Myyal Movie Review: Poignant romance redeems a generic tale of police brutality

Director APG Elumalai’s Myyal starts with the visual of a small-time thief, Maadasamy (Sethu), stealing a goat in the dead of night. The man is careful enough to distract the dogs harmlessly as he goes about his business. He also handles the goat with care, gently lifting it up to his shoulder and putting it inside a box with grass as cushion. Suffice to say, he is one of the most compassionate thieves ever; he may be in a more noble profession if his circumstances allowed. However, nobody sees through his rough side and embraces his inherent innocence — nobody except black magic practitioner Alli (Samriddhi Tara). At the heart of Myyal is an unconventional, beautiful, moving, and occasionally ethereal love story. It is a lovely touch to make black magic a key element in a love story, instead of one that merely drives a violent conflict. Alli tells Maadasamy that she will enchant him and keep him by her side “like a puppy” and will never let him leave her. In a different film, the statement would elicit an angry response, but Maadasamy treats it in a subdued way.

Director: APG Elumalai

Cast: Sethu, Samriddhi Tara, CM Bala, Thenappan PL

The best moments of the film include the charming interactions between Alli and Maadasamy. When Maadasamy makes fun of Alli’s worldview, the latter says with a smile that she has never been to school. When he says that he has to get to ‘work’, she bursts out in laughter. Sethu and Samriddhi Tara share a sparkling chemistry together, and their love story is devoid of corniness. However, the fun does not last too long in the film, which has a lot to say about corruption in law enforcement, the unequal application of law, and custodial violence. The poignant romance is sidelined to focus on a police procedural around a murder investigation. There is a crooked cop (CM Bala) who trades ethics and morality to appease those in the higher echelons of society. There is also a big shot (Thenappan PL), working hand in glove with the cops, and would go to any extent to satisfy his primal desires. Unforunately, these are characters without any sense of nuance whose sole purpose is to propel the plot, making the investigative portions of Myyal generic.

As the film tackles heavier themes, it starts to weigh it down, making it slightly too serious. It also disposes of a key supporting character abruptly, leaving her bereft of a proper closure. However, the film does not cease to be engaging even in its generic portions thanks to its focus on the micro rather than the macro and a central performance by Sethu that makes you root for Maadasamy through and through. Maadasamy’s story may be the story of everyone who is at the mercy of a corrupt system, but the film does not become a broad commentary piece. As a result of Elumalai’s handling of B Jeyamohan’s layered screenplay, Myyal does not turn into an overt message film either.

At the end of Myyal, Sethu’s Maadasamy is a man overcome with emotion and bogged down by the burden of a system that continues to fail people like him. No wonder he bashes up people without any due regard, a stark contrast to the gentle thief and the genteel lover. It is slightly outlandish how he even breaks iron rods with his bare hands like a man on a mission; however, you can relate to the emotion brewing behind the display of brute strength. On the whole, Myyal stays generic as long as it revolves around the investigation and the ensuing manhunt. However, whenever Sethu or Samriddhi Tara occupy the screen, the film enchants you and leaves you in anticipation of the events that will follow.