About a fortnight has passed since Jyothika made her return back to the silver screen through the well received "36 Vayadhinile" which had come from her husband's production house. So now it's the turn of Suriya to showcase his box-office power as a performer with "Masss". With Venkat Prabhu calling the shots, it is expected to be an all out entertainer and it's slotted under the horror comedy genre. Anywaz the tagline of the movie is "A Venkat Prabhu Sixer"...the question is whether it sailed over or is caught within the boundary???

Masss (Suriya) & his buddy, Jet (Premgi Amaren) are small time conmen who were on the lookout for some big booty to get settled in life for good. Finally one such situation presents itself, but it didnt quite work out as planned as they meet with an accident. Though the mishap claimed Jet's life, it gave Masss a divine power whereby he could see spirits & converse with them. Expectedly, it freaked him initially but then he saw it as an opportunity to swindle money by parading as a fake exorcist with the spirits' help in exchange for helping them. But Shakti (Suriya) proved to be a spirit on a vengeful mission & Masss was forced to be a part of it much to his displeasure. So what was the reason behind Shakti's revenge???

Venkat Prabhu is one of those directors who have impressed me with his manner of storytelling which was a cocktail of comedy & twists. Though his previous venture "Biriyani" was mediocre, his latest one with Suriya did raise expectations among the fans as he had handled the script & screenplay as well.To be frank, I did like the idea of a horror comedy which though not novel was interestingly showcased. The initial half is the biggest drawback of the movie which apart from some hilarious dialogues lags substantially & fails to offer anything credible. However, the entry of Shakti did infuse life into the script & the second half was engaging with a decent screenplay which included a spoof as well before culminating in a predictable climax. In the technical department, Yuvan Shankar Raja's music was average at best but the BGM was pretty good. The visuals by Rajasegaran was trite while Praveen ought to have done a better job with the editing.

The film is a full on "Suriya" entertainer & he has done utmost justice to the two roles that he had essayed but I feel that a talented actor like him ought to pay more attention to the script that he chooses. Nayanthara looked gorgeous as always but barely had much to do while Premgi does manage to impress with the limited screen space. As for the rest of the cast, Parthipan & Samudrakani were apt in their roles while it was heartening to see Riaz Khan in a substantial role which he has done adequately.

Verdict: With no biggies in the horizon, the film ought to do roaring business in the Tamil circuit. However, I dont expect it to make much inroads in the Kerala box-office especially with the eagerly awaited "Premam" & "Ivide" having released with the former getting excellent reviews as well. So does "Masss" truly impresses...well it didnt quite work for me except for the second half & the humorous dialogues. In short, fails to live upto its name!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben