Haricharan Pudipeddi
Chennai, 29 May 2021 7:30 IST
By taking a predictable path to handle the premise of a husband stuck in an uncomfortable situation the film only works in parts.
Malaysia To Amnesia, the latest Tamil film to be released directly on an OTT platform, is a harmless entertainer that fails to cash in on its promising premise.
Like most of Radha Mohan’s films, Malaysia To Amnesia, too, is a feel-good comedy, but it could have been even more entertaining with better writing. By taking a predictable path to handle the promising premise — of a husband stuck in an uncomfortable situation — the film only works in parts.
Vaibhav plays Arun, the successful owner of a small-scale apparel business. He is married to Suja (Vani) and they have a daughter. Arun is having an affair with Riya and he takes time out every now and then to meet her. One time, Arun tells his family that he is off to Malaysia on a business trip for four days and goes to Bangalore to meet Riya. But the plan doesn’t go as planned and he gets stuck in an uncomfortable situation.
The uncomfortable situation as a plot point could have been explored more effectively. It had the potential to be turned into an entertaining comic stretch, but the writing resorts to clichés and dumbs down the rest of the story.
The film relies heavily on MS Bhaskar, the veteran actor-comedian, to do all the weightlifting, and he is terrific in his role. Vaibhav and Vani play their respective parts well and click as a couple. Riya Suman has decent screen presence.
The film is never wholesomely funny and that’s what makes Malaysia To Amnesia a passable entertainer. It’s also dreary at times and this is where it needed better writing to work on the comic front. It’s slightly disappointing that a filmmaker like Radha Mohan, best remembered for his work in films such as Mozhi (2007) and Payanam (2011), is struggling to regain his form.
Zee5 is now streaming Malaysia To Amnesia.
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