Maamanithan (film)

The film begins with Radhakrishnan hiding from the police, who are visiting the area. He then runs through the village and into the fields. Then we see a flashback of Krishna's life and the events leading to him running.

Past: Krishna is a humble auto driver who is sincere and honest. He is content with his life, which revolves around the auto, his wife Savithri, and his two kids. Krishna has a good friend, Vappa Bhai. His kids study in a government school, and he wishes to improve their standard of education by admitting them to a private school. He teaches his kids good morals.

He also reveals to his daughter how he fell in love with Savithri. One day, a man left some gold jewellery in his automobile, and Krishna helped return it. The old man's name was Maarisaamy. Krishna and Bhai visit his house and give him the jewellery. Maarisaamy reveals that he brought the jewellery for his daughter's engagement ceremony. After that, one day, Krishna meets Savithri at a bus stand. He finds out they cancelled the alliance because of dowry concerns.

Krishna, Mayilu (a house broker), and Bhai help Savithri and her father find a new home. At the same time, Krishna falls in love with Savithri. Krishna helps him find four suitable grooms. He smartly puts his horoscope with them and gives it to Maarisaamy. Krishna then tells Bhai that they accepted him as a suitable groom. So Bhai shows Maarisaamy Krishna's newly built house and tells him that Krishna wanted to marry an educated girl. Bhai persuades Maarisaamy that Krishna will care for Savithri dearly. Eventually, Maarisaamy decides to accept the engagement. Finally, after many hurdles, Krishna and Savithri get married at the temple, which concludes the love flashback.

One day, when taking his kids to school, he sees builders working on a plot of land. A man tells Krishna that a Malayali man brought a piece of land and informs him that he knows the town, and if you help him sell, he can get the commission he needs to improve his children's education standards. To do so, he promises real estate businessman Madhavan that he will assist him in selling all the plots to his villagers. Eventually, he becomes a house broker, but Savithri convinces him it's not a good choice. Soon, Krishna sells all the properties, and Madhavan collects all the money. Krishnan gets drunk with Madhavan, and Savithri gets angry. The following day, Krishna gets cheated since Madhavan runs away with the money. Krishna becomes confused since he feels guilty that his villagers trusted his word. Madhavan's good-hearted assistant tells him that Madhavan's house is in Kerala. It returns to the film's beginning.

Present: Krishna travels to Kerala to meet Madhavan's mother, but he is not there. He works as a toilet cleaner and befriends two workers who help him. At home, Savithri realises that the house documents are gone, and the villagers become hostile to them and insult Krishna. Bhai provides support for them and gives them money and food. Krishna helps Philomy's daughter, Christy (whom he sees as his daughter). He earns the trust of Philomy. Eventually, Krishna's kids grow up, and Savithri decides to use his son's salary to pay Bhai. He reveals that his dad came to him the night he eloped and gave the house documents to Bhai. Bhai informs them that Krishna is the one who sent money for their studies. Savithri, Krishna's son, and Bhai visit Kerala. According to Krishna's friends, he left the town shortly after Madhavan's mother died, and they discovered his objective.

Eventually, in Varanasi, Krishna stays with two priests. They are suspicious of him, and he tells them his children should win in the village where he lost and is seeking forgiveness. The priest says that Krishna is a Maamanithan. One day, he sees Madhavan, who is now a beggar. Madhavan begs for Krishna's forgiveness, but Krishna tells him that he left his mother orphaned, and she died. Madhavan commits suicide by drowning, and it breaks Krishna's heart. Eventually, the priest helps Savithri and his son reunite with him, and they go to see his daughter.

The film marked the first time collaboration of Ilaiyaraaja and his son Yuvan Shankar Raja working together.[15][16] Ilaiyaraaja's inclusion in the project was announced on 25 January 2018, when he was felicitated with Padma Vibushan by the Government of India,[17] Yuvan stated that the collaboration with his father and brother, made his "journey of a music director being meaningful and purposeful".[15][18] The film's director Seenu Ramasamy also thanked Yuvan for his initiative in bringing the Raja family collaborate on a project, in his interview with The Times of India.[15][19]

Recording for the film's soundtrack began during September 2019,[20] and completed in May 2020.[21] The album featuring five songs had lyrics written by Pa. Vijay and Palani Bharathi. Ilaiyaraaja took charge of recording the songs and film score, while Yuvan did the arrangements for the soundtrack.[22] The first single track "Thattiputta" was released by U1 Records on 7 April 2021, which had vocals performed by Ilaiyaraaja and written by Pa. Vijay.[23] Another song "Ye Rasa" was released on 28 May 2021, which also had a promotional video featuring Yuvan Shankar Raja.[24]

Srivatsan S of The Hindu after reviewing the film wrote "Just watch the man when he gets a meet-cute scene with Savithri or when he bursts out in anger at his to-be brother-in-law. Vijay Sethupathi makes it look genuine. Maamanithan is that script where both Sethupathi and Gayathrie do more for the film than what it does to them."[37] Karthik Keramalu of Firstpost after reviewing the film stated "The new troubles for Sethupathi and Gayathrie are a far cry from the ones they encountered in Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012). In the decade that has passed since then, they have grown as actors individually, and as an on-screen couple that we can all shower our love upon."[38] M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3.0 out of 5 stars and stated "Also, in these times when big-screen entertainment has largely come to mean action thrillers and fantasies, Maamanithan — a character-driven drama – does feel like the last of its species. And by the time that it ends, it turns into something more — a saga that is quietly affecting."[39]

Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express rated 3 out of 5 stars stating that "Maamanithan is Seenu Ramasamy's meditation on life. And according to him, the man who knows to be content living on less is great."[40] Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that "The film is also a bit too keen to celebrate its protagonist as a selfless saint. Perhaps he is one, but it feels like there are other characters who deserve as much acknowledgement. Radhakrishnan's Muslim friend is a bit of a saint himself. And why, even Savithri, who has endured hardship all her life, has done a lot for their children. And yet, it feels like she doesn't quite get her due. But as I said, these are nuances, and in a film that never really has you riveted in its universe, does it matter? It's a pity because we don't get a lot of these films that speak of how greatness in our world is often found in the most unassuming of people, who quietly sacrifice themselves, so people around them can live better lives."[41] Janani K of India Today gave the film 2.5 out of 5 and stated "Overall, Maamanithan is a moving drama with its heart in the right place."[42] Soundarya Athimuthu of The Quint after reviewing the film stated that "Maamanithan has its heart at the right place for it instills hope in human relationships, explaining while there may be one or two who will cheat or hurt you, there will be dozens waiting to support and embrace you with love."[43] IndiaGlitz gave the film's rating 3 out of 5.0 and wrote "Go for this one for the solid performances of the cast and the relatable story moments."[44]

Behindwoods rated 2.75 out of 5 and wrote "Maamanithan is a beautiful family drama, watch it for Ilayaraja – YSR's blissful music and the performances."[45] Hariharan Krishnan of Film Companion wrote "And then you have Somasundaram playing Ismail, Sethupathi's best friend and saviour of the abandoned family. Honestly what a relief it is to see a Muslim character given some importance in an Indian film. This kind of inclusivity had almost been given up as a lost cause. I sincerely hope that other filmmakers in the future take this lead and start developing more characters from the Muslim community. And then we have Jewel Mary playing Pilomy a tea vendor in the backwaters of Alleppey, who accommodates Radhakrishnan. What a radiant presence. She's one of the rare actors who just does not perform or exert herself to play her role. So, what could have been a well-crafted Hitchcockian drama of a small lower-middle-class family facing a crisis beyond their comprehension, loses track and becomes a rather confused affair. So, let's just blame it on the inconveniences caused by the pandemic of the last two years on a crew, which was ill-equipped also to handle their crisis, too."[46]

• Maamanithan at IMDb