'Mersal' is an all important film in Vijay's career as his last outing 'Bhairavaa' failed at the box office and this is also an acid test for Atlee whether he can score a blockbuster hat-trick. The result is that the Thalapathy scroes three times his mass and Atlee delivers once again.
An international award winning doctor Maaran (Vijay) doubles up as a magician and commits a very public murder abroad and the cop (Sathyaraj) traces him back to Chennai and nabs him easily. At the interrogation it is revealed that many murders have been committed and all from the medical proffession. The cop is also confused why the doctor surrendered so easily and learns about the existence of another Vijay who uses the doctor's identity and targets a medical business magnate Daniel (S.J.Surya) who in turn wants Maaran dead. Why do the magician and businessman want to kill each other is revealed in an emotional flashback that is the crux of the screenplay.
Vijay donning triple roles for the first time in his career plays to the gallery in all of them and scores big. As Maaran he displays class and subtleness along with a playfulness with the scenes involving Samantha and Yogi Babu. As Vetri the magician he is all flamboyant,fun and entertaining and turns into a tornado in the fight scenes. In the much anticipated village head role the Thalapathy rules the hearts with his innocence,his surrender to a dominant wife and his social conscience. In all three roles Vijay connects to his fans strongly and also conveys his political stand boldly.
Among the heroines it is Nithya Menen who has the meatiest role doing full justice to it and her chemistry with Vijay is impeccable. The only wish of a fan would be for Nithya to watch her weight. Samantha as the love interest of the doctor has put in a spirited performance and her comedy works well due to perfect timing from her and her costars Yogi Babu and Vijay. Kajal looks pretty in the one duet she has but otherwise has nothing much to do in the script. Vadivelu scores more in the emotional scenes than in comedy while Sathyaraj is listless as the cop in pursuit. S.J.Surya excels as the suave villain in the period getup as well as the modern one and his dialogues on contemporary politics and medical profession bring the house down. Kovai Sarala and Kaali Venkat make good contributions in small roles.
'Mersal' works big mainly because of Vijay's mass and because the malpractices in the medical profession show in the film is very relateable. The flashback portion is emotionally charged and most of the logical loop holes pass by thanks to well placed mass moments at regular intervals. The masala factors of song,dance and fights keep the 'Rasigan' well entertained enough to digest the messages.
On the downside the film causes dejavu as the story is a straight lift of Kamal Haasan's timeless classic 'Apoorva Sagodharargal' with only the opening sequence of it moved to the middle. Many scenes remind you of other films also and hence you have a 'Ramana' moment, a 'Annamalai' moment and even a 'Kaththi' moment apart from an 'Enga Veetu Pillai' effect. For good measure there is a 'Vivegam' parallel too when Sathyaraj shows admiration for Vijay and also sheds tears a la Vivekh Oberoi . Except for the flashback the second half is a drag and seems never ending as the inevitable climax is also telegraphed well in advance to the audience.
A R Rahman's songs and music though not his best work are okay for the film. Vishnu's cinematography and Ruben's editing perfectly compliment Muthuraj's colorful and Innovative production design. Atlee with his winning formula of old wine in a new bottle has proved beyond doubt his caliber as a commercial director and has delivered a sure shot winner for Thenandal Studios 100th production.
Verdict : Go for a wholesome entertainer loaded with Triple Thapathy Vijay Mass.
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