Chennai: When filmmaker Radha Mohan made Abhiyum Naanum, it was high on emotions between relationships – a man and his daughter. He always tries to explore depths of relationships and bonding among people.
Here is his 60 Vayathu Maaniram, he has gone further and throws the spotlight over the entire society that is a composition of variants of mentalities.
A remake of Kannada film Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, we can sense Radha Mohan’s flavour of comedy in every bit of it.
The story is about a missing father Govindharaj (Prakash Raj) and a young ambitious man Shiva (Vikram Prabhu), who goes in search of him. Govindaraj is an Alzheimer’s sufferer.
The characterisation of Govindaraj and how Prakash Raj effortlessly portrays it adds value to the script.
Being a retired professor who has influenced the lives of many of his students, Govindaraj does not stop influencing the society even after he forgets everything.
To illustrate, the tangible impact on the persona of Ranga (Samuthirakani) in the pre-climax was just because of Govindaraj narrating the ‘Vella Naai, Karuppu Naai’ story somewhere in the middle of the runtime.
Similarly, even in his absence, we seem him teaching his son how to love.
The monologue of Shiva to Archana on the terrace when drunk and Govindaraj to Archana about love are two worthy sequences in the film.
It is Archana who bears and understands both their emotions making a connecting point and this is where the writer orchestrates all his idea about relationships.
And, in all these instances where we see the emotions flow, we also hear it, because there is Ilayaraja in the background. The maestro has pulled it off with silence during the crucial moments of the monologues, which makes it even more emotional.
Despite a very serious narration on the main plot, there is a thin ray of humour travelling along with it.
The sensible and timely one-liners of Kumaravel, a Radha Mohan’s regular, deserves a special mention. His references to GST, demonetisation and wife’s cookery skills are hilarious.
Beyond this emotion, compassion, love and relationships, this time Radha Mohan has strongly made his audience understand that every notice and wall poster of ‘Missing’ has a big story behind them.
And that is where 60 Vayathu Maaniram makes the grade.