Maayon Review: An interesting premise let down by poor screenplay, unimpressive performances and tacky visual effects

2.5/5

Story: A bunch of archaeologists are out on a mission to unravel the secrets and unearth the treasure hidden in an ancient temple located in Maayon hill, which is shrouded by mystery. As they try to crack the mystery of the 5,000 year-old temple, they have to face one hurdle after another. Will they successfully manage to execute their plan?  

Review: In the opening shot of Maayon, the camera pans over a thick forest and atop a hill, we see an ascetic in a state of trance, who suddenly opens his eyes alarmingly as if something untoward was about to happen. This shot is preceded by the line - you either live your life as though everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is a miracle, thus giving us a gist of the kind of story we are about to witness. 

Sibiraj plays Arjun, an archaeologist, who has an underhand deal with Devarajan (Hareesh Peradi, whom Arjun constantly addresses as partner-in-crime), a smuggler of antiques. When the duo learn about a treasure hidden under a 5,000-year-old temple near Maayon hill in Pudukottai, they decide to unearth it and settle down in life after selling it to an Italian smuggling mafia kingpin, Sans Ferraro (Aarash Shah). But when they reach the destination, they learn that the temple is shrouded in mystery and that no one dares to enter it after 6pm. Those who do, either lose their mind or die, which we get a sneak peek of in the beginning of the film.  

According to the local legend, after the Kurukshetra war in Mahabharata, Lord Krishna, who was cursed by Gandhari, who lost all her sons in the war, comes to Maayon hill to rest. And to entertain the Lord, Gandharvas would come and sing for him every night. But, the music is something that human beings cannot afford to hear! This is said to be one of the reasons preventing people from entering the temple premises after 6pm. As Sibiraj's team gets on with their job, the local guardian (played by Radha Ravi) of the temple, too, tries to protect the temple from any unfortunate incidents.

It's an intriguing premise that could have worked well, had the film had a strong screenplay. But director Kishore's Maayon is a hotchpotch of many elements that becomes an overkill, especially in the first half where we hear many iterations of the back story of the temple, which ends up testing our patience. Despite an ancient temple with a mysterious past in their midst, we do not really get a picture of the kind of connection the villagers have with the place of worship. All we see is that devotees enter the temple at 6am in the morning and leave at 6pm in the evening.  

The second half is a tad more engaging as the team of archaeologists enter the temple to accomplish their mission, and Sibiraj and team try to crack one code after another. Here, the makers try to infuse some horror and humorous elements as well, which though do not really come across as scary or hilarious, do manage to hold the attention. The visual effects used in the film, especially to portray the giant-sized snake and the Gandharvas, appear tacky and outdated. Many facets of the film end up being predictable. For instance, when we see the video about the importance of 'pi' in the beginning, we know that this would help crack a puzzle later. Likewise, when we see the guests at Radha Ravi's house being served a kashayam, we know that this too, might come handy when the archaeology team goes on their mission.  

The star cast, too, put up an average performance. While Hareesh Peradi is stereotyped as the bad guy for the umpteenth time, Sibiraj doesn't seem very invested in his character. Tanya Ravichandran, too, seems out of place in her role as an epigraphist. The romantic portions between the lead pair in the first half are quite bland and only end up disturbing the flow of the story. Sans Ferraro, who is portrayed as a powerful smuggling king in the first half, goes down without even a fight toward the end. Bhagavathi Perumal, who usually manages to bring out some laughs, doesn't seem to be in his element in the film. Even Ilaiyaraaja's tunes don't salvage the poorly-written script.  

Maayon is an idea that looks great on paper, but when it comes to the execution, it falters. And it's definitely not India's version of The Da Vinci Code, though the premise had the potential to be.

Verdict: A poorly executed film that had the potential to be big