Makutam, produced by Super Good Films, is currently playing in theatres.
Plot:
Krupakar (Vishal) is an honest medical representative living with his wife Jamuna and two children. Wanting to fulfill his father-in-law's wish, he buys a second-hand car to take his family on a vacation. During their trip, a group of goons suddenly attacks the car.
In another town, his estranged father, Linga (Vishal, again), a powerful figure ruling the Visakhapatnam port, rushes to see him. However, an angry Krupakar blames Linga's past for the deadly attack. The story revolves around the cause of their past separation, the motives of the attackers, Linga's good fight, and whether the father and son eventually reconcile.
Post-Mortem:
Tamil commercial cinema often faces criticism for relying heavily on formulaic mass templates. They almost always prioritize hero-centric elevation scenes over coherent storytelling and deep character development. Overly long runtimes, repetitive revenge or mafia subplots, and forced rom-com tracks frequently slow down the narrative pace. Additionally, loud background scores and routine action sequences are sometimes used to cover up thin scripts. Female characters are often relegated to minor roles or decorative love interests without meaningful impact on the plot. Finally, predictable climaxes and excessive reliance on familiar star tropes make many big-budget releases feel monotonous.
The film under review, directed by Vishal himself, is guilty of most of the above negatives. Its female characters, played by Dushara Vijayan and Anjali, are meaty. One of the fun action sequences is set to an Ilaiyaraja classic playing in the background. Ravi Arasu's story could have been molded into a star vehicle that also checks the 'conscious cinema' box. Alas!
Makutam has no interest in gritty frames and superior editing, stylized action and polished treatment. It's as if actor-director Vishal wanted to transport the audience to the 2000s - the production values are that dull (with just one fight scene being an exception). It feels suffocating to watch most Tamil movies these days for this: their visual quality is poor. The whole aesthetics around the Vishal-Anjali love track are so low-brow that it feels like the movie was shot to kindle a nostalgia for Balakrishna's non-Boyapati, pre-Akhanda movies. The colour palette is primitive.
The secondary characters are played by talented actors: John Vijay, Jaya Prakash, and Ajay are familiar to the Telugu audience. The scenes featuring Vishal's Karunakar are decent by contemporary Kollywood standards. The film does try to create a case against faulty automobile spare parts. In the context of Ethanol blending leading to numerous complaints of repairs across India, this is a timely topic.
Makutam could have been way less washed out. Its depressing visual quality makes it one of the most unaesthetic movies of the year. Vishal's acting is monotonous. The stunts by Dhilip Subbarayan are drab for the most part.
Closing Remarks:
A dated, underwhelming action drama that squanders a potentially engaging father-son story.
