Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan Movie Review : A film that tries to be a crowd thriller but fails along the way

Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan Movie Synopsis: An agent from the Indian Secret Service is living an isolated life in Andaman by concealing his identity. But what ensues when he develops an emotional bond with people he met there?

Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan Movie Review: Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan has its lead actor Vijay Antony in a completely different avatar and setting compared to when we saw him last, which was in the romcom drama Romeo released earlier this year. This time around, he is playing a top agent from the Indian Secret Service named Salim. There is one quote in the film said by Vijay Antony’s character, which goes something like, “You can call me anything: Salim, Vijay or Antony.”

The intention behind the dialogue is clear, and it acts as both a meta reference and a call for religious equality. But this line that comes out of nowhere makes us chuckle rather than applaud. The same could be said about the entire film as well. This is a film revolving around a character with a mysterious past, but even when the film has its moments, it largely fails to come through.

Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan has all the mandatory characters who we see in such a film made in mainstream Tamil cinema, including the friend/sidekick (Pruthvi Ambaar), the stern but good-hearted head (R Sarath Kumar), the romantic interest (Megha Akash), the cruel antagonist (Daali Dhananjaya) and the parental figure (Saranya Ponvannan). But, even though there are moments with them that have turned out well, these characters fail to have a life of their own.

When the emotions of the characters register, it can be easily misinterpreted as the strength in the way they have been written. But it is the actors who manage to do more for the character and therefore the film and not vice versa. Take R Sarath Kumar’s role as the chief and mentor of Salim; the way that character is written is one-note. But the actor with his presence elevates the written material.

At the end of the film, this Vijay Milton directorial does its best to steer clear of the standard template and the clichés. This is evident from the final confrontation and certain moments in between. But what it ends up being is a film that fell into the trap of trying to be a testosterone-filled crowd thriller. Even the meta references in the film fail to make an impact and seem to just be included for the claps.