MUGAMOODI FILM REVIEW

Mugamoodi (2012)

 

Director: Mysskin
Casts: Jeeva, Narein, Pooja Hegde, Naasar
Music: K
Language: Tamil
Genre: Action-Adventure, Superhero

 ‘As you think, so shall you become’ – Bruce Lee.

Mugamoodi travels in the lines of this quote and director Mysskin have aimed to bring out that a superhero is within every individual. Touted to be the first superhero flick in Kollywood, Mugamoodi oozed with potential with current peak stars Jeeva and Mysskin’s favourite, Narein joining hands with the ace director. With the music and promos captivating the public, Mugamoodi showed substantial promise.  So does this superhero prevail?

  

Quick Synopsis: The film starts off with a menacing group of robbers led by Angusamy aka Dragon (Narein), disrupting the peace of the city by series of housebreaking and killing. This sets off a difficult and pressurizing task for the police force led by the commissioner Gaurev (Naasar). Meanwhile, Anand (Jeeva) a carefree youngster who idolizes Bruce Lee aims to become like him one day.  At one instance, Anand incidentally catches one of the gang members of Dragon and pass him to the police. However, the member gets shot by the Angusamy in custody and attempts a target at Gaurav. But all hell breaks loose when Anand gets framed for series of murders and forced to prove himself by protecting his identity, eventually rising up as Mugamoodi to fight injustice.

Story-Screenplay

Story and screenplay are two aspects where Mysskin scores the most usually and everyone does espect it from him here too. Mugamoodi starts off in a promising note and the opening intro of the film sets the right mood for a superhero flick. The first half travels in a light hearted mood and also sets up for the arrival of Mugamoodi real well. However the film’s mood gets dampen with a draggy second half. The predictability of the film is also the reason for this.

The first half contains unnecessarily draggy romance track which acts only as a catalyst to the transition to the action track of the film. Jeeva’s transition to a superhero is unconvincing to a certain extent.  The sidekicks like his grandfather and his two colleagues are also logically defying. The main aim of Dragon, the antagonist was also not well established which prevents the character from being menacing as aimed. On top of everything the disturbing factor is the decision for the director to make a superhero story without the establishment of the media in any part which rips off the credibility of Mugamoodi. It is quite surprising to see an ace director leaving space for such juvenile elements.

The main problem also does arrive in the lack of depth in the antagonist character, Dragon, who looks feeble and inconsistent. For a superhero film to succeed, strong villain is needed and Mugamoodi seriously have missed that which affects the overall film greatly.

 

However, Mugamoodi is not all negatives. Mysskin’s style is one of the most prominent one in Kollywood and Mugamoodi is no exception of it. Prolonging takes, unique camera angles and sharp dialogues are all present in this too. However, the long takes does contribute to the draggy factor. The factor of Kung Fu throughout the film creates a unique flavour.

In overall, Mysskin have opted for style this time by deciding just to hold a passable content in hand.

Casting & Performance 

Jeeva does a neat job be it an ordinary youngster, an angry man or a brave superhero, he does it with heart. His hard work is evident in all aspect, especially in the stunt sequences and dance. Narein on other hand should be commendable for accepting a negative role which he does justice. However the lack of depth in the character itself does make him feeble throughout. Pooja Hegde has the looks and considering her limited role, comes out with a decent performance. Nassar as commissioner impresses whereas other casts such as Selva, and veteran Grish Karnad are average.

In overall, Jeeva and Nassar carry the film on their shoulder most of the time and have impressed thoroughly, who frankly make Mugamoodi a worthy watch.

Technicality

Technicality is one major factor for a superhero film and in Mugamoodi, it is the strongest department which elevates the film greatly. First on the list is the cinematography of Sathya. He does pulls of the long takes directed by Mysskin, really well. As the story takes place at night most of the time, the lighting tone he uses, adds to the thrilling effect of the film. Stunt coordinators have done their job very well as the Kung Fu style being handled in very novel and believable way throughout the film. Last but not the least, in K’s music, both ‘Vaayamoodi Summa Iru’ and ‘Kudi Anthem’ excels big time. However, the artificiality and the placement of the ‘Vaayamoodi’ song disappoint a little. In addition, the background score by him is impressive and touches the nerves at many points especially at the climax.

In overall, Mysskin have well collated and extracted the technical team which have resulted in an remarkable treatment. 

Conclusion

Everyone’s hard work is evident especially Jeeva and the crew’s. Having admitted by Mysskin that it is aimed to satisfy the kid and to cater the local audience, he succeeds in coming up with a decent entertainer which has sparkles of brilliance from the performance and technical department. However the element of superhero certainly lacks due to the credibility of the antagonist.

However, the innovative treatment and unique premise does safe the film, translating it into a decent thriller.

Verdict: Mugamoodi – Unmasked

Rating: 3/5