Raja Manthiri movie review: Clean and breezy watch

Director: Usha Krishnan

Cast: Kaali Venkat, Kalaiyarasan, Shalin, Vaishali

Raja Manthiri depicts a typical sibling rivalry with comic undertones and with the more unexplored backdrop of Thanjavur. Directed by debutant Usha Krishnan, the film portrays two brothers, Surya and Karthi, and how the loud and extroverted personality of one correlates and affects the inward and more sedated personality of the other.

Surya (Kaali Venkat) runs a goli soda business but what he’s always anxious about is finding a girl and marriage. His younger brother Karthi (Kalaiyarasan) is always on the lookout for a quarrel and constantly chides his elder brother for his shortcomings – especially in the task of finding his manhood. But then, opportunity strikes: a young, attractive girl (Vaishali) happens to move into the house opposite to that of Surya’s and a chemistry of sort seems to brood. Of course, Karthi being the eavesdropper that he is, pokes his head into this relationship and makes life miserable for Surya. The old hog nonetheless manages to send off Karthi to college, thus making room for at least a semblance of privacy.

Time passes, Karthi too finds a love interest of his own (Shalin), but when he does return home, old habits really do seem to die hard as he once again pokes his head into Surya’s personal life. Just when one thinks that they have things going their way, fate has a way of creeping up and giving a pipping in the backside. To Karthi’s surprise, their parents have actually found a suitable match for Surya and what more, she is the same girl whom Karthi had fallen for! With such a delicate situation at hand, can these two resolve their personal issues and restore peace in the household or is the lizard brain going to take over completely? Watch and find out.

The movie is a clean and breezy watch, and this smoothness can be attributed to Usha Krishnan’s directing chops. Boredom can be a big issue though, and a couple of laughs aside, some of these scenes can get a bit stale. But Raja Manthiri receives a big boost from Kaali Venkat, who carries the burden of the load. Kalaiyarasan proves his versatility in comedy. The girls as the romantic partners do a decent job being cute and attractive, but have not much more to do besides that.

If you have a craving for a bit of rural entertainment that takes your mind away, give Raja Manthiri a go.