''Manmadan Ambu'' ()
is a 2010 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
-language
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film directed by
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films.
Career
1990–1997
Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...
. Written by
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
, it stars himself alongside
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
,
Sangeetha and
R. Madhavan
Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Madhava ...
, while featuring
Oviya
Helen Nelson, (born 29 April 1991) better known professionally by her stage name Oviya, is an Indian model and actress who works in the Tamil and Malayalam films. She made her breakthrough as an actress in Sarkunam's rural romantic comedy ' ...
,
Ramesh Aravind
Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films including several Tamil and T ...
,
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup Iyer (born 7 November 1947) is an Indian pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer who sang songs in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. "Darling", which she recorded with Rekha Bhardwaj for the film ''7 Khoon Maaf'', won the Filmfare Award ...
,
Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai (born 11 May 1976) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television shows. She is best known for portraying comedic roles, but has also played character roles. She has won the Kerala State Television Award for K ...
and
Urvashi
Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' s ...
among others in supporting roles. The film features music composed by
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
, with several songs written and sung by Kamal Haasan himself, while Manush Nandan and
Shan Mohammed
Shan Mohammed is an Indian film editor who has worked on Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil-language films.
Career
A commerce graduate, Shan Mohammed, had gone to Chennai for his articleship and became acquainted with cinematographer P. C. Sreeram at a p ...
made their debuts as cinematographer and editor.
After significant pre-production which included rehearsals of the entire script before filming, the film was extensively shot across Europe and on a
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
, whilst scenes were also canned across
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...
.
[Manmadhan Ambu audio launch on Vijay TV!](_blank)
/ref> It was produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer, actor, and politician who prominently works in the Tamil cinema. He is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu in the ministry led by his father, ...
, ''Manmadan Ambu'' released worldwide on 23 December 2010. The movie was based on the 1948 movie ''Romance on the High Seas
''Romance on the High Seas'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''It's Magic'') is a 1948 American musical film, musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film d ...
''.
Plot
Ambujakshi alias "Nisha", a film actress, arrives in Europe to spend the vacations with her friend Deepa, a divorcee, and her two children Viswanath alias Vish and Bhagirathi. While going in a taxi, Ambu recalls an early incident regarding her ex-boyfriend Madhanagopal, a wealthy entrepreneur. Three years ago, she was shooting for a film with actor Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
in a bright park, and Madhan was suspicious of her relationship with the actor. While returning, he let Ambu drive his new car. Madhan advised Ambu to stop acting but she refused, leading to an argument that almost caused their car to crash into a smaller white car. Unable to bear any more arguments, Ambu broke her relationship with Madhan and walked away.
Madhan now suspects that Ambu may be having a relationship with her colleagues in the film industry. To end that, he hires detective Major Raja Mannar to follow her when she goes on a cruise for a vacation in Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
. Mannar accepts, as he needs money to pay the hospital bills of his friend Rajan, who is diagnosed with cancer, and his wife Mallika takes care of him. Contrary to Madhan's suspicions, Ambu is loyal and virtuous; when Mannar reports this, Madhan refuses to pay him as his suspicions were unfounded.
Disappointed, Mannar, to save his dying friend Rajan, fabricates a story and tells Madhan that she is having a secret affair during her trip. In the process, he introduces himself as a manager of a security company to Ambu, Deepa, and Deepa's children, and becomes close to the group. While getting closer to Ambu, Mannar says to Madhan that Ambu is good, but the other guy is bad. Madhan does not want to hear that and eventually breaks up with Ambu. In the background, Madhan's mother Indira, who never liked Ambu, calls her brother to inform that Madhan has broken up with Ambu and that they should get his daughter Sunanda married to Madhan as agreed in the past.
While recollecting his past as an Army officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contextu ...
to Ambu, Mannar reveals that he lost his wife Juliet three years ago in a car accident. Ambu realizes to her horror that the accident was caused by her during the argument with Madhan. Both of them decide to confront each other with the truth, but Ambu misunderstands Kunju Kurup as Madhan's detective, slaps him and tells that she loves Mannar. Meanwhile, Rajan undergoes an operation immediately after the chemotherapy to keep him alive. To make things worse, Madhan announces that he will visit them in person at Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
. Ultimately, Mannar and Deepa (who now knows that Mannar is Madhan's actual spy) stage a plan with the help of Kurup and his wife Manju to deceive Madhan for the final break-up with Ambu.
Madhan arrives at the place and various mix-ups and misunderstandings take place among the characters. Finally, Madhan realises that Ambu has fallen in love with Mannar and accepts it with a heavy heart. At the same time, Rajan recovers from cancer. Mallika calls and tells Mannar this with tears and thanks him. The film ends as everyone returns to India on the cruise, with Madhan and Deepa starting a relationship and Mannar and Ambu proposing their love.
Cast
* Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
as Major Raja Mannar (Major R Mannar)
* R. Madhavan
Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Madhava ...
as Madhanagopal (Madhan)
* Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
as Ambujakshi (Ambu) / Nisha
* Sangeetha as Deepa
* Oviya
Helen Nelson, (born 29 April 1991) better known professionally by her stage name Oviya, is an Indian model and actress who works in the Tamil and Malayalam films. She made her breakthrough as an actress in Sarkunam's rural romantic comedy ' ...
as Sunanda
* Ramesh Aravind
Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films including several Tamil and T ...
as Rajan
* Urvashi
Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' s ...
as Mallika
* Kunchan Kunchan is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Kunchan Nambiar
Kunchan Nambiar was a prominent Malayalam poet of the 18th century (1705-1770). Apart from being a prolific poet, Nambiar is also famous as the originator of the da ...
as Kunju Kurup
* Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai (born 11 May 1976) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television shows. She is best known for portraying comedic roles, but has also played character roles. She has won the Kerala State Television Award for K ...
as Manju Kurup
* Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup Iyer (born 7 November 1947) is an Indian pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer who sang songs in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. "Darling", which she recorded with Rekha Bhardwaj for the film ''7 Khoon Maaf'', won the Filmfare Award ...
as Indira
* Sriman
Sriman () is an epithet of the Hindu deity Vishnu. It refers to the deity being the possessor of Sri, both referring to his consort Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, as well as the material and non material aspects of fortune.
Literature
Sri ...
as Palani
* Biriyaalayam Thurai as Thurai
* Caroline Furioli
Caroline may refer to:
People
*Caroline (given name), a feminine given name
* J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player
* Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player
Places Antarctica
* ...
as Juliet
* Aasish Mahesh as Viswanath Srinivasan (Vish)
* Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
in a guest appearance as himself
* Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
as himself
* K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films.
Career
1990–1997
Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...
as himself
Production
After '' Unnaipol Oruvan'', Kamal Haasan opted against reviving his home production ''Marmayogi'', and signed on for a film produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer, actor, and politician who prominently works in the Tamil cinema. He is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu in the ministry led by his father, ...
. While the film went through months of pre-production, Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
, in December 2009, and then R. Madhavan
Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Madhava ...
, in February 2010, were added to the project, with K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films.
Career
1990–1997
Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...
being chosen as the director. Though early indications suggested the film would be titled ''Yaavarum Kaelir''[Kamal’s next is ‘Yavarum Kelir’ – Tamil Movie News](_blank)
. IndiaGlitz. Retrieved on 2010-11-03. or ''Karunyam'', for which Poetess
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writ ...
Vishali Kannadasan, daughter of lyricist Kannadasan
Kannadasan (; 24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was an Indian philosopher, poet, film song lyricist, producer, actor, script-writer, editor, philanthropist, and is heralded as one of the greatest and most important lyricists in India. Freq ...
was even approached to play a pivotal role. The launch ceremony of the film, held on 3 June 2010, confirmed the title as ''Manmadan Ambu''.[Kamal’s Manmadhan Ambu launched](_blank)
Sify.com (3 June 2010). Retrieved on 2010-11-03. During the launch, Kamal Haasan said that prior to the shoot rehearsal
A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure t ...
s were performed. Haasan, along with Crazy Mohan
Mohan Rangachari (16 October 1952 – 10 June 2019) known professionally as Crazy Mohan, was an Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter and playwright. An engineer by profession, Mohan started writing plays and established his own drama troupe calle ...
, wrote the film's screenplay and dialogues. The film also marked the debut of cinematographer Manush Nandan
Manush can refer to:
* Heinie Manush (1901-1971), American left fielder in Major League Baseball
* Manush Georgiev (aka Manush Voivoda), Bulgarian revolutionary
*''Mati O Manush
''Mati O Manush'' ( bn, মাটি ও মানুষ), origina ...
in Tamil cinema.
Kamal Haasan worked again with director K. S. Ravikumar for the fifth and last time after a two-year break following these previous collaborations in '' Avvai Shanmughi'' (1996), ''Thenali
''Thenali'' is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language comedy film co-written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Jayaram, Devayani and Jyothika, with Delhi Ganesh, Charle, Ramesh Khanna and Madhan Bob in supporting roles. It rev ...
'' (2000), '' Panchatanthiram'' (2002) and ''Dasavathaaram
''Dasavathaaram'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Kamal Haasan, who also wrote the script, in ten distinct roles. Asin appears in two roles and Mallika Sherawat plays a subs ...
'' (2008). Shoots were subsequently held aboard on a cruise liner
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "sho ...
from Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, and the film was shot across various regions of Europe including Paris and Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
in France, Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in Spain, and Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
in Italy. Parts of the film were also shot in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...
in South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
; remaining portions were completed in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. 90 percent of the film has been shot abroad, 40 percent of it was on the MSC Splendida
''MSC Splendida'' is a owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Constructed at STX France in Saint-Nazaire, she commenced service in July 2009 with $550m investment.
History
''MSC Splendida'' was completed in 2009 at a cost of $550 million and is a ...
ship. French crew also worked in the film.
Music
The film's music was scored by Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
and all the lyrics were written by Kamal Haasan himself. The soundtrack album was launched at a promotional event held on 20 November 2010, at Singapore Expo, Singapore, where the film's cast and crew and other celebrities attended the event. The controversial song ''Kamal Kavidhai'', had come under criticism due to lines about a woman's desire and for references to Hindu deities like Aranganathar and Sri Varalakshmi. Therefore, producer Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer, actor, and politician who prominently works in the Tamil cinema. He is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu in the ministry led by his father, ...
opted to remove it from the film.[
]
Critical response
The album received positive reviews from music critics. C. Karthik from Behindwoods rated the album 3/5 and quoted "Overall, DSP can be very proud of this album as he has deviated from his normal offerings. A westernised folk song, jazz, melodies, a poem and a kuthu...an album could not ask for more variety and DSP has delivered. Though the music gets a little heavy at times, he has Kamal, with his voice and lyrics, to save him. The new experiments shows his maturity and his intention for being innovative. With the movie's release soon, the songs must be playing non-stop on air."[ Pavithra Srinivasan of ]Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
also gave the album 3/5 saying that "DSP has a reputation for sticking with his regulation format of tunes and here too, you can see it pop up at certain places but there's also a departure from the usual, mostly an influence of Haasan in both lyrics and music. Whatever the reason, the end result is an album that provides you a treat. Go for it."[ Indiaglitz said "Overall, this film must have been a different experience for DSP who all along dwelled in fast rhythmic world. The whole album has an up market western jazz feel except for that one song. For a story that happens in Europe, DSP has done it right, we guess."
]
Release
Theatrical
''Manmadan Ambu'' was released on 23 December 2010.
Home media
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...
bought the satellite rights.
Reception
Box office
''Manmadhan Ambu'' grossed in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
alone over a period of 4 weeks. In UK, it grossed first week $77,360 and in Malaysia $653,942. Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
declared the film as "average".
Critical response
''Manmadhan Ambu'' received mixed reviews from critics. The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
gave 3 out of 5, claiming that "''Manmadhan Ambu'' has all the elements of a good entertainer, but still something seems to be lacking. However, overall, the film is entertaining and enjoyable". ''Behindwoods'' gave 2.5 out of 5 and stated "Overall, ''Manmadhan Ambu'' is an entertainer but in parts", while ''Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper owned by Jagran Prakashan Limited. Editions in various languages were published in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore editions were ...
'' wrote "''Manmadhan Ambu'' does impress but it lacks the punch to captivate the audiences". Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
gave 3 out of 5, claiming that "''Manmadhan Ambu'' defies characterization as either a romantic film or a comedy, largely because the two don't mix". ''Sify'' gave 3 out of 5, said, "''Manmadhan Ambu'' is consistently engaging. Cleverly written and sharply cast, it is a film that delivers hearty laughs. It is one of those rare Tamil films that's funny and smart at the same time". ''Indiaglitz'' said, "''Manmadhan Ambu'' may not be a '' Panchatanthiram'' or ''Dasavathaaram
''Dasavathaaram'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Kamal Haasan, who also wrote the script, in ten distinct roles. Asin appears in two roles and Mallika Sherawat plays a subs ...
'', but a perfect holiday entertainer with Kamal stamp all over it." Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' stated that, "Sprinkled with humour, joy, love, sadness and sentiment with an undercurrent of jealousy running through it, MMA 'Manmadhan Ambu''is a cocktail of emotions – tasty, but at times queer!". NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
resident editor T.S. Sudhir wrote, "Don't go expecting a ''Panchatantiram'' from the Kamal-K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films.
Career
1990–1997
Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...
combo, for you will be disappointed. MMA has starting trouble and one hour into the film, you are desperately waiting for the comic fireworks to start, given that the film has been marketed as a laugh riot. The riot, when it happens post the interval, leaves you with a feeling of being shortchanged." He further mentioned, "The problem with MMA is as much with Kamal as with the audience for you expect nothing short of brilliance from this Master of all trades. In MMA, Kamal has shot the Cupid's arrow (which is what Manmadhan Ambu means) rather lazily. Go without expecting a world record in archery!" ''The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' wrote "the first half moves at a brisk pace, with some genuine fun moments, and crackling one-liners, all with the promise of more good times to come. But the second half fizzles out totally as the script nosedives never to recover", and also the movie plot takes its inspiration from the 1948 American comedy, ''Romance on the High Seas
''Romance on the High Seas'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''It's Magic'') is a 1948 American musical film, musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film d ...
''.
Lawsuit
Though the Censor Board of India
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
cleared the song ''Kamal Kavidhai'' penned by Kamal himself, it courted controversy after right wing groups protested against the lyrics of song as obscene. The song was later removed from the film.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Kamal Haasan
2010 films
2010 romantic comedy films
Films shot in Barcelona
Films shot in Paris
Films set in Spain
Films shot in Spain
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Italy
Films shot in France
Indian romantic comedy films
Films directed by K. S. Ravikumar
2010s Tamil-language films
Films with screenplays by Kamal Haasan
Films scored by Devi Sri Prasad
Films shot in Kodaikanal
Films set in Athens
Indian remakes of American films