An unusual cocktail that will go down well

Although an actor playing conjoined twins is not new to cinema, the technology and techniques used in this project are

MAATTRRAAN (9/10)

INTRODUCTION

After their successful pairing in Ayan, director KV Anand and Surya reunite in Maattrraan, also starring Kajal Agarwal, Sachin Khedekar, Ajay Rathnam, Thara and Ravi Prakash. Although an actor playing conjoined twins is not new to cinema, the technology and techniques used in this project are.

STORY

MAATTRRAAN is an unusual cocktail of family drama, romance and medical thriller with a firm grounding in realism. Ramachandhran (Khedekar) is a genetic scientist whose experiment to create a super baby fails and results in conjoined twins who share a heart. Despite Ramachandhran's instincts, his wife (Thara) insists on keeping both babies although medical science has no record of such babies surviving.

Years later, the twins (Surya) grow to be vastly different from each other. Vimalan is the brainy and responsible one while Akilan is the cheeky extrovert who has a strong aversion to studying. A chance meeting with a Russian girl, Volga (Agarwal), raises disturbing questions for Vimalan, who's investigations result in a horrifying conclusion.

PERFORMANCES

SURYA'S acting sets new standards for the world of cinema. His portrayal of the twins is one of the most impressive I've seen. As for Agarwal, who shines brilliantly in every scene, this has to be the most significant role of her career. Marathi actor Khedekar (Deiva Thirumagall and Yaavarum Nalam) does a magnificent job as Surya's father. Thara, as Surya's mother, and Prakash, as Dinesh, also give memorable performances.

DIRECTION

ANAND has done a magnificent job with his attention to detail and a clear desire to make an international-class thriller.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

S SOUNDER Rajan's goes beyond the brilliance of lighting, colour and location framing, exploring new techniques and treading new ground. His work in the stunt sequences will prove a tough act to follow.

SCREENPLAY AND SCRIPTING

THE first half of the story is breezy and entertaining, but most of this is replaced by the tenseness of a taut thriller in the second half. What is most impressive about Subha and Anand's scripts is that there is a lot of wit and incidental humour.

MUSIC

HARRIS Jayaraj's music works well with the accompanying visuals. His background score ranks among his best to date.

OVERALL

MAATTRAAN is a landmark film for Indian cinema and one that cannot be missed.

Last week's questions and answers

Q: In which film did Amy Jackson make her acting debut?

A: Madharasapattinam.

Q: Which foreign country features in some scenes for Sivaji Ganesan's 'Avanthaan Manithan'?

A: Singapore.

Q: What was the title of Sivaji Ganesan's 200th film?

A: Thrisoolam.

This week's questions

1. Who was the producer and director of Surya's first film?

2. Who played the male and female leads in KV Anand's first film as director?

3. Which Sivaji Ganesan movie had a scene in which he played Julius Caesar.