Rathri Mazha Movie Review

The last couple of months seems to be the best that the Mollywood witnessed in this decade, with well made films coming out, one after the other, apart from the regular crude attempts at comedy and the super movie genres. It has been a well and good watching for the good cinema buff who has been enjoying films like 'Thirakkatha', 'Thalappavu', 'Gulmohur', 'Adayalangal', and now joining the list is 'Rathri Mazha' - a movie that has been lucky enough to reach the theaters even after a television premiere -that too on a big festival day. And believe me, I was surprised enough to seen more than half the house packed with discerning viewers.

It is indeed not an over expectation, to expect a classy fare from the creator of films like   'Chillu', 'Meenamasaththile Sooryan', 'Deivaththinte Vikruthikal' and  'Mazha'. And here too one of the master creator of our times, Lenin Rajendran, has went with the audience in packing an intense movie that shows the creative brilliance in almost  every plot points .

The movie is all about the life of Harikrishnan and Meera , a  happily married couple  who rewinds their coming together, in their wedding night. Meera, basically a girl from a quiet hamlet found Hari, while responding to a matrimonial ad placed by the later on the net. Going through their regular communication through internet via chat and video, they build an intense relationship, though they have never met. And on the day Hari promised to meet her, he fails to turn up. Meera who is desperate by the non arrival of Hari to his village, doesn't find it shocking that Hari can't reach her because, he is in a pathetically handicapped state unable to move around upon his wishes. A dancer earlier who had been with acclaimed danseuse Mohini, Hari is now taken into arms by Meera, which changes the lives of both.

The movie is indeed a brilliant watch till the half way with dreamy sequences flourishing all through the actual plot lines. This half is deftly handled by the director, who also handles the script part (based on the story ''Website'' by P Chandramathy), with élan. But in the later half, it is a mismatch with the narratives going astray and the director having no real options to end the affair in a credible note. This forced climax leads and its   ending is the desperate part of the movie, which is other wise a classy stuff.

Vineeth after a long time gets a meaty role as Hari Krishanan and he utilizes this to extremes of perfection. He also reminds us often that there is no one to perfect such a role as a dancer, than him in Mollywood.  Meera Jasmine as Meera is also good, though not excellent. Chithra Iyer, ease through the role of danseuse Mohini without any tremors of a debutante on screen. Laloo Alex as Mohini's husband Balashankar is also in his usual self. The technical aspects of  'Rathri Mazha' is the also  excellent  with some great  framing from veteran  S. Kumar, and good editing by Mahesh Narayanan  and B Ajith Kumar.

The musical side also is worth mentioning with  Ramesh Narayanan creating some gems of songs in ''Basuri'' and "Aalolam '' . He   incidentally won the State Award for the Best Music Director in 2006 for this movie. The background scoring by Kannan also is excellent. Vakkam Sajeev and Madhu Gopinath, the internationally renowned contemporary dancers extraordinaire, also creates wonders with their  imaginative and expressive contemporary dance routines, which  even earned them  the best of the awards  in choreography in the National level.

'Rathri Mazha' is a movie, that at times resembles a poetry made  on celluloid  .it is a worthy watch for all connoisseurs of serious cinema .