Story
The
story
of
the
Mersal
moves
through
the
two
main
characters,
Maaran
(Vijay),
a
sincere
doctor
who
fights
against
corruption
and
Vettri
(Vijay),
a
magician
who
is
out
for
a
revenge.
Both
of
them
are
estranged
brothers
and
once
they
come
together,
they
get
to
know
about
their
common
enemy
,Daniel
(SJ
Surya),
who
had
killed
their
father
(Thalapathy
played
by
Vijay)
and
mother
(Nithya
Menen).
Mersal
deals
with
this
revenge
tale
and
has
taken
up
some
important
social
issues,
as
well.
The
movie
is
packed
with
certain
amount
of
surprise
packages
along
with
its
own
share
of
entertaining
elements.
Atlee,
the
director
has
laced
the
movie
with
entertainment
and
message.
The
movie
might
resemble
yesteryear
classics
such
as
Rajini's
Moondru
Mugam
and
Kamal's
Apoorva
Sahodaragal.
Atlee,
however,
has
presented
old
wine
in
a
new
bottle
with
impressive
packing
and
presentation.
Pros
&
Cons
PROS
-
Vijay's
performance
-
AR
Rahman's
music
-
Intro
scene
and
Pre-Interval
Block
of
the
Flashback
portion
-
Ruben's
editing
-
GK
Vishnu's
cinematography
-
Rich
Production
Values
CONS
-
Lengthy
screenplay
-
Lack
of
emotional
quotient
-
Under
utilization
of
certain
characters
TECHNICAL
DEPARTMENT
Editing:
With
a
run
time
of
2:50
Hours,
the
movie
seems
to
be
tediously
long
but
Ruben,
the
editor,
with
his
precise
skills
eliminates
the
elasticity
to
a
certain
extent.
Ruben's
fine
cuts
make
the
movie
racier
than
what
it
is.
Cinematography:
GK
Vishnu,
a
young
chap
and
a
toddler
into
the
industry
doesn't
give
the
same
vibe
to
the
audience.
He
seems
to
be
more
profound
and
proficient
as
his
way
of
handling
the
camera
apparently
captivates
the
attention
of
the
audience.
Be
it
the
retro
portions
or
the
present
day
sequences,
Vishnu
has
just
pulled
it
off
in
style
with
his
lighting
and
colour
grading.
Storyline:
The
writer
of
Baahubali-2,
Vijayendra
Prasad
has
once
again
scored
with
his
storyline.
A
formidable
story
with
a
blend
of
almost
all
ingredients
which
is
required
to
churn
out
an
entertaining
hit.
Music:
The
Mozart
of
Madras
knows
where
to
score
music
with
the
sound
and
where
to
create
silence.
ARR's
background
score
and
songs
are
in
the
perfect
place.
Screenplay
and
Direction:
Atlee,
the
young
talented
director
who
is
just
2
films
old
in
the
industry,
seems
to
have
mastered
the
art
of
capturing
the
pulse
of
the
audience.
Though
one
feels
that
the
first
half
of
the
movie
could
have
been
trimmed
along
with
the
addition
of
some
engaging
elements,
the
director
still
wins
over
with
his
directorial
skills.
PERFORMANCES
Vijay:
Triple
action
and
triple
bonanza.
Thalapathy
Vijay
occupies
the
screen
totally
and
is
dominant
right
from
the
word
go.
His
performance,
energy,
dance
etc.,
strikes
well
with
the
audience
and
one
must
laud
his
efforts
of
maintaining
his
physique
at
the
age
of
43.
However,
Vijay's
snorting
kind
of
voice
modulation,
which
has
been
his
attempt
as
a
part
of
variation
doesn't
quite
go
well
as
it
doesn't
sound
all
that
effective.
Vijay
undoubtedly
carries
the
major
part
of
the
movie
on
his
shoulder.
Heroines:
Both
Samantha
and
Kajal
have
done
justice
to
their
given
roles.
However,
it's
Nithya
Menen
who
steals
the
limelight
in
the
retro
episode.
She
is
said
to
have
gained
weight
for
the
role
and
yes,
she
deserves
the
applause
being
received.
SJ
Suryah:
Man!
Tamil
cinema
now
has
got
a
terrifying
villain
in
the
form
of
this
actor-turned
director.
Suryah,
who
had
made
terrific
impact
with
Spyder
continues
his
successful
mark.
Others:
A
good
comeback
for
Vadivelu.
But
wish
he
was
given
more
screen
space.
Satyaraj,
Satyan,
Yogi
Babu
etc.
are
just
ok.
FINAL
VERDICT
Mersal
has
certain
surprise
packages
along
with
its
own
share
of
entertaining
elements.
It's
a
must
watch
for
Vijay's
fans
and
a
decent
watch
for
family
audience
considering
the
festive
season.