Maayakoothu Movie Review:

One can write several research papers on the 'half-glass-empty vs full' theory with varied interpretations of it. Depending on the people we meet and the experiences we share, some prepare for a catastrophe every day, while others embrace the idea of chance with open arms. However, it is not often that we come across characters like Vasan (Nagarajan Kannan) who thrive with cynicism for life and its beings, and revel in their god complex. As a writer for a weekly series in a magazine, Vasan outrightly detests humans and believes that the world runs on lies and betrayal. He has no hope left in humanity, and this feeling is mirrored in his characters and stories. But what happens when they hit back with the same intensity?

Cast: Nagarajan Kannan, Delhi Ganesh, Mu Ramaswamy, Sai Dheena, Dr. SK Gaayathri, Aishwarya Ragupathi and others

Director: AR Raghavendra

Maayakoothu almost resembles an anthology with four stories narrated in parallel — gangster Dhanapal (Sai Dheena) is awaiting the right moment and person to make his 50th sambhavam; Selvi (Aishwarya Ragupathi) and Ramesh (Karthik Seenivasan) are struggling to meet ends and send their son to school; Raji (Mirdhula) is an aspiring doctor, but is discouraged to pursue it due to their family’s dire penury. But Vasan is generous with soaking his art in more tragedy. Worse, he is in no hurry to give them their due and justice.

Maayakoothu hinges on the question of what happens when art imitates life; what happens when his characters knock on his doors to issue an ultimatum to reflect on his stories. Nagarajan Kannan is extremely convincing as Vasan, a character so nonconformist that even at gunpoint, he is unshakeable in his beliefs. Director AR Raghavendra, along with writer M Srinivasan, crafts a screenplay that is engrossing. Despite limited screenspace, every fictional character written by Vasan is memorable, even when their stories wander around in predictability. The film truly thrives when the lines between fiction and reality blur and ventures into a thrilling narrative. Cinematographer Sundar Ram Krishnan engages the audience with artistic frames in every scene. Even when it does get overwhelming and unnecessary at times, the story is compelling and keeps us glued to our seats.

The film makes a strong case when dealing with heavy subjects like social strata, prejudice among oppressed communities, systemic discrimination, and educational inequalities. It is an interesting exploration into the psyche of Vasan’s mind, which loathes humans and completely distrusts everyone around him. In the title song and animation, we see a truly evocative and stunning showcase of Vasan’s life, drowning in his own art. However, Delhi Ganesh’s role, even when he performs it with ease, doesn’t elicit the necessary impact. Questions also linger on Vasan’s quiet shift in mentality towards the end, but in a story that’s honest, these minor shortcomings don’t hinder the larger point of view.

Maayakoothu effectively blends realism with surrealism to showcase the battle between cynicism and optimism. It presents the need for responsibility in various forms of art, even when you can see the climax from afar, even when truth is withheld with a purpose, even when the magic of art itself is…dying. We see Vasan’s wife pulling his legs for being the writer he is, imagining a life in his head while earning pennies. If that’s not the truest illusion between a creator and their creations…