Mayanadhi is one of the least hyped movies of this Christmas season. But there was something about the trailer (may be the haunting bgm, deserted urban streets, yellow colour tone used) which made me to watch this on the first day itself. Mathan an engineering drop out, travels to Kodaikanal for a shady deal, where they encounter something unexpected. He then decides to travel back to Cochin in search of his lost love, Aparna (Appu). However a series of events turns upside down the lives of the duo. Mayanadhi is a visual extravaganza. So it is a must that you should choose a good theatre for watching this.There are a lot of never before seen shots in the movie. Cinematographer Jayesh Mohan should be given a standing ovation for this. Even though the music by Rex Vijayan was not impressive, his orginal score adds well to the entire mood of the movie. There are some sequences in second half , which could have been trimmed. But an emotionally overwhelming climax makes up for all the drawbacks of the movie. The relevance of the title ‘Mayaanadhi’ (Mystic River) will also be revealed at the end. When it comes to the performances, every actor did their part well. Mayanadhi marks Tovino’s career best performance. Aashiq Abu is back with a bang. His craftsmanship as a director is evident in many scenes of the movie. The one thing that separates Mayanadhi from the recent romantic flicks in Malayalam like Ennu Ninte Moideen, Premam,Anarkali, Charlie is that it is quite an ‘atmospheric’ thriller. I also like the way he characterised the lead pair on screen. The cap wore by Mathen, his gadget freakiness, the insecurities of Appu are some of them. The script penned by Shyam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair gives much importance to even the minute subtleties of every scene. There are also some unintentionally funny moments which evoked laughter among the audience. But having said that, I am not sure about the boxoffice prospects of this movie. Mainly because, mayanadhi is one of the most intimate romantic thrillers ever made in Malayalam. There are a lot of intense sequences including liplocks and even a lovemaking scene between the lead pair, which may rise some eyebrows. Moreover it is not a throughout entertainer. It falls somewhere in between offbeat movies and mainstream commercial cinema. But irrespective of his boxoffice performance, this one will haunt me for some time, especially its climax! And I love this movie for that climax! Verdict: 3.5/5 AN INTENSE, INTIMATE SLOWLY MOVING ROMANTIC THRILLER
Nice review macha. Your first sentence connected with me too. Ashiq Abu uses a narration type that grows into you slowly..I felt that in Rani Padmini. And in someplaces, he uses nature to express feelings over dialogues. This trailer also gave the same feeling although the realism felt a bit forced. Slow dark movies are my favourite genre...kaananam.
