Credential Movie Review:
Nothing unites or divides people like sports. As a popular saying goes, “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” Sports have the potential to bring out the best and worst in people. Director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi has delivered a highly competent film with Mandate that marries an unforgiving and unfamiliar sport of ocean racing with emotional complexities. Barring minor dips, the film stays on course and cruises through its runtime.
Mandate begins with Maari (Mithun Jai Shankar) attacking Sattapuli’s (Suhas) son during a temple festival. Scenes later, the connection between the present conflict and its origin 20 years ago involving Muthukaali (Soori) is revealed. Soon, Muthukaali too gets stymied in the present-day mess, and that offers him an opportunity to alight his emotional baggage. Of course, that opportunity comes with newer challenges.
For any sports drama, the job is half done if the makers craft the sporting sequences well. Mandate wins big in this aspect for multiple reasons. The way the aquasport was captured was breathtaking, and so were the stunts accompanying it. What was also refreshing is the lack of familiarity with the game. The rules of the sport, the ways chances of either team could be spoiled, and the possibility of serious injuries and loss of life were both food for thought and delivered cinematic highs. But there were also spaces where it seemed the writers were carried away and over-excited, like the audience, thereby dramatising some of these sequences a tad excessively. Also, the already predictable mischief of the Tsunami Riders (led by Sattapuli) team during the gameplay against Mugavai Maindhans (led by Muthukaali) looks less threatening after a point. The final game in the climax has every must-have for a sports drama finish. It has the mini climaxes and mini setups and payoffs working for it, but is way too liberal with the use of cinematic liberties.
The primary conflict also calls for an interesting analysis. When the film was being promoted, the sport was made the centre of attention, as it is played within a particular geography and is less known. As mentioned before, the lack of familiarity makes this sport primarily attractive. With that being the case, discussing the commercialisation of the sport to the point of drawing parallels with sporting events like IPL and loss of opportunities for local players seems a stretch and runs counter to the fact that the sport is unique to Ramanathapuram district. Instead, the drama surrounding the sport, like Muthukaali’s redemption and Saattapuli’s desperation to stay on top, should have been the primary focus. Having said that, the film scores in its politics of stressing the utility of the race and promotion of traditional sailing through it.
Director: Mathimaran Pugazhendhi
Cast: Soori, Suhas, Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Shankar