518. Mersal movie review
MERSAL
Cert 12A
163 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, injury detail, threat, infrequent strong language
A couple of weeks ago I apologised to subtitler supreme, Rekhs, for my dismal efforts in 2017 in terms of watching Indian movies.
I could come up with a bag of excuses but my efforts have been below standard.
Anyway, she made a plea for me to try to see just two movies - Secret Superstar (not managed that one yet) and Atlee’s Mersal.
Her wish is is my command, so I took in Vijay’s blockbuster which is still raking it in the box office.
And, while I enjoyed it, Mersal prompted a host of unanswered questions.
Atlee's film seeks to make very serious points about the state of the health service in India.
I found this an engrossing subject because my father's life was saved by the British National Health Service two weeks ago. Surgeons carried out life-or-death surgery after his aortic aneurysm ruptured and, a week later, he is out of intensive care.
The impression carved in Mersal is that if he were in India he would not have had the option of surgery simply because he is not rich.
The movie's hero (Vijay) is a doctor who carries out operations for five rupees. This is laudable and makes him very popular among the poor but the film never demonstrates how they are financed.
Meanwhile, the same doctor appears to be responsible for kidnapping four people who profit from a healthcare system which seems to have more emphasis on making money than saving people.
Oh, and he seems to be an expert in magic tricks.
To add more about that would be spoiling one of the film's key elements but, suffice to say that this is Vijay's picture. He is scarcely off screen for a second of its 163 minutes.
Yes, it really is that long - it may have important points to make and Vijay certainly does entertain royally but it could have been cut by half and hour without either being diminished.
In my opinion, it could have done without at least one of the song and dance routines which, in any case, jarred with the subject matter which became more serious as the film wore on.
Reasons to watch: important points about the rip-off of the Indian medical services
Reasons to avoid: to this western eye the singing and dancing jarred in
this context
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
A couple of weeks ago I apologised to subtitler supreme, Rekhs, for my dismal efforts in 2017 in terms of watching Indian movies.
I could come up with a bag of excuses but my efforts have been below standard.
Anyway, she made a plea for me to try to see just two movies - Secret Superstar (not managed that one yet) and Atlee’s Mersal.
Her wish is is my command, so I took in Vijay’s blockbuster which is still raking it in the box office.
And, while I enjoyed it, Mersal prompted a host of unanswered questions.
Atlee's film seeks to make very serious points about the state of the health service in India.
I found this an engrossing subject because my father's life was saved by the British National Health Service two weeks ago. Surgeons carried out life-or-death surgery after his aortic aneurysm ruptured and, a week later, he is out of intensive care.
The impression carved in Mersal is that if he were in India he would not have had the option of surgery simply because he is not rich.
The movie's hero (Vijay) is a doctor who carries out operations for five rupees. This is laudable and makes him very popular among the poor but the film never demonstrates how they are financed.
Meanwhile, the same doctor appears to be responsible for kidnapping four people who profit from a healthcare system which seems to have more emphasis on making money than saving people.
Oh, and he seems to be an expert in magic tricks.
To add more about that would be spoiling one of the film's key elements but, suffice to say that this is Vijay's picture. He is scarcely off screen for a second of its 163 minutes.
Yes, it really is that long - it may have important points to make and Vijay certainly does entertain royally but it could have been cut by half and hour without either being diminished.
In my opinion, it could have done without at least one of the song and dance routines which, in any case, jarred with the subject matter which became more serious as the film wore on.
Reasons to watch: important points about the rip-off of the Indian medical services
Reasons to avoid: to this western eye the singing and dancing jarred in
this context
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
At a time when the shelf life of films is confined to a week, here's #Mersal in its 50th day and still standing tall.
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