Hollywood has given us the concept of the time-loop movie. An example would be ‘Groundhog Day’ where the same day was lived over and over again allowing the hero to change or improve an event each time the day is reset. Writer/director Venkat Prabhu’s ‘Maanaadu’ is one of the first time-loop movies done for the Tamil industry.
Our hero is a young Muslim NRI named Abdul Khaliq. He is flying from Dubai to attend a wedding in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He is seated in the middle seat between a big man on the aisle and a very anxious young woman in the window seat. The plane hits turbulence and Seetha, the girl, terrified of flying starts praying to every god she knows. She unknowingly is gripping Abdul’s arm, so he introduces himself and makes conversation to calm her. He finds out that Seetha is attending the same wedding, so Khaliq insists that she accepts a ride to the wedding site with him and his friends.
At the wedding, the bride is kidnapped by Khaliq and his friends. When Seetha sees what is happening, she informs the groom. A car chase ensues. Khaliq and friends evade the groom but wind up running over a man named Rafiq. Khaliq insists on taking the man to the hospital when the police arrive lead by DCP Dhanushkodi. Instead of taking them to the police station, they are taken to an abandoned warehouse. Rafiq was going to do a dirty job for the DCP, but since he is injured, Khaliq, also a Muslim, will do instead. Khaliq is taken to a huge political convention and forced to shoot the Chief Minister. Fire bombs are thrown into the crowd and rioting starts. Khaliq is confronted by cops who shoot him dead. Muslims are blamed, and a corrupt politician takes the CM’s place.
Khaliq abruptly comes back to life in the same airplane, sitting between the same two people and realizes that he knows what will happen next. The time-loop has started and the cycle of attempts to correct the situation. With each time-loop, Seetha and his friends become more involved, and the pace picks up. In the second half, DCP Dhanushkodi figures out what is happening, making things much more complicated for Khaliq.
Actor Silambarasan, aka Simbu or STR, is interesting to watch as Khaliq struggles with his destiny. At the start, he is a charming young man willing to help his friend kidnap his love to elope with her. When the time loop starts he is confused but with every loop he changes into a more intelligent and resourceful man, eventually becoming the hero who rights the wrong. It’s interesting to watch him figure out his mistakes and correct them in the next loop. Kalyani Priyadarshan, as Seetha, adds a sweet and bubbly presence to the story. She immediately accepts the time loop explanation from Khaliq and believes he has been chosen by fate. The most surprising character is the corrupt DCP played by S.J. Suryah. This over-the-top character’s ambition is boundless and menacing, He thoroughly enjoys stopping Khaliq at every turn and his laughter is infectious.
‘Maanaadu’ has been edited by Praveen KL. He has done an excellent job, especially when the pace picks up. The viewer is not spoon fed the plot but can easily keep track of each twist and turn. The background music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, moves the action forward. Director Prabhu also made a serious political point in ‘Maanaadu’ by using Khaliq, Muslim man, to highlight the fact that Muslims are often targeted as scapegoats by corrupt politicians and police out for their own gain in India. I loved this entertaining and fast-paced thriller.
