Any action or drama Tamil film from the ’90s to early 2000s is incomplete without featuring the comedian Vadivelu. Fahadh Faasil, on the other hand, is an actor and producer of the Malayalam film industry, but his acting prowess and nuanced roles have established his name as one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. Both of these two stars came together for the recently released Tamil film, Maareesan directed by Sudheesh Sankar. Here’s an honest review of the film.
Vadivelu as an Alzheimer’s patient in Maareesan
Vadivelu is known for his epic comic timing, over-the-top expressions and body language, which have never failed to make people laugh. However, in Maareesan he takes on a completely different avatar. The actor plays the character of ‘Velayudham’, an Alzheimer’s patient who has forgotten large chunks of his past memories. Vadivelu does a phenomenal job of portraying the anxiety of going through this condition and with his exceptional acting depicts a man afraid to forget his own identity.
This is a completely new and never-before-seen side of Vadivelu. At times one might expect him to make goofy expressions or do a dance number as he has been mostly seen in these kinds of roles. But Vadivelu remains true to his character and delivers a grounded performance with many subtleties. Hence, Maareesan has proved that Vadivelu isn’t just a great comedian, but he is also a great actor capable of pulling any kinds of roles.
Fahadh Faasil in Maareesan plays the role of a goofy thief
Popularly known as FaFa, Fahadh Faasil has convinced every cinephile that there isn’t a character that he cannot play with absolute perfection. In Maareesan, he plays the role of a goofy and petty thief, ‘Dhayalan’, who encounters Vadivelu’s character ‘Velayudham’ while breaking into his house. As is the case with most of the characters played by Fafa, ‘Dhayalan’ is neither the hero nor the villain of the film. He is a complex person who falls between the various shades of grey, which makes the viewers root for him sometimes, although begrudgingly. And FaFa as always portrays all these shades of grey with perfection.
Maareesan is quite slow-paced
After the best part of the film, which was its two main leads, here’s something which could have been better. And that is the pace of the movie. After ‘Dhalayan’ breaks into ‘Velayudham’, he convinces the Alzheimer’s patient to venture out on a road trip so that the thief can get more money from him. After the two go on a trip, nothing much happens in the film until the interval. ‘Velayudham’s condition does make up for some comic and endearing scenes; however, the film is still slow initially.
Most Malayalam films are made in this format, with the first half being quite slow-paced to let the viewer explore the characters, their mentalities and subtleties. However, for a Tamil drama and suspense film, these scenes of sweet nothings seem to stretch. However, Maareesan makes up for this with an amazing interval. After this point, the film picks up speed and is filled with interesting twists.
Are you excited to see Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil in Maareesan?
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