Maragatha Naanayam movie review: Whiff of fresh air amidst monotonous horror comedies

Director: ARK Saravanan

Cast: Aadhi, Nikki Galrani, Ramadoss, Anandha Raj, Daniel Pope, Arunraja Kamaraj, Sangili Murugan, Kota Srinivasa Rao

Maragatha Naanayam comes as a whiff of fresh air at a time when horror comedies end up being a monotonous and tedious affair in K’town.  Kudos to debutant director ARK Saravanan for his quirky thinking and smart writing of the film, the story of which unfolds in three different timelines - 1100, 1992 and 2106. The fantasy parts especially make it an intriguing watch.

Senguttuvan (Aadhi) is in need of big money to clear his huge debts. He joins hands with a small time smuggler Ilango (Daniel) who introduces him to Nochikuppam Ramadoss (Ramadoss), a veteran in the field.  

Not happy with the petty plunders, Senguttuvan is on the lookout for something big. Around the same time, a Chinese smuggler comes to the city eyeing to loot the precious Maragatha Naanayam belonging to a king of Irumporai, who is rumored to be a ghost now guarding the stone. And anyone who touches the gem would get killed and there are as many as 132 men who have died earlier laying their hands on it.

Since a lucrative Rs. 10 crores is offered for the deal, Senguttuvan and Ilango want to give a try. A swamiji (Kota Srinivasa Rao) gives them an idea by which they can take the Maragatha Naanayam. Hence, they seek the help of Ilango’s uncle Chidambaram who lost his life while making an attempt to possess the gem. He accidentally enters the body of Ramadoss who dies of a sudden heart attack.

Chidambaram asks for three more dead bodies to accomplish the task successfully. Accordingly, he calls upon Mahendran (Nikki Galrani), Nesamani (Arunraja Kamaraj) and Tamil Ayya (Sangili Murugan), all of whom are victims of the Irumporai king. The rest is all about whether the duo gets the artifact, which is narrated in a hilarious manner.   

The highlight is undoubtedly the quirkiness associated with Nikki Galrani’s Sanakya character. And with her body language, the actress has pulled it off with effortless ease.  Aadhi, Daniel, Ramadoss, Anandraj do justice to their solid roles.  Arunraja Kamaraj and Sangili Murugan are aptly cast.

The movie starts at a leisurely pace with the director taking long time to establish the characters and fluctuating genres. But once he enters the core plot, there’s an uninterrupted laughter. When we think the brief romance stint between Aadhi and Nikki might turn cliched, a twist in the tale takes place. The pre-climax drags a bit and does not give the right vibes for an heist / adventure genre. Dibu Ninan Thomas’ background score goes well with the mood of the film.

Maragatha Naanayam is enjoyable for most part and is worth a watch.