Movie Review of Manmadhan Ambu Posted by Raj , Monday, December 27, 2010 at 6:59 PM, in

Manmadhan Ambu is a much awaited Kamal flick for his fans, coming with an all new pairing with Trisha. Coming as it does from a renowned director and big producer; the expectations are sky rocketing to say the least. However, though the film does not meet all your expectations, it nevertheless doesn’t cease to entertain and keep you pinned to your seats with some roller coaster activity, picturesque scenery, peppy music and lively proceedings with a talented star cast.

The story:

The story revolves around Ambu (Trisha) who is an actor named Nisha on screen. She has a very suspicious fiancé in Madan (Madhavan) who suspects her of affairs with co stars. This feeling is fuelled by his mother who does not approve of an actor for a daughter-in-law.
The lovers have a tiff and an accident ensues which leaves them unharmed. However Ambu takes a break from it all to meet her divorced school friend Deepa (Sangeetha) in Europe and the duo with Deepa’s two kids, decide to go on a Mediterranean cruise.

However the suspicious lover hasn’t given up. He sends a detective called Major R Mannar (Kamal), behind her to find out what shes upto. When the rich man does not pay up according to plan, the detective decides to lie and make up a story of  Ambu meeting a lover. This angers Madan who in turn lands up in Europe at their trail. What ensues is a comedy of errors with a series of rib tickling situations. Who wins whom in the end in this curious foursome is the climax.

What works:

The credible performances by all including Trisha dubbing for herself for the first time, are a big plus. Maddy and Sangeetha excel in their roles and for Kamal fans its good to see him without the trappings of ‘avatars’!

The music is peppy and apt and keeps you happy and the special number with Surya in the beginning is a treat in itself.

The story moves forward briskly and the pittoresque locations are all a huge draw. The right mix of comedy and sentiment make it a good, clean family entertainer. The dialogues by Kamal are sharp and at times, thought provoking.

The ship setting works wonders for the film and gives us something different on the Tamil screen.

What doesn’t work:

The final pairing in the climax comes as a surprise since the Kamal- Trisha pairing doesn’t look credibly portrayed on screen.

Oorvasi, who is known for her wit, is wasted as she is forever crying in most shots.
Two many English dialogues may be irksome for the average Tamil cinema viewers.

The script in the second half could have been better. The assembling of all the characters in the climax looks odd. Kamal’s role doesn’t give any challenge to the veteran.

Worth a watch, if you leave your expectations of a typical K S Ravikumar-Kamal film.