This is my review of the Indian Language Tamil Feature Film titled "Master" certified on 23/12/2020 by the Central Board of Film Certification, India.
This review has been written and edited by me.
Category - Entertainment, Movie Review
Indian Language Tamil Feature Film
Theatre Release date 13/1/2021
Amazon Prime Release date 29/1/2021
Directed by Lokesh Kanakaraj
Produced by Xavier Britto Swamikkannu
Theatrical Running time 178.35 minutes
Original movie certified for theatrical release by the CBFC as U/A in the Indian subcontinent for Mr. Lalit Kumar Sambandam, Seven Screen Studios, Chennai.
“Master” is an in and out Vijay movie, right from the moment the idea was dreamed up. It was thought for Vijay, it was jotted down for Vijay and it was accomplished for Vijay. When he plays the protagonist, the director roped in Vijay Sethupathi as the antagonist, a compelling one. Female existence in the movie is restricted as the writers struggle to give screen time to the lead ladies Malavika Mohanan and Andreah Jeremiah.
The movie opens by showing young Bhavani, played to perfection by actor Mahendran, thrown into a juvenile home for no fault of his as the villains slew his parents and burn down his belongings. He is tortured day in and day out inside the juvenile home where apparently Bhavani grows up, developing strong illicit political connections. Finally, he becomes the most dreaded goon of the area, and the role of senior Bhavani is played to more than cent percent perfection by Vijay Sethupathi.
Parallelly JD, aka, John Durairaj (Vijay) is a college professor in Psychology and Behavioural Sciences in the same college in Chennai where he did his M. Phil. He is loved and honored by almost all the students at his college and therefore obviously detested by his colleagues. He is shown as a dipsomaniac right from start. He controls the elections of the college which turn out to be a total chaos due to external political influence. Consequently, JD is made to take up the job as a teacher/trainer/master at a Juvenile Home in Chennai. He eases up initially, but the death of two of his most favourite inmates shakes him up by tonnes. He quits alcohol and vows to hunt down Bhavani. who, later, JD realizes is the kingpin of the illegal booze and drug trafficking into the juvenile home and thereby is the razón principal for the death of the two lads. How he traces down Bhavani and what all he loses when Bhavani retaliates, forms the rest of the highly predictable, very Indian storyline.
Vijay acts his ever-repetitive role with obvious effortless ease whereas Vijay Sethupathi is the charmer who, with his irresistible placid smile and natural emoting skills, steals the show. Malavika Mohanan as Charulatha, JD’s colleague at college, has a song sequence and maybe another 20-25 minutes of the total 177 minutes to look beautiful. Yes, unfortunately all she needs to do is to only look beautiful around the idol. Quite surprisingly, wobbling from the usual Tamil cinema style, the makers have not roped in a humorist to play a side kick to the lead performer.
Anirudh Ravichander is not my choice of a music director ever – of all the songs he composed, I have personally liked only the “yaar petra makano” track from the Tamil movie “Kathi”, performed by K. J. Yesudas. In this movie, the theme track which is played every time the hero performs something big on screen sounds okay. However, the songs are all below average and none of the tracks would make you hum it later.
I am quite bothered about the music of the forthcoming Tamil language movie "Indian 2" which he composes for director Shankar principally because the mellifluous A. R. Rahman compositions for the prequel still stays fresh in the minds of every Indian, even after 25 years. In my opinion, "Indian 2" is a sequel in which no element of making can possibly be ruined because the public expectations from the sequel would be in lines with what they received from the blockbuster prequel in 1996. I really wish I get a chance to ask director Shankar on why he had to crouch so far down below ARR and Harris to someone like Anirudh, who makes such noisy music, to compose the music for a sequel which the whole world awaits. I am sure there must be extraneous coercion for this and doubtlessly, Anirudh must not have been Shanker's choice. We have all seen since "Gentleman" that Shankar has his standards set so remarkably high. Let us wait for the reason to pop up sooner or later. I know I have taken an extra bit of time away from the review for this - but it is worth a mention and a very serious concern.
Editing and cinematography, attributed to Philomin Raj and Sathyam Sooryan respectively are mediocre.
The biggest let down of the movie, as I have felt, is the last 15 minutes where the director probably had no idea on how to conclude this show – how should the hero kill the villain etc etc. Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi are both heroes in Tamil cinema and so he could not hurt the sentiments of both fans. His conflict is evident as he somehow wraps up with minimum hiccups.
Altogether, the movie is a decent one time watch if you are, or are not, a Vijay fan. Watch it, as a logic-less entertainer, but a decently made one, which keeps you happy for at least the first 150 minutes.
My rating 6/10
