Movie: Michael
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: Karan C Productions, Sree Venkateswara Cinemas
Cast: Sundeep Kishan, Divyansha Kaushik, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vijay Sethupathi, Varun Sandesh, Ayyappa P. Sharma, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and others
Dialogues: Kiran Chakravarthy
Music: Sam CS
Cinematographer: Kiran Koushik
Editing: R. Sathyanarayanan
Producers: Bharath Chowdary, Pushkar Ram Mohan Rao
Story, Screenplay & Direction: Ranjit Jeyakodi
Release Date: Feb 03, 2023
Sundeep Kishan attempted a pan-Indian project with "Michael" after appearing in many bilingual films. It piqued people's interest.
Let's see if Sundeep Kishan's optimism paid off or not.
Story:
It's the mid-'90s, and a young man named Michael has decided to kill his father. Gurunath (Gautam Menon), impressed by the boy's bravery, takes him under his wing. As an adult, the boy proves to be Gurunath's most reliable ally and protector.
When Gurunath’s son (Varun Sandesh) sees how much faith his father has placed in Michael (Sundeep Kishan), he becomes envious.
Gurunath eventually orders Michael to kill Theera (Divyansha Kaushik) and her father in Delhi. But Michael falls for her charm, and this sets off a chain reaction of events in which he is never quite sure who is on his side.
Artistes’ Performances:
To look the part, Sundeep Kishan slimmed down. His Michael persona is spot on; he has less to say and more to do with action. The transformation of Sundeep Kishan is good.
Divyansha Kaushik is stunning at first, but her performance fizzles out later on. Vijay Sethupathi plays a small part that serves primarily to increase the film's star power.
Gautam Menon is miscast as a don. Varun Sandesh's portrayal of the jealous son is perfect.
Technical Excellence:
The technical aspects of the film are excellent. The cinematography is superb, and the colour palette complements the theme perfectly. Besides the cinematography, the background music score is top-notch. The production values are first rate.
The editing department, however, ruined the mood due to the film's tedious pacing and lengthy runtime.
Highlights:
Initial portions
Stylized taking
Technical and production values
Drawback:
Weak story
Dull pace
Much build-up, less impact
The climax portions
Analysis
Similar to the opening of "KGF," in which a narrator who witnessed the entire event relates it in detail, "Michael" also begins with a narrator recounting the events he witnessed.
The story opens with the hero in his early years. It takes place in the middle of the 1990s. The visuals, music, and storyline all bring to mind "KGF" and "Vikram" films.
Ayyappa Sharma, who provides the voiceover for "Michael," effectively establishes the tone at the outset. Even though the sequences move at a painfully slow pace, the first interaction between Sundeep Kishan and Gautam Menon, the romantic track between Sundeep Kishan and the heroine Divyansha, and the first twist are all quite interesting.
Ranjit Jeyakodi, the film's director, uses the technique of withholding information and then revealing it in the film's climax. The film is interesting at first, but it quickly becomes tedious. It's easy to see that the director has lost control after a point.
This whole segment with Vijay Sethupathi and Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar, and the subsequent fight scenes, are incredibly tedious. By the introduction of Vijay Sethupathi, it becomes clear that the director lost the plot.
Also, with all this foreshadowing, we anticipate a surprising turn of events. But in the end, it's obvious that it's just a rehash of the "Munna" movie starring Prabhas.
So much buildup for a regular revenge drama!
It would have been different if the director had placed as much emphasis on the story as he did on the style. However, "Micheal" devolves into a futile attempt to tell a standard revenge drama in a stylized manner.
Overall, "Michael" is another example of a film that is more about style than substance. It's a gangster story. Sundeep's makeover, technical prowess, and slick visuals don't add much to the film, which suffers from a lacklustre narration.
Bottom line: Munna Michael