Synopsis: Nagaraja Cholan (Sathyaraj) rises from an MLA to the post of deputy chief minister and goes about increasing his wealth. Problems arise when he tries to help a Swedish company set up a factory in a tribal area.Review: If you are familiar with Nagaraja Cholan as a ruthless politician, who rose from being Ammavasai in 'Amaidhipadai', this movie will definitely disappoint you. Though Cholan appears scheming, with a perennial smile on his face, his resurrection after almost 20 years ends up a failed attempt to build on the character. He comes out more like a comic here as compared to the earlier movie.
The movie is a pale shadow of the original, except for the few scenes involving Cholan and his trusted aide Manimaran (Manivannan). The duo share great on-screen chemistry, providing several witty one-liners and scenes.
The movie takes potshots at the contemporary political situation in Tamil Nadu. References to how new parties are formed by just swapping the order of colours on a flag do strike a cord. But in most cases, these scenes just stick out like a sore thumb as they don't add to the story. The movie also talks about the lack of awareness among the people on environment and how politicians work hand-in-hand with foreign firms to sell our land. It is at this point the crisis of the movie comes up with tribals protesting against their land being taken away, evoking images of the Chipko movement.
The movie leaves several questions unanswered, starting with how Cholan came back to life after he was shot down by his son in the previous flick. We are told that he has a son, Gangaikondaan (Raghu Manivannan), but in 'Amaidhipadai' he never had a legitimate one! Manivannan, who has written the movie, could have given it more thought rather than just borrowing the best scenes from 'Amaidhipadai'.
Seeman as a social activist comes out with a decent performance. Raghu's character is meant to be a chip of the old block, but comes out tame. The background score by James Vasanth is sometimes to overpowering, drowning out the dialogues, and the music is far from noteworthy.
The movie works in parts but with 'Amaidhipadai' playing in your head, 'Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA' comes nowhere close to it.
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