Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Nayakudu

'Nayakudu' Movie Review

Cast: Udayanidhi Stalin, Vadivelu, Fahadh Fasil, Keerthy Suresh and others.

Music: AR Rahman

Cinematography: Theni Eswar

Editor: Selva RK

Producer: Udayanidhi Stalin

Writer - Director: Mari Selvaraj

Over the last year, dubbed movies like 'Kantara', 'Love Today', '2018' and others have performed exceptionally well in the Telugu states. In the same manner, 'Maamannan' is arriving as 'Nayakudu' in Telugu and Suresh Productions along with the Asian Cinemas banner are releasing it here. Starring Udayanidhi Stalin, Fahadh Fasil, Vedivelu and Keerthy Suresh in the main roles, the movie has arrived in theatres today. Let us dive into the review straightaway.

Story:

Timmaraju (Vadivelu) is an MLA belonging to a backward caste. His son Raghuveera (Udayanidhi Stalin) is angry towards him as Raghuveera faces caste discrimination since childhood and loses all his friends and almost faces death. But his father never did anything which makes him agitated. Due to this, there are no talks between them over the last 15 years. Though he is an MLA, Timmaraju always faces discrimination from Ratnavelu's (Fahadh Fasil) family who are powerful in his party. Timmaraju gets humiliated when he goes to Ratnavelu's house as a dispute arose between Raghuveera and Ratnavelu's brother. Raghuveera fights back with Ratnavelu and this becomes a big issue. Ratnavelu decides to kill both the father and son. What happens after this? Did Ratnavelu get his revenge? The answers will be explained in theatres near you.

Analysis:

Tamil Nadu is one of the states in India where the caste system has gone to the roots of existence. This is a huge history of caste discrimination and atrocities against backward sections of the society in that state. Though the situation has improved drastically over the past few decades, we see headlines of ruthless incidents in newspapers regularly. Many Tamil filmmakers made great movies based on the divide in society because of the caste system. Current generation filmmaker Pa Ranjith's films are all based on the caste discrimination theme. His student Mari Selvaraj has also traveled in the same direction. 'Pariyerum Permuaal' and 'Karnan' are the classics he made and the latest offering from him is 'Nayakudu'. The film has the same theme but it is not made in a documentary style or only focuses on the grievances of the backward communities. 'Nayakudu' is a film that makes the audience think but has a touch of commercialism too. We can see a bit of heroism too along with a few goosebump moments and connectable emotions. There is a great message too but the excessive Tamil flavor added with the unrelatable hero is the biggest disadvantage. But you can watch it once without any questions.

Vadivelu can be regarded as Brahmanandam of Kollywood. He is known for his hilarious roles and he impressed the Telugu crowd as well with many dubbing films like 'Chandramukhi', 'Premikudu' and others. But we will be stunned to see Vadivelu in 'Nayakudu'. The story revolves around his character and his acting is the highlight of this flick. He kept his comic image aside and gave a performance that will shock everyone. He makes you glued to the screens right from the first scene. Fahadh Fasil being the villain to challenge Vadivelu has turned out to be a huge plus point. They lifted the film whenever the screenplay is a bit weak. Their performances are the biggest highlight of this movie. But keeping an expressionless hero like Udayanidi Stalin in between these two exceptional performers is quite bad. Stalin came in front of the Telugu audience through 'OK OK' before. As it was a comedy film and Santhanam did all the heavy lifting which made the film a decent success. But he fell flat when doing an intense film like 'Nayakudu'. The character would have gone to the next level had Udayanidhi Stalin performed at least decently. He plays the role of a rebel who had a lot of conflicts in his mind and has a lot of pain inside him. Stalin fails to showcase those emotions and one cannot help but wonder what would have happened if an actor of Dhanush's calibre did this role. While Vadivelu and Fahadh were pushing the film to the next level, it looks like Stalin was trying to pull it down.

Mari Selvaraj showcased the attitude of upper caste people, caste discrimination and inequality in a very intense manner. But it is difficult to believe that there are still such conditions in Tamil Nadu. The situation in Andhra Pradesh is quite different as well. So, people get a doubt that if these things are happening in current times as well or not. This makes it tough for the audience to relate to a few elements in the movie. But there are very scenes like the scene related to the well in the village will surely move the audience. Selvaraj showcased his brilliance in dealing with Vadivelu's character and how he is humiliated despite being an MLA. The drama built up in this scene was quite engaging. Also, MLA's son raising pigs is quite an interesting touch and the director managed to show his beliefs through such symbolic shots.

The pre-interval scene which turns the movie is the biggest asset of the movie and this makes the audience expect a lot from the second half. But the latter half fails to deliver as it runs on a predictable note of strategies, hurdles caused by the villain and how the hero and his father cross them. 'Nayakudu' is quite realistic throughout but the last scenes were a bit too dramatic. Hero's father winning with just one speech and getting the top post is too convenient. One expects a hard-hitting climax from Mari Selvaraj but it is not the case. Nonetheless, 'Nayakudu' is a meaningful film that gives you a feeling of having watched something good.

Performances:

We have seen Vadivelu in a lot of different comedic roles over the past three decades. But he shows a completely different side of himself with 'Nayakudu'. He is a great actor and he proves it once again. He breathes life into this character. We see him going over the board for comedy scenes in many films but his composed and mature acting elevated a lot of scenes in this movie. His role will be remembered for a long time. Fahadh Fasil impressed with his trademark acting. He showed a lot of intensity through his eyes and Fahad makes a strong impact right from the very first scene. He impresses throughout but Udayanidhi Stalin pales in comparison with these too. He does not have the range to match these expert actors and one fails to understand how he was offered this part. Keerthy Suresh did very well but her character lacked any significance. Lal is impressive as the chief minister and the rest of the actors are quite okay.

Technicians:

'Nayakudu' is completely different from all the big projects AR Rahman usually takes up. The Oscar winning composer has been facing criticism for not giving his best in recent times has shown his supremacy with 'Ponniyin Selvan'. He once again showcases it with 'Nayakudu'. The background score is terrific and it drives the film forward. His songs are okay but it is Sekhar's cinematography that needs appreciation. The dramatic tone and the rural setup have been captured very well. The production values are quite good. Directed Mari Selvaraj made an intense movie in his usual style. But this film has a slight overdose of commercial touch which made him lose the grip on the story and screenplay at times. The first half along with a few key episodes showcase his brilliance.

Verdict: 'Nayakudu' - Interesting & Makes You Think!

Rating: 2.75/5

Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theater