Like a well-oiled machine, Sun Pictures has been ramming movie after movie down the throat of the Tamil film-going public in a relentless fashion. While some fall flat, one or two have turned hits and others fall into the "not bad" territory: They've all got the requisite hero-flexing muscle, pretty heroine and enough comic elements to keep the aisles happy. AGS Entertainment's Maasilamani, directed by R M R Manohar falls in the third category, especially as it repeats the hit-pairing from Kadhalil Vizhunthen.
It doesn't raise any such hopes within you in the beginning, though. When Maasi aka Maasilamani (Nakulan) is introduced as the chocolate-boy who works unceasingly for the benefit of Rani Anna Nagar, Chennai, you try in vain to suppress a yawn. He dutifully salutes the camera (and his audience), bashes up goons, helps old people buy land, clears up sewers and challenges MLAs -- and also falls in love at first sight with pretty Divya (Sunaina), who takes classical dance classes like a dutiful heroine, at Nadanalaya. Adding a bit of desultory spice to the proceedings are Pazhani (Santhanam) and Kathir (Srinath) -- but in reality, it's Coma Ramaswamy (M S Bhaskar, his cinematic aspirations and Karunas antics that bring in more laughter.
As expected in any done-to-death love story, Divya catches Maasi in all sorts of bad situations -- when he's actually doing it for a good cause. He pursues her relentlessly, she refuses him, convinced he's a thug, until Maasi and his friends hatch a plan to ingratiate themselves into Divya's good books, with his alter ego -- Mani.
From hereon, the story actually does perk up a bit as all sorts of catchy situations occur and Maasi extricates himself from each one of them. Most are tried and tested, with stock dialogues and punches -- but whether it's Nakul's boyish personality or Sunaina's fresh charm, work it does, sometimes.
Unlike Kadhalil Vizhunthen, D Imman's music does nothing to make you sit up, while Vetri's camera does its best with the simple storyline.
It might be run-of-the-mill, but Maasilamani does have its enjoyable moments. If you want to kill a couple of hours, here's the flick for you.
Rediff Rating: 
