Maari

On a content level Maari doesn’t have much of a variety to ask for. But the quirky treatment by the director Balaji Mohan gives the movie an entertainer getup. With Dhanush performing with charm as the title protagonist, Maari is a passable one without many high points.

Maari is that local goon who is ruling the town along with his two henchmen. Even though he is annoying, the people aren’t that fearless to make a complaint against him. Maari is also the frequent winner of the illegal pigeon race. The new SI in charge Arjun, decides to move against Maari for all his illegal activities and how he does this and how things turnout is what the movie describing.

As I said, it is the eccentricity in treatment that works for Maari to an extent. The antihero idea was always there in films and this one is also no different from all those heroic Robin Hood fashioned commercial port boilers. But Balaji Mohan who has this signature style of wit, embeds that in almost every frame to give the movie a watchable feel overall. With story not showing much wonders it is the performers that steadies the ship.

Dhanush is a veteran in playing these sort of attitude roles and the actor once again pulls it off nicely with the quirkiness I mentioned in the beginning. The supporting goons Robo Shankar and Kalloori Vinoth also did a smart job by being those spoofing partners who justifies the director’s treatment. Kajal Aggarwal is okay in her portrayal. Vijay Yesudas in his debut delivered a satisfactory performance. Supporting cast was also fine.

Balaji Mohan’s idea was basically treatment driven. The not so attractive pigeon-goon story gets a life because of the humour present in the treatment. The attitude show at times becomes excessive with that “Maari…..” Bgm striking too loudly. Script is quite predictable or I should say that the surprises weren’t that surprising. The idea surrounding pigeons wasn’t used smartly. It just remained as an excuse for the ignition of some fights. Tracks are of typical Anirudh style. Background score is peppy at times, but the frequent heroics makes it a bit annoying.

Overall Maari is just about that passable mark with the help of non-slapstick humour. Rating for the movie is 2/5.