Pon Manickavel started killing a judge. Police officers who could not find any leads were pressured. Just by their senior officers to resolve the matter quickly.
During the discussion, a police officer said he knew the right person for the job and gave the character a name. If you’ve rolled your eyes before, this isn’t the movie for you. But if you do decide to gamble. Expect a very predictable film with many of the stereotypes of a cop movie.
Prabhudeva plays the title Pon Manicavel:
A deputy commissioner is asked to take on the case of a murdered judge. Meanwhile, a police officer close to the judge is killed and a businessman (Suresh Chandra Menon), his friend, is threatened with death.
Manicavel made a deal with him to protect the man. But to his dismay, it seemed that he had little interest in solving the case. Is he a system-frustrated cop who has turned to the dark side? Will he be able to solve the case?
Despite the seriousness of AC director Mugil Chellappa, Pon Manickavel couldn’t have been the exhilarating cop film he wanted. The main problem here is writing. The plot is stereotypical, and we can guess how each scene might end.
If the film reveals some of the so-called twists and turns, people feel sorry for the director, who seems to be the only one who senses that something is new. Its functions are also broad. The protagonist is someone who believes in justice more than law. The antagonist is your wealthy businessman (Sudhanshu Pandey) with significant influence.
The only bright spot is the film’s attempt to highlight the vulnerability of #MeToo survivors, but the film treats this angle with almost no sense that these scenes feel exploitative. We see director Mahendran in a supporting role two years after his death, which offers some bittersweet moments.
But beyond that, nothing stands out. Even Prabhu Deva, who is rumoured to have his 50th film. And the first cop role, looks exhausted. The superficial love song between him and Niveta Pethuraj, played by Manicavel’s wife Anbarasi, is also not new. When the movie finished, we realized that we barely felt anything!
Over the years, Tamil moviegoers have found a way to consume Schengen films.
Right now, what matters is how the films are packaged. That is not what’s new about them. In this case, Pon Manickavel had too many problems. They are only superficial and therefore have no effect. For example, it showed us cases of police brutality, women’s safety, and substance abuse. They are shown for some scenes, and that’s it. But handled none of the fundamental problems with care. Then Pon Manickavel turned to another question.
One of the exciting things about Pon Manickavel is that the leading actor has a dilemma with his job. The question preoccupied him was whether he should work for the people or the government. Only if this conflict is handled with sensitivity. That will Pon Manickavel become a much better film.
The first few scenes will test everyone’s patience. Because nothing happens on the screen. We looked at Pon Manickavel. Who was not interested in investigating. His subordinate, played by Baahubali Prabakar. Who loses his temper when he sees Pon Manicavel being investigated. And we feel it. More than Pon Manickavel, an undercover officer named Kailash (Charles Vinod) does a much better investigation than Prabhudeva’s Pon Manickavel. But he’s not a hero. You get the point, don’t you?
Pon Manickavel also has a beefy background (flesh compared to the rest of the film):
Which gives a soft film feel. But there is a glaring problem in logic and all history. Like Prabhudeva, she is shot in one scene. But we don’t get to see her with bandages in the next. And much more.
Prabhudeva looks cool in khaki and can do a lot to save the mess. It is also refreshing to see Anvetarasi from Niveta Pethuraj as a TNPSC candidate. However, this is not explored and reduced to a woman lying in the background like other ideas.