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The Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Emotional bonds
Directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj, Maaman is a film that leans heavily on family emotions and the strength of its cast to drive an otherwise conventional narrative. It may not reinvent the wheel in terms of storytelling, but what it does offer is a deeply emotional and endearing experience, anchored by heartfelt performances and genuine moments of connection. Plot The story centres around Inba, played by Soori, a simple, affectionate man whose life revolves around his young nephew Laddu. Inba's world is turned upside down when he marries Reka (Aishwarya Lekshmi), a kind-hearted doctor. What begins as a happy union quickly becomes complicated when Laddu, feeling threatened and displaced by the new presence in his uncle's life, begins to rebel. The conflict is not driven by villains or high drama – but by the quiet pain of shifting dynamics in close relationships, a child's possessiveness, an uncle's guilt and a wife's growing discomfort. Plot-wise, Maaman does not offer anything significant. In fact, the narrative is fairly predictable, with themes we have seen countless of times in Tamil cinema – especially family, sacrifice. misunderstandings and reconciliation. But what sets the film apart is how earnestly the cast delivers it. The emotional weight and sincerity of the performances turn a routine script into something moving. Cast and characters Soori, in particular, shines with a career-defining performance. Once known purely for his comedic roles, he has steadily carved a new path as a capable dramatic actor and Maaman proves just how far he has come. His portrayal of Inba is layered, vulnerable and brimming with love. There is a quiet dignity in the way he carries his character's emotional burden, and he effortlessly holds the film together. Adding to the film's strength is the young boy who plays Laddu. A true natural on screen, the child actor brings an impressive mix of innocence and cheekiness. His chemistry with Soori is beautiful to watch, especially in tender and at times heartbreaking moments that speak to the unspoken love between a child and the adult who raises him. Aishwarya, while underutilised in some parts, delivers a solid performance as Reka. She brings grace and empathy to her role, portraying a woman caught between understanding and frustration. Veteran actor Rajkiran adds further emotional heft, and the supporting cast, including Swasika and Bala Saravanan, all contribute meaningfully. Some scenes, particularly in the second half, are deeply emotional and tug at the heartstrings. The film does not rely on heavy-handed melodrama but instead, it uses small, quiet moments such as an apology, a silent look, a tearful goodbye to evoke real feeling. These scenes feel honest and relatable, especially for audiences familiar with the dynamics of close-knit families. Maaman may not be perfect, but it is a film with its heart in the right place and it offers a touching and worthwhile cinematic experience. Maaman is now playing in cinemas. DIRECTOR: Prasanth Pandiyaraj CAST: Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Raj Kiran PLOT: 6 ACTING: 8 E-VALUE: 7
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Actor Soori shines in sentimental family drama
Directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj, Maaman is a film that leans heavily on family emotions and the strength of its cast to drive an otherwise conventional narrative. It may not reinvent the wheel in terms of storytelling, but what it does offer is a deeply emotional and endearing experience, anchored by heartfelt performances and genuine moments of connection. Plot The story centres around Inba, played by Soori, a simple, affectionate man whose life revolves around his young nephew Laddu. Inba's world is turned upside down when he marries Reka (Aishwarya Lekshmi), a kind-hearted doctor. What begins as a happy union quickly becomes complicated when Laddu, feeling threatened and displaced by the new presence in his uncle's life, begins to rebel. The conflict is not driven by villains or high drama – but by the quiet pain of shifting dynamics in close relationships, a child's possessiveness, an uncle's guilt and a wife's growing discomfort. Plot-wise, Maaman does not offer anything significant. In fact, the narrative is fairly predictable, with themes we have seen countless of times in Tamil cinema – especially family, sacrifice. misunderstandings and reconciliation. But what sets the film apart is how earnestly the cast delivers it. The emotional weight and sincerity of the performances turn a routine script into something moving. Cast and characters Soori, in particular, shines with a career-defining performance. Once known purely for his comedic roles, he has steadily carved a new path as a capable dramatic actor and Maaman proves just how far he has come. His portrayal of Inba is layered, vulnerable and brimming with love. There is a quiet dignity in the way he carries his character's emotional burden, and he effortlessly holds the film together. Adding to the film's strength is the young boy who plays Laddu. A true natural on screen, the child actor brings an impressive mix of innocence and cheekiness. His chemistry with Soori is beautiful to watch, especially in tender and at times heartbreaking moments that speak to the unspoken love between a child and the adult who raises him. Aishwarya, while underutilised in some parts, delivers a solid performance as Reka. She brings grace and empathy to her role, portraying a woman caught between understanding and frustration. Veteran actor Rajkiran adds further emotional heft, and the supporting cast, including Swasika and Bala Saravanan, all contribute meaningfully. Some scenes, particularly in the second half, are deeply emotional and tug at the heartstrings. The film does not rely on heavy-handed melodrama but instead, it uses small, quiet moments such as an apology, a silent look, a tearful goodbye to evoke real feeling. These scenes feel honest and relatable, especially for audiences familiar with the dynamics of close-knit families. Maaman may not be perfect, but it is a film with its heart in the right place and it offers a touching and worthwhile cinematic experience. Maaman is now playing in cinemas. 8 E-VALUE: 7
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Maaman OTT Release: Where to watch Soori and Aishwarya Lekshmi's Tamil action drama online after theatres
Maaman OTT Release: Soori and Aishwarya Lekshmi recently starred together in a Tamil action drama, which opened to negative reviews in theatres on 16th May. The film has largely failed to impress the audiences, which hints at its early OTT debut possibility. For the unversed, Maaman will be streaming on ZEE5 once its big-screen run concludes. Read on to know more! Maaman's cast and crew Directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj, from a story written by Soori, Maaman is produced by K. Kumar under Lark Studios. Other than the lead duo, the film also stars Rajkiran, Swasika, Bala Saravanan, Baba Bhaskar, Viji Chandrasekhar, Nikhila Sankar and Geetha Kailasam among others. This Hesham Abdul Wahab musical is cinematographed by Dinesh Purushothaman and edited by Ganesh Siva. Maaman's plot overview Maaman is a family drama centred on Inba (Soori), a devoted uncle whose life revolves around his beloved nephew, Laddu, the son of his sister Girija. Their close bond takes a chaotic turn when Inba marries Reka (Aishwarya), a doctor who quickly realises that her new husband is emotionally unavailable, entirely consumed by his attachment to Laddu. The child, used to being the centre of attention, begins to see Reka as a threat and goes to extreme lengths to keep his uncle to himself. As Laddu's behaviour becomes increasingly disruptive, from ruining the couple's honeymoon to constantly inserting himself into their private moments, Reka finds herself isolated in a household that refuses to acknowledge the issue. Inba, caught between loyalty to his nephew and responsibility to his wife, struggles to see the damage being done. Maaman's review The Times of India rated the movie 2.5 out of 5, and a part of their review read, 'Maaman touches on interesting potential themes. The strain of integrating into a close-knit family, the subtle power dynamics, and even a child's need for boundaries. But it rarely commits to exploring them with any real depth. Instead, it often defaults to another scene of the nephew being, well, a lot.'
Pink Villa
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Watch Maaman Deleted Scene: A missing piece from Inba and Akka's world that's filled will love and laughter
Tamil film Maaman released worldwide on 16th May 2025 in theaters and is getting a positive response. Amidst the film's grand release, the makers have uploaded a deleted scene that gives a glimpse into the everyday life of Inba (played by Soori) and his wife Rekha (Aishwarya Lekshmi). Set in their modest village home, the scene beautifully captures a heartwarming moment of Inba, who attempts to assist Rekha with household chores. However, what takes the lead in the deleted scene is a series of humorous mishaps, showcasing Soori 's (Inba) endearing clumsiness. Aishwarya Lekshmi's (Rekha) reactions highlight the playful dynamics of their relationship. This scene, though removed from the final cut, provides deeper insight into their marital bond.
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Maaman movie review: It's 2025, but family dramas continue to slap women back into ‘place'
Maaman movie review: Men are such 'cute' creatures, aren't they? They're at their cutest when apologising; you know, after having ignored the women in their lives for the longest time, disregarding their feelings, prioritising everyone and everything else, manipulating and gaslighting them whenever they raise questions, and even embarrassing or harassing them in public. What truly elevates the 'cuteness' is the tagline that often accompanies their apology, '(Regardless of being a complete douche), I have nothing but love for you.' Arey wah! Who wouldn't want the chance to forgive such 'cuties' — the very ones who've long served as the safety net for Indian filmmakers specialising in family dramas? And now, there's a new 'cutie' in town, Inba (Soori), the 'hero' of Maaman, director Prasanth Pandiyaraj's spin on the age-old misogynistic template that once helped many celebrated makers churn out massive blockbusters. What's even more 'funny' is that just as the condition of women in these movies remains unchanged, so too does the way the stories are envisioned and written. For Inba, his family, particularly his sister Girija (Swasika), means everything. Though he would fetch her the moon if she asked for it, life has been anything but happy for Girija as she and her husband Ravi (Baba Bhaskar) have been unable to conceive a child despite many years of marriage. Finally, to everyone's elation, Girija becomes pregnant, and no one is happier than Inba, who had been waiting his whole life to embrace the role of maaman (uncle). Meanwhile, during hospital visits with his sister, Inba falls in love with Dr Rekha (Aishwarya Lekshmi), and she reciprocates his feelings. With the arrival of Nilan (Prageeth Sivan), Inba is over the moon, and the bond he shares with the child grows with each passing day, and they can't even sleep without each other. Five years down the line, Inba and Rekha tie the knot. However, his bond with Nilan that everyone, including Rekha, found adorable earlier soon becomes a problem as the boy remains inseparable from Inba even after the latter's wedding and unintentionally denies the newlyweds their much-needed time together. To Inba, the child is his entire world, and he's willing to sacrifice anything for him. This attitude sparks minor arguments between the couple, gradually escalating into serious rifts and eventually, full-blown family feuds, especially between Girija and Rekha. With no other option, Inba is forced to move to Madurai with Rekha. But how can Inba and Nilan ever truly stay apart? Although the initial scenes, showing Girija being emotionally tortured by others for not embracing motherhood and Inba serving as her emotional anchor, makes one feel that the film might be compassionate towards women, Maaman quickly reveals its true stance; it too believes that a woman's worth is defined by the roles she plays in life; as a daughter, wife, sister, mother et al. Both Girija and her mother (Geetha Kailasam) are the best examples to understand the movie's flawed depiction of women as they seldom rise above being Inba's sister or mother, or Nilan's mother or grandmother, respectively. Their lives revolve entirely around Inba and Nilan, their bond and its future, leaving the women with no room to express personal joys or sorrows. It's as if they have no existence outside these two male figures. Simultaneously, from very early on, Maaman makes it clear that it's not just riding an outdated, misogynistic narrative, but that it's also presented in a stylistically obsolete manner, as if Prasanth is either unaware or dismissive of the evolution in visual storytelling and cinematic grammar. From the very first sequence, the writer-director wastes no time in establishing that the film is a full-blown melodrama, with a heavy-handed emotional tone and dialogues infused into every moment. In fact, Prasanth seems intent on overloading even already emotional scenes with extra layers of sentimentality, almost as if to ensure that viewers are overwhelmed by emotion and don't notice the blandness in the script, based on a story by Soori himself, and the many age-old tropes at play. While Indian family dramas have long vilified women who demand emotional availability from their husbands — as seen in films like director Rajasenan's Njangal Santhushtaranu (1999) and Priyadarshan's Mithunam (1993) — as they mostly prioritise their families even after marriage, taking their wives for granted, Maaman cleverly sidesteps that direct portrayal. Although Rekha isn't shown as pure evil, she endures the harshest treatment in the film, both emotionally and physically. A particularly jarring moment shows a pregnant Rekha being slapped by Inba – who is frequently referred to as saami (god) by others – in public for questioning his continued overt affection for his relatives, overlooking her and their expected child. Nonetheless, writer-director Prasanth Pandiyaraj does not forget to include performative, tokenistic lines, delivered by the village elder Singarayar (Rajkiran), that compare wives to gods and advocate for treating them with the same respect as one's mother. To be frank, though, Inba has always treated Rekha like he treats his mother, as a volunteer caregiver. And yet, after all that's happened, once Inba apologises by touching her feet, Rekha melts because she can't bear to see him in that position; or rather, she doesn't melt, Prasanth makes her. To be honest, I'm waiting for the day when movie characters come to life and I'm certain that Dr Rekha would have a few sharp questions for Prasanth for writing her so subservient. She's a doctor, for crying out loud. From forgettable moments (especially since they all feel like déjà vu) to one-dimensional characters who only know how to scream their emotions rather than express them naturally, Maaman unfolds strictly according to the writer-director's will and never organically. Throughout the narrative, there are several points where it's painfully obvious that Prasanth had no clear idea of what to do next. At such instances, Nilan is made to go ballistic, throwing tantrums demanding Inba's presence. And when Prasanth feels Nilan has been overused in recent scenes, the emotional baton is passed to Girija, who either fumes (usually at Nilan) or performs some overly dramatic act, just to stretch the story beyond the 150-minute mark. When even that creative well runs dry, what better fallback than a good old-fashioned accident to push the plot forward? Prasanth, unsurprisingly, doesn't hesitate to pull that trick also out of his sleeve. Nonetheless, despite their characters being poorly written, it's the female actors, particularly Swasika, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Geetha Kailasam, who keep the film afloat with compelling performances. While Geetha's vast potential — as seen in Angammal — remains largely untapped, she still manages to steal the show whenever given more than a couple of seconds on screen. Especially striking are her scenes with Swasika, and during their quarrels, in particular, the two clearly challenge each other to elevate their performances. Despite poor dubbing and even poorer dialogues, Aishwarya Lekshmi also manages to leave a lasting impression, something she hasn't quite been able to do with her recent roles in Malayalam films. Also Read | Lovely movie review: Stellar visuals can't save Dileesh Karunakaran and Mathew Thomas' thinly written 3D fantasy Considering Soori has delivered stronger performances before, his portrayal of Inba is merely average. However, his on-screen chemistry with Aishwarya is undeniably endearing, not only in their cosy, lovey-dovey moments but even in more serious scenes. Maaman, in fact, shows that the makers missed a golden opportunity to create a full-fledged romantic film with the two. While Soori's dynamic with Swasika also lands well, the bond between Inba and Nilan feels forced and contrived. If not for the dialogues, their connection would hardly register as genuine. On the technical front, the only aspect that deserves genuine praise is the music by Hesham Abdul Wahab. Even so, when compared to his previous work, Maaman feels like a step back. Maaman movie cast: Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika Maaman movie director: Prasanth Pandiyaraj Maaman movie rating: 1.5 stars Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at ... Read More
