Well, fantasy stands different from usual genres; a well executed fantasy film offers delight and the same with errors offers a crap feel, and Masss is something which offers delight and disappointment at the same time.
Masss, a con man with his friend does all wrong deeds to earn money, and the outcome of one of his cheat-activity makes him meet with an accident, which opens a new door of visibility. Am not going more into the plot, for the novelty it has casted on building the movie.
The idea Venkat Prabhu had was good. Initial half had that introduction segment, title song, a love track and most importantly induction of plot. The former half had a collection of some crappy and genuine wits, with Suriya and Premji playing with ghosts. Introduction of that pre-interval ghost built a thrill factor, his dubious acts till interval maintained that thrill, yet made us think about that usual revenge drama, at interval block. But Venkat Prabhu had some surprises in the second half; the latter half had that pace which lacked in the former half. It had a set of sentiments, some small yet enjoyable surprises and the most obvious climax.
If we take the very synopsis of Masss, there is a lot to enjoy, but execution failed half way at certain sequences, where as those cliché moments were shown with great excellence. For example, the scene where Suriya and Premji being chased by ghosts was too immature, such was many scenes. There was a lot to look into at the logical part too, being tagged as a ‘fantasy’ movie doesn’t give freedom to execute sequences according to the needs of hero. This is what I felt as the biggest negative in Masss; lack of continuity. This may be an entertainer; still certain logics should be taken care of. In one scene, the ghosts are seen playing with household items, and in another scene the same ghosts are shown incapable of touching items. How idiotic! Now, coming to the scripting part, script wasn’t that bad, kudos to the way of storytelling, it helped in opening up surprises. Once the dots join, the viewer can easily guess the subsequent scenes and climax, and the awful climax could’ve saved the movie if well presented. While there is much into the negative side, there is more at the positive part too. The movie has also drawn light into some social elements like accidental death, road safety, child labour etc. Even though they don’t mean that into the positive side, I liked the placement.
Coming to making, Venkat Prabhu known for his racy direction follows the same path here too, there were his trademark vehicle stunt; two wheeler this time. He has taken an emotional side of characters in Masss, may that be the story of woman or the flash back of ghost, and that has worked out very well, I did really feel sad when Suriya cries for Premji during pre-climax. But the factor which makes those scenes so effective is impeccable music of Yuvan Shanker Raja; he just elevated usual scenes to another level with those delightful tunes. Songs were also so impressive. While ‘Poochandi’ offers fun, ‘Piravi Ondru’ offers that sentimental feel. And, the same music makes flash back sequences much more effective. Masss Theme Music was purely heavenly. R.D. Rajasekhar’s frames were of good quality. The editor could’ve trimmed off certain scenes in the first half. Action sequences were of top class, considering rich production values, such are expected. That fast action shots in flashback were implausible.
At the performance side, Suriya as usual excels as Masss; he was damn so sleek in the other avatar too. He jumped bikes, kicked the goons, danced well and most importantly done a good job at the emotional side. His combination with Premji Amaren evoked few wits. Nayanthara’s make up man requires applause where as Samuthirakani became that clichéd villain. Riyaz Khan and Parthibhan had easy roles; the former is seen in a good role after a long time. Overall, Masss is a movie which falls short due to illogical moments and poor climax, which casts a shadow even on the positive factors. A better hunt for novelty could’ve made this Venkat Prabhu shot a real sixer. A time pass entertainer which leaves only music as the memorable factor. Final Note: Average
