Review of Mankatha

Ajith is among the actors who unhesitantly makes bold experimental roles in his films whenever he gets the chance. Well, his 50th film Mankatha is definitely one of his boldest decisions. Ajith plays Vinayak Mahadev, a suspended police officer with a strong grey shade. He is the one who rules the overall play of the film. He dominates and lifts the film on his own shoulders with his terrific performance. It's a known fact that Ajith has done several grey shade roles in his earlier films but in Mankatha, Ajith seems to have played a different game. The film centralizes on his character which doesn't have the attributes of the usual heroes because he is a perfect antihero. Ajith is playing a role of his age and keeps his grey hair (salt and pepper look) which works in favor of the film. He has many bad habits and he is extremely selfish. The flaws that his character has is pretty interesting to watch. Mankatha is a clear Ajith show. No one can disrupt his presence in the film because he is the one who keeps us engaged in the film. We have Arjun playing the second hero in Mankatha. He has very limited screen time but he seems to do justice to the role. We have many supporting characters in the film who has only a few scenes to score. Premgi Amaren is the one who shines in the comedy scenes with his perfect comedy timing. Yuvan Shankar Raja's soundtrack and background score is a major pillar in Mankatha. It helps in lifting the film as well as Ajith's extraordinary screen presence. The main theme music of the film is a much-needed energy booster and fans have a special love for it. Let's come to Venkat Prabhu. He is doing the first big film of his career and it's the landmark film of Ajith which adds so much responsibility to him as a director. While looking at the output, Venkat Prabhu has made the most unexpected film of Ajith's career so far. He added many memorable fan moments especially the interval scene is a fire cracking moment for all the hardcore Ajith fans. By making the film tailor-made for Ajith, Venkat Prabhu forgot to add interesting plot points except for the surprising climax. It's Ajith who is controlling everything and everyone with his captivating screen presence. Except for him, Mankatha wouldn't have been this impactful. Unlike Venkat Prabhu's Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa where every character had equal importance, in Mankatha, Ajith's performance overshadows the other character's presence. Well, it's also true that they didn't have much scope in the film. The usual Venkat Prabhu touches are really missing in this venture and it seems that he converted himself into an Ajith fan to make this product refreshing for Ajith's hardcore fans. Another big drawback, in Mankatha, is the song placements. Honestly, the songs could have been avoided in the second half because the racy narration was heavily slow downed by the unnecessary songs. Overall, Ajith's brilliant performance would be a delight to watch in this pure Ajith film.