Mandaadi Movie Review:

Nothing unites or divides people like sports. As a popular saying goes, “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” Sports have the potential to bring out the best and worst in people. Director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi has delivered a highly competent film with Mandaadi that marries an unforgiving and unfamiliar sport of ocean racing with emotional complexities. Barring minor dips, the film stays on course and cruises through its runtime.

Mandaadi begins with Maari (Mithun Jai Shankar) attacking Sattapuli's (Suhas) son during a temple festival. Scenes later, the connection between the present conflict and its origin 20 years ago involving Muthukaali (Soori) is revealed. Soon, Muthukaali too gets stymied in the present-day mess, and that offers him an opportunity to alight his emotional baggage. Of course, that opportunity comes with newer challenges.

For any sports drama, the job is half done if the makers craft the sporting sequences well. Mandaadi wins big in this aspect for multiple reasons. The way the aquasport was captured was breathtaking, and so were the stunts accompanying it. What was also refreshing is the lack of familiarity with the game. The rules of the sport, the ways chances of either team could be spoiled, and the possibility of serious injuries and loss of life were both food for thought and delivered cinematic highs. But there were also spaces where it seemed the writers were carried away and over-excited, like the audience, thereby dramatising some of these sequences a tad excessively. Also, the already predictable mischief of the Tsunami Riders (led by Sattapuli) team during the gameplay against Mugavai Maindhans (led by Muthukaali) looks less threatening after a point. The final game in the climax has every must-have for a sports drama finish. It has the mini climaxes and mini setups and payoffs working for it, but is way too liberal with the use of cinematic liberties.

The primary conflict also calls for an interesting analysis. When the film was being promoted, the sport was made the centre of attention, as it is played within a particular geography and is less known. As mentioned before, the lack of familiarity makes this sport primarily attractive. With that being the case, discussing the commercialisation of the sport to the point of drawing parallels with sporting events like IPL and loss of opportunities for local players seems a stretch and runs counter to the fact that the sport is unique to Ramanathapuram district. Instead, the drama surrounding the sport, like Muthukaali's redemption and Saattapuli's desperation to stay on top, should have been the primary focus. Having said that, the film scores in its politics of stressing the utility of the race and promotion of traditional sailing through it.

Director: Mathimaran Pugazhendhi

Cast: Soori, Suhas, Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Shankar

The film also instills pride, pointing to the genius of Tamil fishermen who introduced the sport centuries ago, with a motive to help the fishers brush up on their skills, like adjusting the sails and planks according to the wind direction. The emphasis, not in an on-your-face manner, by the makers to not let go of this sport is also effective given the dominance of diesel-powered fibre boats in modern-day fishing activities. Apart from the messaging, Tsunami, its aftermath, and the introduction of fibre boats were well-woven into the narration. Just when you think the film promotes a Luddite lifestyle, Matchamuni (Sathyaraj) tells us that the sport will come a long way in the day-to-day life of a fisherman when he finds himself marooned due to various reasons. 

Soori looks exceptional as Muthukaali. Carrying too many labels like a fantastic team player, traitor, and murderer attached to him, and eventually breaking down, Soori's emotional arc was brilliant. His stunts and other adventures are largely believable except in a few places where it looks like it is too soon for him to make certain superheroic feats convincing. His sombre countenance would have gone to waste if the flashback was even a bit slippery in demystifying who Muthukaali really was and what made him who he is today. Inadequacy, not a raw deal, is how you could describe Suhas' Saattapuli. His launching a fibre boat company under his father's name to gain the respect his family was denied, and trampling on everyone possible in his pursuit of respect, is a solid antagonist idea on paper. However, Suhas does all the heavy lifting in justifying Saattapuli's feelings of betrayal and insecurity, where the writing too should have supported him ably. Sathyaraj as Matchamuni is a tailor-made 'Periya Manushan' (Kingpin) character. Just like Suhas, Sathyaraj too does an impressive job with his role, which the writing fails to do. Mahima Nambiar fits the bill of Angel Rakkamma, whose arc from resentment to reconciliation is neatly structured. Mithun Jai Shankar as Maari has done a good job otherwise, except for his forced Chak De-like insubordinate-player streak.

Filmmaker Mathimaran Pugazhendhi can take a bow for making a highly engaging film that deftly introduces a new sport and makes up for the familiar finals finish of a sports drama. Mandaadi never settles down just by being inventive with the sport it is set around. With powerful performances, emotional exchanges and cultural documentation, the film renews the bond between the sea and the fishers, with the rest making the narrative slips negligible. That's the biggest trophy Mandaadi wins.