Meesaya Murukku 2 Review

Directed, composed and headlined by Hiphop Tamizha Aadhi, the film is produced by Avni Cinemax and Ben’s Media. Hiphop Tamizha Aadhi, Chaitra J. Achar, Ramya Ranganathan, Ketika Sharma, Karunas, Baba Baskar, Harshath Khan, Nassar and Yogi Babu are part of the cast. Balaji Subramaniam handles the cinematography, while Fenny Oliver takes care of the editing.

A sequel to the 2017 film Meesaya Murukku, the second instalment moves away from the musical journey explored in the first film and focuses on the gaana culture of North Chennai and the struggles of three generations connected to it. At its core, the film explores the idea of taking gaana music beyond the streets and giving it a place on bigger stages.

The story revolves around three generations of musicians — gaana singer Das, his son Siva and grandson Jeeva. Though all three possess musical talent, they continue to struggle to find the opportunities and recognition they deserve. The film also touches upon class differences, caste-based discrimination and the unequal recognition given to different forms of music.

The biggest strength of the film is its gaana music. The songs are energetic and several musical and dance sequences are designed to get audiences moving in their seats. Songs such as ‘Aara 10/10’ have the potential to connect well with the audience.

However, the screenplay needed to move with the same energy as the music. The film’s major weakness is its writing. It has a strong premise centred around gaana music, but the narrative takes unnecessary detours at several points. The first half, in particular, spends considerable time on romantic portions, delaying the entry into the film’s core conflict.

The film attempts to address important issues such as caste, class differences and the power structures within the music industry. However, instead of allowing these themes to emerge naturally through the situations and characters, some portions explain them directly through dialogues. As a result, while the message is strong, its impact is somewhat reduced. The central conflict also becomes clear only shortly before the interval.

Aadhi gets to portray three generations of characters, and each one has its own distinct shade. Karunas adds emotional weight to the film, particularly in the scenes involving the father-son relationship. Baba Baskar brings his natural humour to several sequences, while some of Harshath Khan’s counter dialogues provide moments of laughter.

The youthful energy and simple emotional approach of the first Meesaya Murukku are not present to the same extent here. Instead, the sequel places greater emphasis on the larger idea of giving gaana music the recognition it deserves. The idea is interesting, but the film struggles to translate that thought into a consistently engaging screenplay.

Overall, Meesaya Murukku 2 attempts to initiate an important conversation about gaana music. The songs, a few performances and the humour work well. But the screenplay does not fully utilise its strong premise, and the delayed arrival of the central conflict affects the pace. There is rhythm in the music, but the screenplay struggles to maintain the same rhythm.