Madha Gaja Raja Movie Review: Sundar C and Vishal’s film retains both charm of old-school entertainment and problem of unawareness

2.5/5

Note: Madha Gaja Raja is a much-delayed release after nearly 13 years.

Madha Gaja Raja story:

Our hero, Madha Gaja Raja (Vishal), along with his friends, attends a marriage in their school teacher’s household. The reunion makes Madha Gaja Raja solve a problem between his friend and his wife and settle their group’s qualms with their childhood nemesis. However, when Raja gets to know that two of his friends have been facing problems from a business tycoon and media baron Karukuvel Vishwanath (Sonu Sood), Raja once again becomes a savior.

Also read: Madha Gaja Raja release date out: Vishal and Sundar’s C long-pending film to see daylight after 13 years 

Madha Gaja Raja review:

Imagine this. It is early 2010s, and you are coming back home from school/college/office, switch on the television as you carry on with your work. You are most likely to know which movie is running even though it might be from a random point, you know what exactly the story is, you even have dialogues by heart, and you also know the film has no profound ideology to offer to you. Yet you choose to watch the film, for you are familiar with the story and do not mind having the corner of your eye reserved to watching it as you multitask. You have no qualms about keeping the movie running as background sound because you need that comfort of familiarity despite you pointing out a barrage of issues with the film. Sundar C directorial and Vishal-starrer Madha Gaja Raja is exactly that film. It will evoke the nostalgic buds of the good old days, while still retaining some problematic points of commercial potboilers of that time.

Madha Gaja Raja, which had not seen daylight for over a decade, is finally out! The film, which has no reflective thoughts to impart, is self-aware that it merely wants to provide entertainment. And the very same entertainment dates back to the time, when audiences were not enlightened and aware of being politically right. There are two female leads in Madha Gaja Raja, played by Anjali and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, who exist only to add glamour to the film, while also being used to crack adult jokes. There is Santhanam (who has now turned into a lead actor), who is the hero’s sidekick and comes up with comic counters, right from being misogynistic to body shaming. But having said that, it is also refreshing to see Santhanam in his elements, and charm his way out through the audience while being a comedian, which the actor is no more doing.

If you ask Madha Gaja Raja to create magic just like Sundar C's previous films like Ullathai Allitha, and Winner, the answer is a straight no. But Madha Gaja Raja is also a film that would not make you think it is a stale film with obsoleteness. Yes, there are multiple camera angles panning at the heroines’ waists, and elephant noises being played in the background while a fairy-healthy man is running onscreen, and don’t get started with jokes being made on a mother-in-law character. Despite all this, the film works to the extent of being a film that can keep you entertained as long as you are willing to be mindless. It is also a film that will bring a smile to your face when it has late actors Manivannan and Manobala come onscreen.

Also read: Vishal health issue: Madha Gaja Raja actor’s doctor gives out clarification after fans express concern 

Sundar C makes sure that Madha Gaja Raja has all the staples a commercial film would need at that time. With this brightly saturated color scheme, destination songs, comic counters, fights, glamour, romance, and a portion of hero vs villain, it ticks all the pointers needed for a mindless entertaining watch. It is also a film that can be looked at in two ways. With the present perspective, Madha Gaja Raja is sure to turn heads for its problematic way of filmmaking. But if you are tired of watching films of today’s times when some of the problems still continue despite the political awareness being much more, then Madha Gaja Raja can get a free pass, for at least it has some entertainment to offer.

Madha Gaja Raja Verdict

Sundar C and Vishal’s film is entertaining as long as you are an audience of good old Tamil cinema days where jokes stemmed from unawareness. It might not suit the sensibilities of today’s times, yet cannot be ruled out for it evokes some quips that films today rarely do. Madha Gaja Raja entertaining to an extent, but thankfully does not come across as blatantly obsolete.