Hyderabad: Director Mari Selvaraj recently shared an interesting incident involving renowned composer AR Rahman's reaction to Fahadh Faasil's performance in the movie Maamannan. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film has been performing exceptionally well on Netflix, claiming the top spot on the OTT platform. The film's success can be attributed, in part, to the remarkable performances delivered by Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil.
Maamannan revolves around the story of an elected MLA from an oppressed community, played by Vadivelu, who faces discrimination based on caste despite being associated with a progressive political party. The plot follows his confrontations with a ruthless upper-caste politician portrayed by Fahadh Faasil. The film's captivating songs were composed by the Oscar-winning music director AR Rahman.
In a recent interview, Mari Selvaraj shared a memorable incident related to AR Rahman's reaction after watching Fahadh Faasil's portrayal in the film. Rahman referred to Fahadh's performance as "scary" and described it as one of his darkest roles to date. He expressed being both scared and shocked to see Fahadh's character, Rathnavelu, in the movie. Rahman advised Fahadh to consider taking a break from intense roles and explore romantic or comedy films to avoid being hated by the audience. Rahman believed that Fahadh's expressive eyes would be perfect for such roles.
Despite Faasil's exceptional performance, some netizens have been glorifying the callous and casteist antagonist depicted in the movie. However, Mari Selvaraj did not intend to glorify the character, Rathnavelu, or his actions. Unfortunately, a section of the audience has developed an affection for the antagonist.
Vadivelu and Fahadh aside, Maamannan boasts a talented cast, including, Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Keerthy Suresh in the lead roles. The movie was beautifully cinematographed by Theni Eswar, with editing by Selva RK.
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