Reconnecting with people we were earlier forced to part ways with. That's the central theme of Prem Kumar Chandran's Debut & Sophomore Directionals. Like 96 (2018), he has a done wonderful job yet again in liberating the suppressed emotions of closeted protagonists. Meiyazhagan (2024) is an Arvind Swami film starring Karthi but despite appearing late in the film, Karthi owned every scene he was part of. He is what you call a perfect spontaneous actor, Vijay Sethupathi comes close to him with his own set of performances in the same terrain but VJS was just VJS in most of them while Karthi exhibits his spontaneity with distinct behavioral patterns for each character he plays even If they have similar looks. Prem Kumar presents Meiyazhagan (2024) like a visualized novel akin to reading Swami and Friends by RK Narayan. The 2nd half of the film is largely conversational but remained engaging for the most part except for minor slurps in segments where Arvind Swami & Karthi sing Ilaiyaraaja songs. I don't know If its due to watching the trimmed version but I felt no significant lag at any point, not even in the supposed weaker parts of the film. Meiyazhagan (2024) is a film to be cherished, it may not be a major box office success like 96 (2018) but its a definite relief from reels driven cinema. It doesn't resort to inorganic adrenaline rush or emotional manipulation, the film is content with being a grounded fairy tale for adults. It will deeply resonate with people who were born into joint families on the verge of disintegration. PS : Govind Vasantha doing the work of an instrumental storyteller makes Meiyazhagan a truly wholesome Audio-Visual experience.
