The year was 2010.

10th grade boards were right around the corner and I was Extremely Stressed™ as an overachiever with less-than-perfect math scores.

A bunch of family members decided to catch Kamal’s latest in the theatres. And so, around 10 of us made our way to Mayajaal to watch Manmadhan Ambu, a classic Kamal movie — and not just because it was embroiled in controversy. Oops.

If you’ve heard about this movie, you also know how…mid its reviews were at the time of release. That’s extremely different from my opinion because I laughed till my stomach hurt in the theatres.

I still wish Kamal would do movies like this instead of the cesspool that was Thug Life. We’re not going to talk about that or *shudders* Indian 2 here.

About Manmadhan Ambu

Ambu (Trisha) is a popular actress who’s engaged to be married to Madan (Madhavan). But on a visit to the shooting spot for her next film, Madan starts suspecting her of having an affair even though she’s just friendly with her co-star. On the way back from the shoot, the couple gets into a heated argument, culminating in Nisha swerving off the road to avoid hitting an incoming car.

She calls off the engagement and heads on a cruise with her best friend Deepa (Sangeetha) and her two kids. Madan sets Major Mannar (Kamal Hassan) hot on her heels to do some detectiving and see if Nisha is really cheating on him.

Mannar, in it for the money to fund his friend’s cancer treatment, gives Nisha a clean chit. But when Madan refuses to pay him, he pulls a dhagudu dhattham (*wink wink*) and lies that Nisha is actually cheating on Madan to continue footing his friend’s hospital bill.

A serious topic but hijinks ensue for the rest of the story.

A tale of friendship

I could extol the virtues of a Kamal-Crazy Mohan collaboration or DSP’s absolute bangers (there’s a phrase I never thought I’d say), but the highlight of Manmadhan Ambu for me is definitely Nisha and Deepa’s friendship.

We rarely get to see a nicely done female friendship in Tamil cinema. Like, the last time I genuinely liked how our movies portrayed female friendships was in Magalir Mattum (1994).

In Manmadhan Ambu, there’s a scene where Nisha and Deepa are chatting about love and relationships. It’s such a cute, well-written scene despite how short it is. This would still fail the Bechdel test, mind, because most of their conversations are about Madan or Mannar, but the chemistry between the two is undeniable.

And maybe it is the framing or the close-up shots, but the playful banter between the two always reminds me of my own girlfriends with every rewatch. And I’ve rewatched this movie quite a few times.

Romba Deepa quotes

Like most Kamal-Crazy Mohan ventures, this one too is chock full of puns, wordplay, and blink-and-miss jokes. And I always catch new ones with every rewatch.

One of my favorites comes towards the end of the movie (a portion filled with some of the best jokes, tbh) in a conversation between Madan and Deepa.

Madan: “Whoa whoa, neenga romba deep-ah pesreenga”

Deepa: “Aama, na Deepa dhaan pesren, aana unga Ambu? Romba shallow”

I’m not usually a fan of slapstick but the sheer number of… well, pee related jokes in this movie never fails to crack me up. Starting from Madan misunderstanding moodharikardhu to mean “to pee” to the climax where Deepa’s son keeps referring to peeing as peyardhu.

Look, I’m not 12 anymore, but these jokes still get me every. single. time.

A supporting cast that stands out

Kamal’s an excellent actor and an even better comedian. But in Manmadhan Ambu, Sangeetha and Madhavan truly shine.

Sangeetha’s comedic timing is sharp and she often outshines Trisha, at least in my book. And she gets lines like “matrimony sucked but alimony made up for it.” What an icon.

Madhavan too is amazing. This was peak lover-boy era, and he chose to play a man drunk for basically the whole movie. I remember an aunt coming out of the theatre asking why he was “making a fool of himself.” But that’s exactly why I loved (and still love) him in this movie. What range!

The kavithai controversy

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this poem (song?) that brought all the controversy. When it first came out, I was not allowed to listen to it so I always thought it was quite scandalous.

It’s only later that I came to find out it’s essentially spoken word of two beautiful poems — one about a man’s advice to his friend about women and another about a woman’s prayer to find a partner.

The first part obviously has some quite sexist advice but it’s more tongue-in-cheek to listen to as it’s Trisha reading it out.

உடனே கையுடன்
கை கோர்த்தாளா
ஒழுக்கம் கெட்டவள்
எச்சரிக்கை

The second one, read by Kamal, has some absolute bangers. From praying for a husband whose mouth doesn’t stink to Lord Ranganathar catching strays (“உறங்கிகொண்டே இருக்கும் உந்தன் அரங்கநாதன் ஆள் எப்படி”) this poem always has me kicking my feet up and giggling.

குழந்தை வாயை
நுகர்ந்தது போல கடும்
நாற்றம் இல்லாத
வாயும் வேண்டும்

I cannot believe this was the song that had people with their knickers in a twist, considering the kind of music that is made and shot these days. (okay, boomer Shruti)

Ensemble comedies need a comeback

Random tangent, but every time I rewatch movies like Manmadhan Ambu, Panchathanthiram, and Michael Madana Kamarajan, I want the breezy ensemble comedies of late ‘90s and 2000s to come back.

Granted, you can’t do an ensemble with Kamal without him stealing the show (or worse, playing every role) but I miss the low stakes romcoms from a few years back.

Manmadhan Ambu has it all

It’s a romance, it’s a comedy, and it’s thrilling/suspenseful, especially in the interval block. The characters are fleshed out really well and this is a movie that’s both a great first time watch and has strong repeat watch value.

My only gripe is a potentially censored cut that makes the main relationship’s development quite abrupt and jarring. But the comedic timing and all the jokes that land after this more than make up for this abrupt change.

Back then, Manmadhan Ambu rescued me from board exam stress. Today, it rescues me from Kamal’s newer… choices (cough Thug Life). Either way, it’s a rewatch I’ll defend till my last peyardhu joke.

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That’s all from this nostalgic Kamal/Crazy Mohan fan.

I have a lot more opinions about other Tamil films so if that’s a recurring feature you’d like to see on here, let me know!

(Also, if you read this post on my short-lived Substack, forget about it and read it on here again. Ya girl is really embracing the blogging renaissance over the ‘stack where it’s all AI slop anyway.)