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Cast
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:
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R Madhavan, Shraddha Srinath, Moulee, Sshivada, Abhirami, Alexander
Babu
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Director
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Dhilip Kumar
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Cinematographer
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Dinesh Krishnan
Karthik Muthukumar
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Music
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:
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Ghiran
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Editor
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Bhuvan Srinivasan
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Producer
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Pramod Films
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Release Date
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January 08, 2020 (streaming in Amazon Prime)
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Length
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145 minutes
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Language
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:
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Tamizh
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My Thoughts
Maara is an adaptation of Dulquer Salman and Parvathy Thiruvothu
starrer Malayalam movie Charlie released in 2015. This is one of the
rare adaptations that is better, logical and emotionally satisfying compared to
the original. If you have watched Charlie, you’ll realize that the characters
in Maara have a purpose. There is a reason for everything due to which
the relatability factor is higher.
Paru (Shraddha Srinath) is a starry-eyed twenty something woman whose
profession is to restore old buildings and stuffs. She likes stories and agrees
that she may not know what she wants from life, but certainly know what she doesn’t.
As a part of her profession, she visits a beautiful place (I think it’s the attractive
Fort Cochin just like the original) where she is puzzled to see illustrations
on buildings that depicts the story she had listened as a child, narrated by a
fellow passenger during a bus journey. Paru is intrigued and coincidentally
gets to stay in the same house where the artist who had created those paintings
stays every now and then. That artist in Maara (R Madhavan). She also stumbles
upon an art journal which illustrates a story but is incomplete. Her inherent
inquisitive nature makes her go into a journey of finding the rest of the story.
In the process, she gets to know more about Maara. From what she gathers, he
seems to a charming selfless man who has acted a genie in many people’s life.
Does her quest for Maara answer the primary question – how did Maara know that
story that was narrated to her as a child by a fellow passenger?
Maara is a well-written, well-edited, well-presented package. The
cinematographer uses so many hues of colors that the world around which the
story is woven looks even more utopian. It is one of those rare feel good
movies that we get to see these days. We see only good people. We see only lightness
in air, frame after frame. It has a fairy-tale like quality and vibrancy coupled
with surrealism that keeps us glued to the story although it is 2 hours and 25
minutes long! All the actors have delivered a realistic performance. Madhavan
infuses lot of charm with his twinkle eyes and cute smiles. He has also portrayed
sense of helplessness with lot of conviction that we empathize. So has Moulee. We
feel for that character and it aches our hearts. It was a pleasant surprise to
see Alexander Babu (in case you are wondering, he is a standup comedian – Alex in
Wonderland, being his best). He is at ease and makes us crackle.
In these times of uncertainties, tension and negativities which is
generally felt due to the influence of virtual world and specifically by the pandemic,
Maara is a beautiful story of hope and perseverance. Certainly, a movie
that could be enjoyed with family – all you need to do is dim the lights, plop
in your favorite couch and stream the movie in Amazon Prime – Yes, its that
simple. So, go for it!!!!
Rating
4.5/5
If you have watched Charlie,
please continue reading as I have made some comparisons (I know its not a frame
to frame remake, but still…)
***Some Spoiler Alert
too***
What worked in Charlie
and not in Maara
· The part with Kalpana in the original and Abhirami in Maara – I liked Kalpana’s portion better. Abhirami was really good. But something
was missing. Maybe that streak of melancholy that Kalpana adorned in her face –
not sure.
· The unravel of the story through the art journal flip - Charlie had an element of surprise. We really didn’t know, just
like Tessa, what Charlie and the Kallan saw when they moved the tiles of
the house and peeped inside. This is not the case in Maara. Though
Sshivada was good, the way the scenes between Charlie and Kani was better in
Charlie than between Maara and Kani.
What worked in Maara and
not in Charlie
· The characterization
o Honestly, Charlie was irritatingly loud, hyper and came across as a
spoilt child who had no purpose in life. He looked more a maverick to me, of course,
with a good heart and all that. Also, he came across to me as a demi-God who can
fix all the problems and too easy-going with nearly Zen-like detachment and zero
emotions. Whereas, Maara was charming and emotional. He was a meandering too,
but with a reason. He was vulnerable and more humane.
o Similarly, Tessa was aimless and boasted that having no plans is the
plan. She wanders, she runs away from home and we don’t even know from where
she is getting all funding. We don’t know what her educational or professional
background or the mere reason why she is so rebellious – rather why she is the way
she is. Whereas, Paru is more grounded and has a purpose. She is more real with
a profession and clarity of mind.
· Use of art – Though Charlie is an artist too, we don’t
really see much of art. But, Maara is constantly sketching and sometimes for a
cause too. And most importantly, his artistic gift is the base of Maara unlike
Charlie.
· Lingering of emotions – There are reasons
why Maara is longer than Charlie. Maara lets the emotions linger for a
bit. Whereas Charlie was in a hurry. Sometimes, that pause is important so that
we feel for the moment too just like the characters.
In
short, Maara worked for me better than Charlie. And glad that it
did 😊
