'The Life Of Muthu' hit the screens in Telugu on Saturday. In this section, we are going to review the movie.
Story:
Muthu (Simbu) is a graduate who originates from a village near Nidaduvole in Andhra Pradesh. Abject poverty and his mother's wish pushes him to seek a desperate job in Mumbai. After Muthu starts working in a parota-selling eatery in the Maximum City, he stumbles upon a shocking truth: The shop-runner is part of a gang that is into violent settlements.
The protagonist tries to run away from that dangerous dungeon, but the circumstances lure him into the underworld. Meanwhile, Muthu falls for Pavani (Siddhi Idnani) and marries her. The aftereffects of his association with the gang spill into his personal life, too. Muthu gets caught between two warring gangs in Mumbai.
Analysis:
Director Gautham Menon adapts a short story written by Kollywood screenwriter Jeyamohan. This dubbed version of the Tamil movie 'Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu' has been variously described as a gangster origin film, a drama and whatnot. Made as the first part of a duology, it comes undone by elaborate, boring stretches that try to pass off basic ideas as realism.
Between the two halves, it is the latter that works. There comes a poignant plot turn in the second half, something that must have provoked the director's interest in the story of Muthu. From there, the graph rises steadily till the last scene. In short, the film's final 30-minute stretch (the total run time is nearly 165 minutes) is unarguably the most engaging part of the film. It is also interesting how the final 10 minutes are hurried through in a deliberate manner. It has the quality of a 'KGF'-style big-scale story-telling. Even Rahman's music comes into its own in these stretches, although you would have preferred an Anirudh to wrap up things.
But the journey to that edgy and shattering final stretch is laborious. The first half is staged in a plot-less manner. The one exception is the turn of events leading to Muthu getting hold of a revolver. The element of the warring gangs between which Muthu eventually gets sandwiched has been written with some care. But the sluggishness of the proceedings tests your patience.
The romantic track relies excessively on AR Rahman's music. The songs might impress the music aficionados out there, but the background score is tonally off in some segments. Even the songs sound far more joyful than they should have.
Appukutty and Radhika Sarathkumar have done justice to their roles. Siddhi Idnani comes across as too upper-class for her role. The love track is strewn with escapist ideas until the pre-final act phase. Neeraj Madhav and Siddique could have been used better.
Hollywood-based stunt master Lee Whittaker has choreographed fairly watchable action blocks. Siddhartha Nuni's visuals and art department's work added more life to this gangster drama. Anthony's editing is average.
Simbu's impeccable performance is the film's crowning glory. He single-handedly saves many moments from getting elbowed out, that is, if you like his acting style.
Verdict:
'The Life Of Muthu' is boring for the most part. Only the last 30 minutes work.
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