Madrasapattinam - review

People generally love movies which transport them to past or future. Imsai Arasan 23 am Pulikesi which took us to a comic historical past and it is now Madrasapattinam which takes us to a lovable past.

PLOT:

The plot starts with a old woman Amy Smith and her family in the funeral of the old woman's husband. She faints at the graveyard. Doctors suggest to do operation for a clot in her brain. But the operation also gives only 50 - 50 chance of living. The old woman looks at a photgraph of a young man and she is reminded of her past. She travels to India against her family's wishes along with her grand-daughter.

As soon as she lands in India she reminds her days there as Amy Wilkinson during pre-independence. She is the daughter of Governor of then Madarasapatinam. She sees the city with protestants of independence, different innocent people etc. She sees a young man Parithi who is daring dynamic and bold washerman who also know wrestling. She is attracted by him. Meanwhile in the present year old Amy searches for Parithi with help of cunning and greedy travel agent.

Old Amy meets many people who are all once upon a time lived in the place where she was residing. Again in the past, Parithi was arrested for protest and she is released by Amy. This creates him a love for her. Meanwhile her marriage was fixed much against her wishes and she is forced to marry Commisioner whom she dislikes. Amy and Parithi start to love and she learns to speak in Tamil. The washerman's area was to be accomodated for construction of Golf club for which washermen are against. Amy challenges commisioner to wrestle with a bet of either give back their area or she should never visit this place. Commisioner competes with Parithi and he is defeated and washermen get their place.

In present, old Amy meets Kabir, friend of Parithi in his last minute of life but she could not get details of Parithi. In the past, India is given independence and Amy's parents take her to Delhi and then to London.Amy escapes from them and go to Parithi. Both of them stay in a safe place to escape from Commisioner till morning when the government changes. Commioisoner finds them and a battle take place between two. In that struggle Amy injures her head which is the cause of the clot in the present. Comiiioner dies the struggle and both of them leave the place with the help of Kabir. But Amy is forced to leave Parithi. In the present, old Amy gives advertisement to newspapers with Parithi's photo. She is contacted by a film director who knows Parithi. She takes a taxi to go to the place where in the middle she sees a trust collecting donation in the name 'Duraiammal' in which she was called by Parithi. She goes to the trust office and finds Parithi created it and fulfiled her desires of constructing school,orphange,college etc. She lands into the tomb of Parithi and finds him that he is dead 12 years ago and did not marry till his last breadth. Amy leaves her last breath in his tomb.

REVIEW

POSITIVE:

It is a  very nice try to picturise a place as it was 60 years ago. The sets created to depict the old Madarasapattinam like Tram,old Cars especially Birkingham Canal which is affectionaltely called "Cooum" by chennaities. Cooum had water transport till mid 80's and it is a great thing to show people with boats in it.

The love sequences of Parithi and Amy was touching. The real touching was the climax when she finds Pariti in his tomb and leaves her breath on it.

Songs are melodious.

CRITICS

The film mostly resembles the stories of Titanic and Lagaan. Example are the sequences showing an old woman who reminds her lost love some years before, arriving with her grand daughter, leaving her lover in the water etc

The sequences such as protesting for the place resemble Lagaan which has similar plot line like protesting for tax burdern, wrestling similar to playing cricket and defeating British and achieving their success etc

There are many questions unanswered like what has happened to Parithi after she leaves him in Birkingham canal, what has happend to Kabir when he runs to divert policemen to chase him to save his friend and lover, by whom she is captured and sent back to London and what has happened to Parithi's younger sister whom they searched in the beginining of the movie to find Parithi etc. We can take it in this way like since film moves in the perception of Amy she does not know what has happened to them but it can be shown by whom she is caught and sent to London.

But skiping these things and if we watch, the movie has a touching love breeze in it which burderns our heart while the end of the movie.