60 Vayadu Maaniram movie review: An honest and heartfelt piece of cinema

Director: Radha Mohan

Cast: Prakash Raj, Vikram Prabhu, Indhuja, Samuthirakani, Kumaravel

60 Vayadu Maaniram, directed by Radha Mohan, is a neatly self-contained film that achieves what it set out to through delicate acting, nuanced cinematography, and serene music. With the subject matter revolving around Alzheimer’s, the director has taken all the care needed to bring out the performances and arrest your attention.

The film is a fine remake of a 2016 Kannada film titled Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattuhe. Professor Govindarajan (Prakash Raj) is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and his son Shiva (Vikram Prabhu) isn’t really around to take care of him. Shiva is a tech guy who works Mumbai and he aspires to move to the US. He barely has the patience to personally attend to his dad.

When Shiva arrives at Chennai to meet his dad before embarking to the US, he finds that papa has gone missing. Govindarajan was given adequate care at an Alzheimer’s home, but things have now changed rather drastically. Getting in touch with the doctor Arcahna (Indhuja), Shiva sets out to find his dad.

Meanwhile, Govindarajan stumbles his way into the vehicle of a criminal named Ranga (Samuthirakani), who himself has his own villainy agendas to attend to (such as disposing a corpse.) They all end up in an unassuming home of , and what happens afterwards forms the latter half of the film. Does Shiva find his dad? Does Ranga react with cruelty to this newfound predicament? If not, then how does a murderous thug react humanely to a memory loss patient? It’s well worth watching the movie to find out how the drama unfolds.

One of the things the director needs to be applauded for is the way in which he has cast the emotional scenes, laced with one-liners and comedic interludes. The lead actor Vikram Prabhu and his accompanying dad Prakash Raj have done a shining job in backing up this script. Prakash Raj is simply superb! There are plenty of scenes where you can emote without cringing. Be it the tension, the smiles, or the laughter, these feelings are often spontaneous and natural in their catalysis. Vikram Prabhu is not shown as an evil son who disrespects his father nor forcefully puts him in a home, but he is someone who is busy with his own plans. Samuthirakani as the bad guy holds his end up rather well. Kumaravel who is a regular in Radha Mohan films is excellent with his witty one-liners. Cute looking Sindhuja is aptly cast and she does a neat job. Madhumitha and the boy who plays Kani’s assistant chip in their bit. Viji’s dialogues are a big strength. There's a lag in the second half with the pace suffering a bit.

Music by Ilaiyaraja is the biggest asset and Vivek Anand’s cinematography is instrumental to the triumph of this film. 60 Vayadu Maaniram is an honest and heartfelt piece of cinema and is not to be missed.