The movie poster.
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Movie review: Maayabimbham (translated: Illusionary Image)
Cast: Akash Natarajan, Janaki Srinivasan, Hari, Rajesh and Arun Kumar
Director: KJ Surendar
Rating: 9.5/10
Maayabimbham was produced on a small budget, and features a debutant director, music director and new faces heading the cast.
The movie slipped in among myriad other films, and survived by offering audiences an engaging love story to satiate their hunger for good-quality cinema.
It stars Akash Natarajan and Janaki Srinivasan, playing the roles of Jeeva and Sumathi, respectively. The story is relayed by Jeeva in a background voice while he lies in a prison cell, badly beaten.
The film is set in 2005 where Jeeva, a medical student, lives with his doting parents, his married brother and their little daughter in a middle-class neighbourhood. He has three close friends who get together regularly. Their conversations are usually about women and how to connect with them. The friends dare Jeeva to approach a young woman and get intimate with her on their first date. The details would then be discussed among the group. According to his friends, love does not feature in the first date, but having a first sexual encounter is all that matters.
While travelling to medical college in a bus, Jeeva chances upon Sumathi travelling in another bus. He is smitten by her, especially her expressive eyes. Fate brings them together when Jeeva is involved in an accident and is rushed to hospital where Sumathi is a student nurse. When his friends see Sumathi, they dare him to take advantage of the situation and get to know her before taking her out on a "date".
After a while, the date is set, and the first kiss is initiated. Jeeva shares this experience with his friends, who dare him to go further with Sumathi.
The second meeting is scheduled. Due to their first meeting place being unavailable, they agree to meet at Jeeva’s friends’ hostel while they are away. Grabbing the unplanned opportunity, Jeeva uncharacteristically pounces on Sumathi, thinking she would be comfortable with his intention. Sumathi is gutted and pushes him away, and the hurt in her eyes instantly sobers Jeeva. She leaves the hostel, leaving behind a shocked Jeeva.
This movie gives time for introspection, and teaches men to respect women for who they are, and not as items of pleasure. The movie is excellently executed and engaging.
Be prepared to wipe away tears toward the end. I have not watched an ending such as this since the 1999 critically-acclaimed Sethu, starring Vikram.
Maayabimbham is streaming on IPTV and SunNXT.