''Maasilamani'' is a 2009 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

-language romantic

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

directed by debutant

R. N. R. Manohar R. N. R. Manohar (17 May 1967 – 17 November 2021) was an Indian actor and director. He directed films like ''Maasilamani'' (2009) and ''Vellore Maavattam'' (2011). Career In 2002, Manohar announced that he would direct a film titled ''Velu'' ...

and produced by

AGS Entertainment AGS Entertainment is an Indian film production, distribution company, and multiplex chain in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was established in 2006 by Kalpathi brothers: S. Aghoram, S. Ganesh, and S. Suresh. AGS has four multiplex movie theaters acros ...

. It stars Nakul and

Sunaina Sunaina Yella is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. She debuted in Telugu with ''Kumar Vs Kumari'' (2005) and in Tami debut with '' Kadhalil Vizhunthen'' (2008). She has since starred in the films ''V ...

and in their second collaboration after ''

Kadhalil Vizhunthen ''Kadhalil Vizhunthen'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by P. V. Prasath starring Nakul and Sunaina. The film has music by Vijay Antony, cinematography by S.D. Vijay Milton, and edit ...

'', while Pawan, Santhanam,

Karunas Karunas (born as Karunanidhi Sethu; February 21, 1970) is an Indian actor, comedian, composer, playback singer and politician in the Tamil film industry. Appearing mostly in supporting roles, he has also played main lead roles in films includ ...

, Srinath and M. S. Bhaskar appear in supporting roles. The music was composed by

D. Imman Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran (born 24 January 1983), better known as D. Imman, is an Indian film music composer and singer, predominantly working in Tamil cinema. His first film as music director was ''Thamizhan'' in 2002. Since then he has comp ...

with cinematography and editing by Vetri and Manoj. ''Maasilamani'' was released on 19 June 2009 and became a commercial success.

Plot

Maasilamani, also known as Maasi, is an orphan living in a lower-middle-class colony. With a heart of gold, he is a popular figure who takes up local issues, fights for justice, and is considered a rowdy by those who do not know him well. Divya, a wealthy upper-middle-class girl, is a dance instructor with whom Maasi falls in love at first sight. However, Divya is put off by his rowdy behavior—especially after he ruins her dance competition—and is offended by his proposal. Urged by his friends, Maasi attempts to win over her family by pretending to be a well-mannered person under the alias "Mani." Everyone except Divya is aware that Mani and Maasi are the same person. When Divya discovers the truth—while witnessing him beating someone—she finds herself torn about whom to choose. Bhoopathy, the new local inspector who is also interested in Divya, is determined to expose Maasi. He tries to prove that Mani is actually Maasi and begins troubling Maasi’s relatives. Selvi, Maasi's cousin (his aunt’s daughter), is injured in an accident caused by Bhoopathy. She reveals the truth to Maasi and her mother. Meanwhile, Divya rejects Bhoopathy’s marriage proposal and chooses Mani to be her husband. Maasi confronts Bhoopathy for harassing his family. Later, Maasi stages a fake death to make Divya realize her true feelings. She recognizes her mistake, and the two embrace, reuniting in love.

Cast

* Nakul as Maasilamani *

as Divya Ramanathan, Maasilamani's love-interest * Pawan as Sub Inspector Bhoopathy Perumalsamy * Sangeetha as Tinku, Divya's sister *

Delhi Ganesh Ganesan Mahadevan (1 August 1944 – 9 November 2024), known by his stage name Delhi Ganesh, was an Indian actor who mostly acted in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He was well known for the versatility of roles he played during h ...

as Retired Tahsildar Ramanathan, Divya and Tinku's father *

Meera Krishnan Meera Krishnan is an Indian actress, who has appeared in Tamil-language films and television serials. Career Meera Krishnan initially played veena for music directors Deva and Maragathamani. She then worked as an announcer for Doordarshan b ...

as Divya and Tinku's mother * Tatineni Rajeshwari as Divya's grandmother * Santhanam as Pazhani, Maasilamani's friend * Srinath as Kathir, Maasilamani's friend * M. S. Bhaskar as 'Coma' Ramaswamy *

as the unknown man who betrays 'Coma' Ramaswamy by stealing his money *

Santhana Bharathi Santhana Bharathi is an Indian film director and actor who has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. He directed '' Gunaa'' (1991), which won third prize for the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film. He also directed '' Mahanadhi'' (1994), ...

as Councillor *

Manobala Balachandar (8 December 1953 – 3 May 2023), known by his stage name Manobala (), was an Indian actor, film producer, director, comedian, and YouTuber who predominantly played supporting roles in Tamil-language films. He worked predominantly i ...

as Advocate *

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

as Kanthuvatti * T. K. Kala as the woman who was assaulted by Bhoopathy * Rajendranath as Police Inspector * KVM Kannan as Judge * Tharini as Karpagam * Harini as Priya, Divya's student * Azhagu as Police Officer * Krishna * Mahima * V. Mahadevan

Soundtrack

The songs were composed by

Critical reception

A critic from ''Chennai Online'' wrote, "''Maasilamani'' is an unpretentious attempt at a masala film sans logic or finesse. Nevertheless, it works as an entertainer with comic elements, helped by the chemistry between lead pair Nakulan and Sunaina and twists in the tale". Pavithra Srinivasan of ''

Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

'' wrote, "It might be run-of-the-mill, but ''Maasilamani'' does have its enjoyable moments. If you want to kill a couple of hours, here's the flick for you". Malathi Rangarajan of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' wrote, "Finding his way into a rather arresting romantic arena, writer-director R.N.R. Manohar holds the viewer’s attention for quite a while. Sad that the interesting ascent climaxes in a run-of-the-mill finale".

References

External links

* * {{AGS Entertainment 2000s Indian films 2000s masala films 2000s romantic action films 2000s Tamil-language films 2009 action comedy films 2009 directorial debut films 2009 films 2009 romantic comedy films AGS Entertainment films Films scored by D. Imman Indian action comedy films Indian romantic action films Indian romantic comedy films Tamil-language action comedy films Tamil-language Indian films Tamil-language romantic comedy films