi and Arvind Swami in a still from the film.
Meiyazhagan review : An Emotional Journey of Relationships
The story runs with Arulmozhi (Arvind Swami), who comes back after nearly two decades to his motherland town of Needamangalam, near Thanjavur. He has come here only for attending the marriage of his cousin sister Bhuvana.
His journey becomes complicated by enigmatic man who calls himself A (Karthi), whom he sees at the wedding. A and Arul seem to bond instantly-indeed, A professes ardent affection and respect for Arul which creates quite a puzzle in Arul’s mind about this acquaintance’s familiarity with his life.
Arul, on coming home in 2018 is full of nostalgia coupled with tinge of sadness. He wants to pass over the marriage visit quickly and get away from all the memories and relatives he does not wish to meet.
The meeting with Bhuvana to hand over a gift for her marriage creates emotional depth both for Arul as well as Bhuvana and poignant moments strike the audience.
The use of silence is flawlessly executed in the film, primarily in those scenes where the bond between Arul and Bhuvana is shown without using words. Their emotional feelings indeed come out, hinting at the depth of family ties.
As Arul fights confusion over A, an unforeseen friendship story would develop as a core string of the film and puts stress on the intricacies of human emotions and memory, all in connection.
An Insight into Human Relationships :
Directed by C. Premkumar, who worked on the extremely critically acclaimed 96 earlier, Meiyazhagan delves deep into the intricacies of human relationships and their bond with nature.
The film is structured pretty much like that of its previous film; it starts from the year 1996 and contains discrete references to 96 in the form of posters in the background which can, again, add a richer sense of narration to the film.
Meiyazhagan appears to be a spiritual sequel of 96, a tale of two contrasting characters bind themselves up with memories and yearning to enjoy a lifestyle they have loved.
Arul is the symbol of the modern, urban person in pursuit of his roots while A is the simple, laid-back villager who enjoys his filigree existence. How his rock-solid admiration for Arul gives him an impression that everything Arul does is good creates an interesting situation between the two.
On the other hand, Arul fights with unresolved past issues that haunt him and which he cannot let go of old grievances. Contrasted with the perspective of A, which is based on gratitude for the lessons learned from the past, it is thus depth to their relationship and to the overall narrative.
A Unique Cinematic Experience :
From the very beginning, Meiyazhagan was lined up to be different from the usual run-of-the-mill commercial made movie. It ran nearly three hours as a slow-moving indulgence into well-crafted emotional drama and unlike the swellings of life’s complexities.
Both Karthi and Arvind Swami had a great chemistry between each other and both performed scintillatingly. Other contenders for support in this emotional drama include Devadarshini, Rajkiran, Sri Divya, Karunakaran, and Jayaprakash.
The role of Karthi as A is fully reminiscent of previous ethereal performances, bringing innocent exuberance to the part.
Arvind Swami in this film is much better than previously seen, with his talent honed on how to play the simple yet composed Arul. It is through them that the story of this self-discovery is portrayed.
Despite these benefits from the movie, however, its length does give rise to some criticisms. The editing could have tightened up on some parts and kept the flow going well as well as sustained its rhythm.
Some scenes are very long, such as the song Bhuvana had to sing during her wedding feast, the jallikattu sequences, and even some of the historical anecdotes can be way too lengthy.
But special mention should be made of the film’s music, composed by Govind Vasantha. Having been a part of director Premkumar’s earlier film 96, Vasantha gives yet another worth-remembering score that captures all the emotions needed for a film.
Haunting melodies are resounding, particularly in the song sung by Kamal Haasan titled “Yaaro Ivan Yaaro, while the background score increases the film’s poignant moments.
Cinematographer Mahendiran Jayaraju has also contributed immensely to making the film such a super success, while the essence of village life is captured beautifully.
The cinematography is something classy with village backdrops. In certain night scenes, cinematography makes such silent nights which draws the viewers into the heart of the emotional substance in the narrative.
Conclusion: Long-Lasting Impact :
In short, Meiyazhagan is basically a film that has such deep resonance brought to life by all the interesting performances of Karthi and Arvind Swami.
His performance makes it quite contributory to the film’s expansion on the concept of subtle relationships and importance of the memory and connection in our lives.
It is more than a film by Director C. Premkumar in his thinking over human emotions, who perhaps has thoughtfully made this one a must-watch film to himself and to those thinkers who will definitely sit back and think of their relationships, memories, and the system they are adapting to navigate the complexities of life.
Ultimately, Meiyazhagan is a beautiful contemplation on the complexities of human relationships that shall be scored by the unstoppable power of love, forgiveness, and understanding.
It is bound to stand out not only as fine film with great storytelling but also for deep emotional substance, placing it in noteworthy rank among contemporary cinema.
