Life is never easy for an upcoming or promising lawyer. This is the crux of the movie Manithan, directed by I Ahmed and produced by Fox Star and Red Giant Movies. Starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Prakash Raj, Radharavi, Vivek, Hansika Motwani, Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead, the film is all about the travails of those in the legal profession. A remake of the Hindi hit Jolly LLB, the movie has been adapted at various places to suit the Tamil audience. Not many movie come out with the court-room as the entire theme and this seems to be a bold move in the part of the director. The story is about Sakthi (Udhayanidhi Stalin), who is struggling to become a successful lawyer. His motto is to fight for the common man. He ends up being an underdog, who locks horns with a prominent lawyer Adhiseshan (Prakashraj). With several twists and turns, how he emerges triumphant after a long battle forms the rest of the story. Music is by Santosh Narayanan is not up to the perfect mark. Musical sounds overlapping the dialogue deliveries. Madhie Cranks has managed to blend the reel life with the real with this camera. Although a remake, dialogues by Ajayan Bala is worth mentioning. This is the first time Udhay, who has also produced this movie, has taken up a serious role. Kudos to his acting skills. For Tamil audience who have been seeing him in lighter roles will find it a bit out of the way to adjust to his serious lines in the movie. In the second half, Udhay pours out his emotions well. Hansika has nothing much to do while Ishwarya Rajesh plays a television journalist. Vivek as Udhay’s uncle tries to evoke laughter. Experience is the word for Prakashraj, Radharavi. The movie talks in length the need to overhaul our legal system to make it more laywer and user-friendly. It also shows that the common man gets what is just for him. Both these elements are told in a lighter vein. For one of its kind, Manithan, plays is on the judicial system and the need for change.
