Nassar gives a National Award, heartbreaking performance in Gnana Rajasekaran's Mugam as a poor man who is ostracized by society due to his physically deformed face. One day he visits his make up artist friend (Manivannan) and discovers a mask which could hide his disfigured features. From that point on when he puts on the mask, he becomes a famous and successful movie star with loads of money and prestige and marries his biggest fan Malini (Roja). He is called Thalaiva by the public.
Yet, he is crumbling in the inside. Even though he has achieved everything he's ever dreamed of, he feels he is living a life of mockery on the outside. Every time he is alone, he wants to take off the mask and reveal his true self as an ugly man with a good heart. One day, he does take it off and feels free and joyous like he's never felt before. However when the public and his wife discover his self, they don't recognize him and throw him out of his mansion despite his pleas that he is the same person they love. He then realizes that ugliness will never be accepted by society, only beauty can and he puts the mask back on and becomes Thalaiva forever. The last scene shows his face turned towards the camera slowly becoming a smile knowing this is who he is now and this is how society will respect him.
The movie is very slow, but effective. The cinematography of PC Sreeram begins as claustrophobic because the protagonist is confined within small spaces and as he grows, the canvas becomes larger. But when he is by himself, the scene shrinks down to small, showing his own world. The mirror plays a great part in showing his identity to himself; that he knows who he truly is. Since this is set in the early 1980s, Ilaiyaraaja's BG score brings back some nostalgia of his 80s oeuvre and the camera lens, lighting and angles remind one of Nayakan and Agni Natchathiram.
However, most of the film deals with the protagonist's disability and his rise to riches is hurriedly rushed and not organic. Some of the characters aren't very fleshed out well. The director should have made the film over 2 hours and we would have seen how this man became a star. What were the films that he chose that made him a star? Was he a mass star like MGR/Rajini or was he a class actor/star like Sivaji/Kamal? His rise to fame reminds me of Jayan, but it is not very clear and organic.
But, Nassar gives his finest performance in his long varied career and we forget about those flaws when he is on screen. He commands the scene and screen effectively and simply becomes the character. You feel for him in the beginning being ostracized. You cheer for him when he becomes famous. When you see him scratching his face, wanting to take off his mask, you can't help but feel sorry for him for hiding his true identity. When you see him with his disfigured face, experiencing the joy and freedom he's always craved, free from the suffocation of being someone he is not, you are happy too. Simultaneously, you chide him for taking off the mask because you know he is ruining his reputation as a beloved movie star; that he is simply returning back to the gutter, the place he doesn't want to be. It is to his credit that he maintains a middle ground without becoming too theatrical nor too subtle. With a film like this, he can spread his wings out and display his powerful, naturalized acting to the world. The rest of the actors are decent with Manivannan standing out as the good friend in need, but it is Nassar's show all the way.
Overall, if one is tired of seeing nonsensical Tamil films and wants to see a film which engages the brain and the heart, this film is for you. However, the slow pace and depressing beginning scenes may put you off and the rise of the protagonist is not depicted well. Yet, Nassar's performance will keep you watching and will show what a great undervalued talent he is.
7.5/10
Yet, he is crumbling in the inside. Even though he has achieved everything he's ever dreamed of, he feels he is living a life of mockery on the outside. Every time he is alone, he wants to take off the mask and reveal his true self as an ugly man with a good heart. One day, he does take it off and feels free and joyous like he's never felt before. However when the public and his wife discover his self, they don't recognize him and throw him out of his mansion despite his pleas that he is the same person they love. He then realizes that ugliness will never be accepted by society, only beauty can and he puts the mask back on and becomes Thalaiva forever. The last scene shows his face turned towards the camera slowly becoming a smile knowing this is who he is now and this is how society will respect him.
The movie is very slow, but effective. The cinematography of PC Sreeram begins as claustrophobic because the protagonist is confined within small spaces and as he grows, the canvas becomes larger. But when he is by himself, the scene shrinks down to small, showing his own world. The mirror plays a great part in showing his identity to himself; that he knows who he truly is. Since this is set in the early 1980s, Ilaiyaraaja's BG score brings back some nostalgia of his 80s oeuvre and the camera lens, lighting and angles remind one of Nayakan and Agni Natchathiram.
However, most of the film deals with the protagonist's disability and his rise to riches is hurriedly rushed and not organic. Some of the characters aren't very fleshed out well. The director should have made the film over 2 hours and we would have seen how this man became a star. What were the films that he chose that made him a star? Was he a mass star like MGR/Rajini or was he a class actor/star like Sivaji/Kamal? His rise to fame reminds me of Jayan, but it is not very clear and organic.
But, Nassar gives his finest performance in his long varied career and we forget about those flaws when he is on screen. He commands the scene and screen effectively and simply becomes the character. You feel for him in the beginning being ostracized. You cheer for him when he becomes famous. When you see him scratching his face, wanting to take off his mask, you can't help but feel sorry for him for hiding his true identity. When you see him with his disfigured face, experiencing the joy and freedom he's always craved, free from the suffocation of being someone he is not, you are happy too. Simultaneously, you chide him for taking off the mask because you know he is ruining his reputation as a beloved movie star; that he is simply returning back to the gutter, the place he doesn't want to be. It is to his credit that he maintains a middle ground without becoming too theatrical nor too subtle. With a film like this, he can spread his wings out and display his powerful, naturalized acting to the world. The rest of the actors are decent with Manivannan standing out as the good friend in need, but it is Nassar's show all the way.
Overall, if one is tired of seeing nonsensical Tamil films and wants to see a film which engages the brain and the heart, this film is for you. However, the slow pace and depressing beginning scenes may put you off and the rise of the protagonist is not depicted well. Yet, Nassar's performance will keep you watching and will show what a great undervalued talent he is.
7.5/10
