Mozhi film review
Manikandan Subramanian
Karthik (Prithviraj) and Vijay (Prakashraj) are great friends and musicians. They play the keyboard, are single and have no love life. They're basically 2 nice guys.
They love to talk about love and each feel that the moment they fall in love, should be a monumental happening in their lives – like bells ringing or a lightning striking.
Speaking of love.
Karthik is walking down the road one day when he witnesses a domestic dispute between a husband and wife where the man starts to physically abuse the woman and hurls curses at her. Suddenly, a pretty young woman enters the fray and, enraged, starts beating up the husband and rescues the wife!
Karthik is most impressed with the young woman's courage and presence of mind and walks up to talk to her, but by the time he gets across the traffic-filled street, she's gone.
Since that moment, though, she is not far from his mind.
Vijay and Karthik live in an apartment where suddenly, the association secretary Anandakrishnan (Pramanandan) starts to object to letting bachelors like them stay on and requests them to leave. Just to get him out of their hair, they agree to move out and shoo him away. While discussing the problem, standing on their balcony, Vijay and Karthik see 2 pretty women across them on another balcony – they're Sheela (Swarnamalaya) and Archana (Jyotika) whom Karthik had wanted to talk to on the street!
All thoughts of moving fly out of their minds. Karthik wants to meet Archana and get acquainted with her.
He attempts to get friendly with her, but she keeps walking away. He is puzzled, until one day he has to take Archana's grandmother to the hospital for treatment. Here he finds out that Archana is deaf mute! Karthik is shocked and deeply moved. His feelings for Archana have not diminished, though, and he speaks to Archana's friend Sheela about it .
Sheela reveals to him that Archana is an extremely self-reliant and hot-headed person. Her physical limitations frustrate her and she fiercely tries to overcome them, but her psyche has been scarred since the day her father had left her mother and her at a very young age. In short, Sheela says Archana despises and distrusts men.
Nevetheless, Karthik is a determined man and he goes all-out to win Archana's friendship and eventually, her heart. He learns sign language, he visits Sheela and Archana at the school of such physically challenged children (where they're teachers).
Meanwhile, Vijay too likes Sheela immensely and proposes to her. She accepts and they plan to get married. Karthik though, is heartbroken because when he expresses his feelings to Archana, she is furious and throws a tantrum and walks out on him.
Archana's loathing for the whole institution of marriage is such that she even refuses to come to Sheela and Vijay's wedding. Sheela warns her that she is making a big mistake in comparing every man with her cruel father and in pushing Karthik away even though it is clear that Archana too loves him, but is fighting her feelings. No such luck, Archana is determined.
The rest of the story is simply how Karthik wins Archana back in a most poignant and endearing manner, yet, without any unnecessary melodrama.
Mozhi is simply one of the nicest films to watch. It is a simple, pleasant and very real love story, but refreshingly avoids clichés and dripping sentiment in the ups and downs of the protagonists' love stories.
Each actor has done a brilliant job, and everyone's role is very believable. Prakashraj, Prithviraj, Swarnamalaya and others have portrayed very real people and their performance is wonderful.
Prakashraj is especially good with his comedy because it is not slapstick or removed from the film's story but flows smoothly with it.
The crown goes to Jyotika with her great performance, as she reminds us yet again of what a loss the industry is going to face with her moving away from films. In Mozhi, her role of a fiercely independent deaf mute woman is moving and seamlessly done. It is like poetry.
Pramandam adds lightness to the film with his grumbling humour.
There are many scenes one can fall in love with – the way Karthik places Archana's hand over a speaker so she can listen to the vibration of the music he plays, the way he wins her over in a most determined and endearing fashion in her home etc.Director Radha Mohan has done a commendable job with a story and screenplay that is simple and sweet and depends on the performance of the actors more than any special effects or "masala".
Viji's dialogues prove to be the backbone of the film and K.V. Guhan's camerawork makes the entire film look soft and pleasant without being saccharine-sweet.
Of course, no words are required for the combination of music director Vidyasagar and Vairamuthu – the music and lyrics of the songs are easy-listening and move with the mood of the film.
Mozhi is a beautiful film about the language of love.