Meendum Oru Mariyathai

Meendum Oru Mariyathai (transl. Once again a respect) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja. The film starring him, Nakshatra, Joe Malloori and Mounika is bankrolled by Manoj Kumar under his banner Manoj Creations. The music for the film is composed by N.R. Ragunanthan and score is by Sabesh–Murali while cinematography is handled by Salai Sagadevan. The film premiered at the 2018 South Asian Short Film Festival which was held in Ooty.[1][2][3] The film which began production in 2014 faced production delays before releasing on 21 February 2020.

Meendum Oru Mariyathai
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBharathiraja
Written byBharathiraja
Produced byBharathiraja
StarringBharathiraja
Nakshatra
Fenon J Rodriguez
Joe Malloori
Mounika
CinematographySalai Sagadevan
Edited byK. Pazhanivel
Music bySabesh–Murali
Production
company
Manoj Creations
Release date
  • 21 February 2020 (2020-02-21)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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A young girl named Venba, struggling with personal issues and contemplating suicide, crosses paths with an old man, Om, who was abandoned by his son. As they embark on a transformative 10-day journey to exotic locations, Venba's family fears she has been kidnapped and is in grave danger. Unbeknownst to them, Venba is not only safe but also gaining invaluable life lessons and forging a deep, unexpected bond with her elderly companion, which profoundly changes both their lives.

Cast

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  • Bharathiraja as Om
  • Rasi Nakshatra as Venba
  • Mounika as Meenakshi, Om's deceased wife
  • Joe Malloori
  • Fenon J. Rodriguez as Venba's brother-in-law
  • Sinthia Soosai as Venba's sister
  • Jey Jey as Om's son

Production

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It was announced in November 2014 that Bharathirajaa would portray the lead role in a film titled Om. Nirmalkumar was said to be directing the film with Yuvan Shankar Raja composing the music. The title was an acronym for "Old Man".[4] However, due to some reasons, Nirmalkumar left the project midway with Bharathirajaa himself handling the direction.[5] After a brief period of inactivity, the film's title was changed from OM to Meendum Oru Mariyathai in October 2019.[6]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan with Sharran Surya composing two songs and Yuvan Shankar Raja composing one song. Soundtrack was released under the label Saregama.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Anbulla Kadhala"Madhan KarkyN. R. RaghunanthanAbhay Jodhpurkar! Alisha Thomas3:20
2."Aasai Vechen"Na. MuthukumarN. R. RaghunanthanPriya Himesh3:48
3."Ilamayin Kaattil"Na. MuthukumarN. R. RaghunanthanSathyaprakash, Vaishali4:23
4."Idhayathin Thirayilae"Madhan KarkyN.R. RaghunanthanAbhay Jodhpurkar, Alisha Thomas1:09
5."Thoova Mazhai"  Vandana Srinivasan, Sarath Santhosh4:45
6."Jananamum (Slogan)"VairamuthuN.R. RaghunanthanMadhu Balakrishnan, Parvathy2:27
7."Kodi Kodiyai"Na. MuthukumarN.R. RaghunanthanVijay Yesudas, Vaishali3:52
8."Baby"Madhan KarkyN.R. RaghunanthanRichard1:58
9."Kozhundhan Peru"AgathiyanN.R. RaghunanthanVelmurugan, Priya Himesh3:48
10."Saattaiyin Munaiyil (Nee Seitha Neerodai)"Kabilan VairamuthuYuvan Shankar RajaPriya Himesh, Sai Shravanam4:18
11."Salamaley"Sharran SuryaSharran SuryaDivya Prasad0:38
12."Silambam In The Club (Sutthum Indha Kamba)"Sharran SuryaSharran SuryaSharran Surya, Divya Prasad0:55
Total length:35:31

Reception

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Navein Darshan of The New Indian Express wrote, "Having grown up watching his films, I couldn’t help but admire Bharathiraja’s trademark touches [...] But, these weren’t enough for me to feel connected to a film which shows a depressed, suicidal girl as a gleeful, ever-smiling damsel".[8] Thinkal Menon of The Times of India wrote, "With an intriguing plot, what works for the film is the performance of both the lead artistes. But the below-par production quality and dramatic dialogues spoil the essence of several sequences".[9] Ashutosh Mohan of Film Companion wrote, "For a film about two lost souls going on a journey together, we needed to see more things happen to them on their journey. We needed to see them change, know more about the kind of people they were to help us identify with them during the journey.  But, we don't really get a concrete sense of their connection beyond what they tell each other".[10]

References

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  1. ^ சிவசங்கர், ஆர்.டி. (14 December 2018). "ஊட்டி திரைப்பட விழா: விருதை வென்ற இத்தாலிக் குறும்படம்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  2. ^ "ஊட்டி திரைப்பட விழாவில் திரையிடப்படும் 'ஓம்'!". Samayam (in Tamil). 8 December 2018. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  3. ^ ஆர்.டி.சிவசங்கர் (6 December 2018). "ஊட்டி திரைப்பட விழா: ஊட்டியில் பாரதிராஜாவின் 'ஓம்'". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  4. ^ "In 'OM', Bharathiraja Plays A Young Girl's Knight In Shining Armour". Silverscreen.in. 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  5. ^ "After 34 years, Bharathiraja is back as hero". Sify. 27 November 2014. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Bharathiraja's Old Man is Meendum Oru Mariyathai". Cinema Express. 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Om (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  8. ^ Darshan, Navein (22 February 2020). "Meendum Oru Mariyadhai movie review: A needless addition to a celebrated filmography". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  9. ^ Menon, Thinkal (2 March 2020). "Meendum Oru Mariyadhai Movie Review : What starts off as a decent narration eventually turns out into a tiring outing". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. ^ Mohan, Ashutosh (21 February 2020). "Meendum Oru Mariyathai Movie Review: An Over-Poetic Film Saved By Bharathiraja's Presence". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
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