Meiyazhagan (transl. The man with truth as beauty) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by C. Prem Kumar. It is produced by Jyothika and Suriya under 2D Entertainment. The film stars Karthi and Arvind Swamy in the lead roles alongside Rajkiran, Sri Divya, Devadarshini, Jayaprakash, Sriranjani, Ilavarasu, Karunakaran and Saran Shakthi. The film was officially announced in February 2023 under the tentative title Karthi 27, as it is the actor's 27th film as a lead actor, and the official title was announced in the following May. Principal photography commenced in November 2023 and was predominantly shot in Chennai and Kodambakkam before wrapping by late-February 2024. The film has music composed by Govind Vasantha, cinematography handled by Mahendiran Jayaraju and editing by R. Govindraj. Meiyazhagan released worldwide on 27 September 2024 to critical acclaim from critics who praised the lead cast's performances (especially Karthi and Aravind Swamy), storyline, Govind Vasantha's background score, emotional scenes and Premkumar's screenplay and direction.

Plot

In 1996, Arulmozhi Varman "Arul" bids farewell to his hometown, Thanjavur, after his ancestral house is partitioned amongst his relatives. Arul, his father Arivudai Nambi, a school teacher, his mother Valliyammal "Valli" and his older brother relocate to Madras with a heavy heart. Twenty-two years later, Arul's younger cousin, Bhuvaneshwari "Bhuvana", invites him to her wedding. Unable to decline, he plans to attend the reception in Needamangalam, intending to depart immediately after the ceremony. He takes a train to Thanjavur and he visits his ancestral home, whose memories makes him nostalgic. Arul plans to purchase their rented residence in Chennai and shares the idea with his wife, Hema. During his bus journey to Needamangalam, Arul meets a bus conductor, Jagadeesan "Jaggu", a former student of his father, who drops Arul near the Needamangalam Railway gate, from where the marriage hall is nearby. At the venue, Arul reunites with Sudalamuthu, alias "Sokku Mama", who is overcome with emotion upon learning that his parents have not come. Arul becomes saddened by his cousin Latha's tale of her troubled marriage. Arul meets an unfamiliar relative with a contagious, childlike smile and infectious enthusiasm who affectionately calls Arul "Athaan" (transl. 'Aunt's son/ Cousin' or 'elder sister's husband/ Brother-in-law'). Initially, Arul finds him bothersome, but the relative persists and speaks with Hema over the phone. Neither Arul nor Hema muster the courage to ask about his identity. Arul gifts Bhuvana, the bride, beautiful gold jewellery, and their heartfelt reunion touches everyone in the marriage hall. Bhuvana's groom, Giridharan, also acknowledges his affection for Arul. Despite Bhuvana's pleas, Arul clandestinely leaves the reception with the relative, intending to leave without attending the wedding. However, the relative delays Arul, making him miss his bus and convincing him to stay overnight; the relative invites Arul home. Arul meets Nandhini, the relative's pregnant wife. After a shower, the men share beers. In the backyard, the relative proudly introduces Arul to his Kangeyam Bull named Dhoni, a veteran of Jallikattu competitions. Seeing him affectionately refer to the bull as his "son", Arul is surprised (seeing the affection in his heart for everyone). Arul discovers his old bicycle left behind in Thanjavur twenty years ago at the mysterious relative's house. The cycle holds sentimental value, as the mysterious relative's father, Santhanam, used it to sell sarees. It has also been their family's reliable mode of transportation, earning its place as a cherished "god" in their household. Arul is overjoyed to see his bicycle being meticulously maintained, and they both stroll to the Vennaaru dam. Nandhini's husband shares the news of his impending parenthood and plans to name their child Arulmozhi after his Athaan. This revelation further deepens Arul's emotional connection and guilt for not knowing his relative's name. Upon returning home, Nandhini's husband requests Arul to forgive those who deceitfully grabbed his ancestral property. He asks Arul to finally address him by his name and bless his wife, unborn child and him before leaving the following morning. Arul, moved by his relative's selfless nature and overwhelmed with guilt for still not recognising him, slips away before dawn. En route to Thanjavur, he recollects Kovilvenni and makes an impromptu visit, and while sitting there peacefully, he reflects on his journey. Arul shares with Hema his emotional encounter with an unknown relative, expressing regret for not knowing his name despite the pure love and care shown. He struggles to purchase a house but receives help from his boss. Arul's daughter, Jhanvi, recognising her father's emotional connection during his trip, discovers the relative's phone number, makes a call, and hands the phone to Arul. Nandhini's husband offers the remaining ₹25 lakhs for Arul's house. Arul asks about his identity, and Nandhini's husband reveals he had forgotten him bursting into tears. He provides clues, leading Arul to recall the nickname "Potato", which he had affectionately given him during the summer vacation of 1994. As memories flood back, Arul refrains from revealing his discovery over the phone but rushes to Needamangalam, stopping at the temple to request an offering through the flower vendor he had met earlier. Arul arrives at Nandhini's house and knocks on the door, but it remains closed. Arul continues to knock on the door without getting any response. Finally, Arul calls for "Meiyazhaga(n)", and the relative immediately opens the door, overwhelmed with happiness at Arul remembering his actual name.

Cast

Production

= Development

= Five years after the release of '96 in 2018, C. Prem Kumar was reported to collaborate with Karthi for his upcoming directorial. Production would reportedly begin after the actor completed filming for Japan (2023) and 2D Entertainment, headed by Suriya and Jyothika, were reported to produce the venture. That July, cinematographer P. C. Sreeram confirmed the project. Including his inclusion, he also announced the inclusion of Govind Vasantha and Arvind Swamy. However, on 24 May 2024, Sreeram was revealed to have been replaced by Mahendiran Jayaraju due to reasons unknown. In addition to Mahendiran, editor R. Govindraj, production designer Rajeevan, art director S. Ayyappan and costume designer Subhashree Kaarthik Vijay were revealed. The film's official title, Meiyazhagan, was announced the same day.

= Filming

= Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony on 9 November 2023 in Chennai, while the first schedule commenced on 17 November 2023 in Kodambakkam. Filming was wrapped by 24 February 2024.

Music

The music and background score is composed by Govind Vasantha, in his second collaboration with Prem Kumar and Karthi after '96 and Thambi (2019) respectively. The soundtrack album was released on 31 August 2024.

Release

= Theatrical

= Meiyazhagan released worldwide on 27 September 2024.

= Home media

= The post-theatrical rights of the film were acquired by Netflix. It began streaming there from 25 October 2024. The satellite rights were acquired by Vijay TV.

Reception

= Critical response

= Meiyazhagan received critical acclaim with critics who praised the lead cast's performances (especially Karthi and Aravind Swamy), storyline, Govind Vasantha's background score, emotional scenes and Premkumar's screenplay and direction. Gopinath Rajendran of OTTPlay gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Meiyazhagan is a film that truly holds the meaning of beauty in each of its frames. Brimming with emotions that get hard to put into words, Karthi and Arvind Swamy brilliantly shoulder the film with their simple yet nuanced performances. There is enough meat to chew, but Prem Kumar serves you with a neatly told narrative, very much like how the delicacies are served on the banana leaf in the delta kalyanam Arulmozhi and the relative visits." Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Meiyazhagan is a sweet, sensitive film. It’s a story about stories, about forgotten memories and quiet reflections". M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Despite the potential for overblown melodrama inherent in the plot, in Meiyazhagan, Prem Kumar goes for a tone that’s somewhere between melancholy and heartwarming." Kaushik Rajaraman of DT Next gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Karthi's innocence and Arvind Swami's many emotions make us sit through this emotional roller coaster. Govind Vasantha has done his part really well with playing along with the story and the emotions of characters we meet. The live sync sound takes us closer to the landscape along with Mahendhiran Jayaraju's visuals. Meiyazhagan is beautiful in its own way and will pull the family audience to theatres."

Deleted scenes

A few days after the film's release the makers announced that they were shortening the length of the film by around 18 minutes due to audience feedback, and that the new trimmed version would play in domestic theatres starting from 30 September 2024. Foreign showings of the film still played the original untrimmed version, but the scenes stayed deleted as the film entered streaming. This decision was met by mixed reviews from fans. Many felt that the scenes were too vital to be removed from the movie, and that they added a layer of depth that wasn't present in the new trimmed version. On the other hand, many critics and reviewers had previously stated that the long runtime of the film was one of their main criticisms, including the previously mentioned M. Suganth of The Times of India. The scenes in question were a continuation of Arul and Meiyazhagan's stroll at the dam. Before returning home, they stroll to a new spot where they continue their conversation, this time mainly discussing various socio-political issues.

Notes

References

External links

Meiyazhagan at IMDb Meiyazhagan at Rotten Tomatoes