Mazhai is an honest remake of blockbuster Telugu hit Varsham. The film will work in all centres.
Besides Jeyam Ravi and Shreya, the Mazhai (rain) does play an important role, almost like a never-hovering metaphor.
Raj Kumar, a one-time associate of director Charan has struck to the basics in churning out the remake. Equally impressive is Devi Sri Prasad who has come up with catchy tunes.
The movie begins with Shailaja (Shreya) a popular actress being kidnapped by a notorious gangster Deva (Rahul Dev). Her father (Kalabhavan Mani) seeks the help of Arjun (Jeyam Ravi), a youth who is employed in a quarry in the same locality.
Meanwhile Arjun's uncle falls sick and for his medical expenses he sets on a mission to rescue Shailaja. A small flashback reveals that Arjun and Shailaja were in deep love and they decide to marry. But Deva comes across Shailaja and is attracted by her beauty and decides to marry her.
Meanwhile a popular producer (Pyramid Natarajan) meets Shailaja and decides to cast her as heroine in his film. A shrewd Kalabhavan Mani, who does no job and spends his time boozing and gambling, decides to make her a heroine. He promises Deva to marry his daughter to him and seeks his help in separating Arjun and his daughter. Once he succeeds in his mission, he sets off to Chennai to make her an actress. Coming to know about his plans, Deva kidnaps her.Now Arjun takes up the job of rescuing Shailaja.
Eventually Arjun realizes Shailaja's true love towards him. The rest is all but how Arjun rescues her from the clutches of Deva and succeeds in marrying her eventually.
Jeyam Ravi has improved leaps and bounds playing the angry young man's role with understanding. He certainly impresses in the stunt sequences. His natural robust good looks are an added advantage.
Shreya is a welcome addition to Kollywood. A glamorous actress, she is sure to go a long way here. Kalabhavan Mani has played his role to perfection, while model-turned-actor Rahul dev has given a decent account of himself. Vadivelu's comedy is on typical lines.
Devisri Prasad's music gives the film a good lift. The songs really have special flavor and fervor. The songs, which won Filmfare awards in Telugu, have the right mix of mass and melody in them.
The film's other strength is that the production qualities are consistently high. The continuous spell of rain really makes the day for Tamil Nadu viewers, used as they are generally to acrid dryness. The producer deserves a special praise for not scrimping on the budget.
Rajkumar has shown good nous in crafting this faithful remake. The director has both technical understanding and an ability to tell a story. A rare combination indeed!
All said, Mazhai, produced by S P B Charan, is sure to enthrall the audience especially youngsters.
Charan has again shown that he is good in backing clean family entertainment.
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