It is rare for a shelved film to see the light of day. Much like a time capsule, Sundar C’s ‘Madha Gaja Raja’ has finally been unearthed, twelve years after the intended release date. This was an opportunity, not only to experience some ‘jamais vu’ type nostalgia, but to also see how Tamil cinema has evolved in the space of a decade. Sundar C has managed to stay relevant for four decades, adapting to the evolving market and predominantly working within the comedy genre.
The film follows the titular Madha Gaja Raja (Vishal), a television cable operator who reunites with three of his childhood friends to attend their favourite teacher’s daughter’s wedding. From here, the story takes many absurd tangents which include taking down a mother-in-law, a relay race rematch and confronting an evil television business mogul. In the midst of all this, two women vie for Raja’s love. The story is a mess and does not take itself seriously, perhaps thinking up individual scenes and stringing them together to concoct a film.
Most of the cast seem to be on autopilot throughout. The material itself does not warrant strenuous performances from anyone. Vishal coasts through the film with very minimal effort. Although many looked forward to seeing Santhanam in a supporting role, most of his comedy is unfunny and lazy. Anjali and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar are turned into nothing more than eye candy. The best performance by a mile comes courtesy of the now late Manobala, whose pre-climax stretch is easily the best in the film, reminding us of the best of Sundar C’s comedies of the past.
It is evident from the film how the technical side of Tamil cinema has seen the most improvement in the last decade. There are a few car chase sequences in the film which feel outdated, especially following the release of 2019’s ‘Kaithi.’ The zany edits, tracks and zooms feel out of a bygone era, and perhaps for the best.
Vijay Antony’s score and soundtrack serve the film well. Although the Vishal sung meme song ‘My Dear Loveru’ has witnessed a recent re-evaluation and is now being appreciated, it is the song ‘Thumbakki Thumbai’ which is the surprise hit of the album. The heavily Arabic music inspired tune with Vijay Antony vocals is an earworm and reminds us of Antony’s best work.
Overall, ‘Madha Gaja Raja’ has not lived up to the expectation it has built for over a decade. Most of the film is nonsensical, and apart from the Manobala portion near the end, it is bottom grade fodder. If you enjoy Sundar C’s work, however, you may enjoy this film too. For better Sundar C comedies, I would recommend 1996’s ‘Ullathai Allitha,’ 2003’s ‘Winner,’ or 2012’s ‘Kalakalappu.’
Krishna's rating: 2 stars
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Official trailer for film below.