Both STR's and Venkat Prabhu's careers really needed a home run for them to stay relevant and 'Maanadu' is exactly that. The film takes on Time Loop as it's central conceit and weaves a taut screenplay that seldom drags. Once we're past the generic first 15 minutes the film just takes off into a nail-biting thriller. It keeps on building and most of the twists work really well. It's not necessarily a new concept to Hollywood (Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow) but is definitely a novelty for Tamil mainstream. The story needs a dangerous but wildly entertaining villain for it to work and who better to do it than SJ Suryah. His enjoyably exaggerated performances over time have made me think that he might be the Jim Carrey of Tamil cinema. There are some 'laugh out loud' moments involving him and YG Mahendran, who was solid. Yuvan gives a typically driving score that keeps up with the film's pace. All in all VP has successfully blended high concept into a tight masala screenplay to deliver one hell of an entertainer.
Review of Maanaadu
