Madurai Veeran - Review

By: Settu Shankar
Thursday, April 19, 2007
It is better to get one thing clarified in the beginning of this review itself. Don't try to find the meaning for the title of the movie at any stage of this 3 hours long film! Madurai Veeran is the remake of Teja's Telugu hit Nuvve Nennu. The story revolves around the campus and a don's house with gory events. The story is not new to any of the southern language film goers. It again follows the beaten track.

Ramesh is the son of a rich businessman in Madurai. Heroine Saloni is the daughter of a milk supplier-cum-local rowdy Lal. Both study together in a college.

Initially Saloni hates Ramesh without any particular reason. Later she realises that she is having a feeling of possessiveness towards the hero. Finally, it results in a deep love for him. But as usual, the parents of both sides oppose their love strongly. After seeing that they are adamant in their love, the parents use a technique to separate them. They promise to get them married on a condition that they should not meet each other for the next one year. But on the other hand, their parents try their level best to see that they get married secretly. Love doesn't follow any rules and it never tolerates betrayal. Ramesh tries to elope with Saloni. But he is forcibly taken to Mumbai and kept under house arrest by his father. On the other side, Lal arranges for Saloni's wedding with someone. On the wedding night, Saloni elopes from her house and rushes to Mumbai. But before she reaches there, Ramesh has already left for Chennai to visit her. The rest of the movie deals with the re-union of the lovers against all odds with the help of the student force.

The film is made on a reasonable story, but the way the director presents the story is truly horrible. He has copied every nuances, and even aped the mistakes from the original version! Ramesh has given his best performance in this film. It seems that he has begun to realize his precarious position in the industry, and is sincerely trying to establish his career. Adopting his brother Jeeva's voice for dubbing was a wise decision.For Saloni, it is her debut movie in Tamil. But the talented actress has already completed many films in other languages of the south. If she selects good projects, there will be a promising future for this girl in Kollywood.

Kanja Karuppu, Venniradai Murthy, Manobala and V. M. C. Haneefa have also done a neat job.The unnecessary, high-pitched dialogues by a supporting actress 'Dhool' Sakunthala irritates everybody.

V.Jayasankar's splendid camerawork is a treat to your eyes. Kuthu song specialist Srikanth Deva has contributed some peppy tunes and has made this film watchable. Especially a duet number Kaalaiyum Neeye...rendered by him and his wife Febi in beautiful foreign locations steals the hearts of love-smitten couples.

It is quite surprising that the murderer chases the couple in the same costume for months together. There are two climaxes in the film, but both only test the patience of the viewers. By using the title of Thalaivar MGR's epic movie, the director has committed a sacrilege!

Banner: S.K. Pictures A. Seiyyathu
Cast: Ramesh, Saloni, Lal, Avinash, VMC Haneefa and Venniraadai Moorthi
Music: Srikanth Deva
Photography: I. Andrew
Screenplay, Direction: R.K.Vincent Selva
Verdict: Average