I am amazed by Maanaseega Kaadhal. Amazed that such a movie actually got made, found distributors and made it to the theatres while a movie like Sethu languished in the cans for two years without finding a buyer. Other than a modicum of surprise at the path the movie takes inspite of having a double role for the hero, the movie has nothing else going for it. A lead pair that is - to put it nicely - not easy on the eyes, wooden performances, a laughably bad script, cheap comedy(for lack of a better word!) and a climax that is lifted from Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai are only some of the things that are wrong with this movie. Throw in some unbearable songs and song sequences and you have yourself the leading contender for the worst movie of the year. Last year I berated Time for its amateurish direction and confusing screenplay. But compared to this movie, that was a classic!

Maanaseega Kaadhal is actually the launching pad for yesteryear hero Ravichandran's son, Hamsavirdhan and if you thought Bharathiraja thrusting his son Manoj upon us in Taj Mahal was the cruellest act, think again! Hamsavirdhan is definitely not hero material and it is painful to see him being presented as though he is a big star. His face is expressionless and his dialog delivery is irritating. As for Sushva, let me stop with saying that she matches him step for step.

Hamsavirdhan(Hamsavirdhan) and his twin brother Madan(Hamsavirdhan again) are polar opposites. While Hamsa is playful and not too good at studies, Madan is a timid but intelligent boy. So Hamsa gets into a college in Ooty while Madan gets a seat in a medical college. Hamsa meets Hamsadhvani(Sushva) and romance blooms between them. Madan is the victim of heavy ragging in his college and during one such ragging session, he is accidentally killed. This affects the affair between Hamsavardhan and Hamsadhvani in unexpected ways.

Aside from the fact that Ravichandran, the producer of the movie, wanted to portray his son as an accomplished actor who can essay two very different roles, there is nothing here that warrants a double role. With one of the brothers dying within a few reels and the story line having no scenes of mistaken identity or one taking the place of the other, nothing would have changed if two actors had played the brothers. But having been forced to use Hamsavirdhan in the two roles, the director takes the easy way out by having only a couple of scenes where the brothers appear in the same frame and the technique in these scenes is laughably bad. The dividing line is clearly visible and Hamsavirdhan is awkward.

The path the movie takes after the death of Madan surprises us briefly. The director does not resort to devices like Hamsa taking Madan's place and instead chooses to focus on the romance between Hamsa and Sushva. Avoidance of the revenge angle is also a welcome tactic. But just departure from the norm does not lead to interest in the proceedings. The movie drags on interminably with the romance between the lead pair lacking even a single interesting incident. The climax is a straight lift from Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai with the hero and heroine indulging in repeated monologues about the affection they have for their parents and the importance of this over their love.

The less said about the performances the better. While Hamsavirdhan and Sushva underperform, Ravichandran overacts in the few scenes he is in! His method acting just doesn't fit into the present trend. Vaiyapuri follows Vivek's cue in Thai Porandhaachu and tried to earn laughs by stripping but the scene is not even remotely funny.

It has not been a favorable situation for star sons in recent times. Apart from Manoj, we have had Pravin (Vijayanthi Mala's son who was seen in Kannodu Kaanbadhellaam and more recently, in Mugavari) and Udaya (R.B.Choudhary's son who was introduced in Tirunelveli). With Hamsavirdhan, we just might have touched the nadir and hopefully, the next star son will turn out to be an improvement.