Review of Mugavari

Introduction

After watching this film, I had a moment to myself and realized that the film I had been watching was both immersing and unique in the way it conveys a simple story of a man`s dream and his feelings towards those close to him. The director chooses not to go with overly acting and elaborated `happy` family sequences. Here Durai shows a realistic family, with everyday problems in everyday settings. This makes the story much more easier to take in on a personal level as it relates on understandable occurrences and this is quite unique.

Ajith Kumar, an actor who has begun to impress me further after viewing films like Vaali (1998), Dheena (2000) & Citizen (2001), dons on a brilliant performance throughout this entire film. From his simple reactions in the climax when he explains to his friend why he had chosen family over his dreams, and his frustrations felt by his character, really takes on the viewer to a sympathetic level that is the intention of the screenplay. The film has other commendable performances from the rest of the cast including Raghuvaran who is one the elites in Indian cinema.

The way humour is played is also very well timed and its intervention into the romance between the two main leads is very well done and quite sweet. The phone call between the Viji and Sridhar is a top scene and its handling is an example of how humour can work well without begin so desperate. While the individual comedy track of Vivek might seem out of place in some scenes it still provides laughs, even if it tends too be a bit vulgar.

Another problem that viewers might find with the film is Ponnambalam`s character and the resulting fight scenes that follow. For a film, which aims to have a non-conventional story, it would seem odd to have a fight sequence. But it works well in showing the frustrations of the character of Sridhar. The fight sequences are executed well and fans of the `action` side of Ajith will be pleased.

If one thing disappointed me it is the dream like ending which shows that Sridhar achieves his dreams after some years later. The film would have ended perfect with Ajith walking on to his new job, but I feel the director wanted to convey a positive message. But this dream like ending is weak partly due to the rushed editing work that seems apparent. It is a minor thing but a distracting one at that.

Technically the film is done nicely with some great cinematography and art direction. While editing and some special effects work (in the song Millennium) are average. The song score by Deva is not the best and is quite lacking as the film uses music to tell the story and is an integral part to the plot. His background score is however very constructive and melodious, playing well with the film`s theme.

With nicely shots scenes, wonderful word play by Balakumaran, and some realistic innovative look into family life and frustrations of a person`s dreams...all presented in a neat package by director Durai...it is a film I have enjoyed and will be viewing many times in the future.

Video

The DVD is presented in a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.25:1, which has been anamorphically transferred. Once again slight cropping is involved on this disc as it is not presented in its full aspect ratio of 2.66:1. The cropping is not bad since the action on the frame is covered well. But Ayngaran has to present their films in their correct aspect ratio as originally intended by the director.

With some minor wear and tear in the form of white dots the film still manages to look rather clean, as it has been taken from an interpositive 35mm print. While the blemishes do not affect viewing they are noticeable in a couple of scenes. There are plenty of moments of freshness and the film has never looked this good. But some care must be taken when transferring films as I feel this is not the case on some new Ayngaran film titles, and since this one is relatively new the print could have done without those unnecessary wear and tear marks.

With no apparent signs of compression artefacts the film doesn`t suffer from digital problems like picture break-up. Moiré effects and shimmering are kept at a minimum and are not at all distracting. With great picture information brimming from this disc, improved resolution is found a great deal here which exhibits sharpness and clarity. A couple of scenes do have minor smearing problems due I suspect this is due to the now damaged film negatives.

Colour fidelity is well balanced, with accurate fleshtones, rich hues, and deep blacks. A bold and vibrant cinematic experience.

Audio

The Dolby Digital Tamil soundtrack is quite disappointing on this DVD. The film, which was presented in DTS sound, has been reduced to a 5.1 mono track. It seems that the 35mm negative used was a mono version, which are in circulation for cinemas that have not yet been equipped with surround features as heard with DTS and Dolby Equipment`s.

As a result of using a mono print the hearing experience is hampered. While the mono track is mostly heard within the confines of the centre channel in an audible manner, you can`t help but wonder how this film would sound if taken from its DTS track.

Features

The menus are good in design, while the box presentation is thematic but could do with some additional improvements. The English subtitles are the only extra features we have and at times it is too fast to read. Their grammar work and type font they use still needs re-working.

Conclusion

While an improvement to numerous Indian DVD`s in the market it could have been further improved upon. Still it is a disc I would have in my collection as the film is a delight to watch.