Maayajaalam Movie Reviews

To make a movie with ghosts as important characters is difficult enough in a horror movie (to make the audience willingly suspend their sense of disbelief is a tough task). But to make film with ghosts and line it up with emotion, sentiment, revenge and more importantly, comedy is a herculean work.

Mixing genres is not to be recommended unless the director and scriptwriter (in this case it is SVK for both) are smart and adroit enough to walk the tightrope. SVK shows glimpses of his essential ability. But he slips here and there, and they show up glaringly. In the event, the movie is like a curate's egg-- good in parts.

The story is centered on a marriage broker (Srikanth) who is entrusted the task of fixing a match for his daughter (Deepa) by an evil politician (Shayaji Shinde). The marriage broker fixes up the wedding for Deepa with Shafi, son of an equally venal politico (Pradeep Rawat). The duo lord over the dark cartel that deals in human organs. They had killed innocent and unsuspecting men (Ali, Brahmanandam, Venu Madhu and Krishna Bhagwan).

The four ded men, who are hovering around in a ghostly form, decide to take revenge and arrive at the marriage hall and create havoc. With the help of the marriage bureau honcho (srikanth), they let all hell loose. And in the end, after much mirth and hilarity, the guilty are punished and the hero gets the girl too.

The story seems garbled and due to the lack of credible plot, it flounders.

But despite the shortcomings, Srikanth stands tall amidst the ruins. He dishes out a believable perfromance and is aboslutely a treat to watch in comedy. He also flexes his muscle in stunt sequences.

Deepa (Poonam of Miss Andhra fame) has a simple role and she doesn't complicate it. She looks cute. If she improves her histrionics, Deepa can certainly enjoy a long run in the industry.

Shafi, Sayji, Pradeep Rawat are typical villains and they go through the motions.

The comedy team of Brahmanandam, Venu Madhav, Ali and Krishna Bhagwan are curious. They bring the house down in some places and at the same time irritate you with their silly antics. But children will find them attractive.

The technical aspects are just about par for the course. The camera and production values need lot of improvement. The music (of SVK), however, passes muster.

As we said, it is a mixed fare.