‘Mookuthi Amman 2’ review: Nayanthara’s devotional fantasy fails to live up to original
CHENNAI: Mookuthi Amman 2, starring Nayanthara and directed by Sundar C, has hit theatres to largely negative reviews, with critics saying the sequel abandons the sharp satire of the 2020 original for a loud, hollow devotional fantasy.
The film, also titled Mookuthi Amman 2: Maha Sakthi, marks Nayanthara’s return as the titular goddess. It features Regena Cassandrra as the antagonist Bhaira, along with Duniya Vijay, Urvashi, Khushbu Sundar, Sneha, Yogi Babu and others, with music by Hiphop Tamizha.
Unlike the first film, directed by RJ Balaji, which used humour and social commentary to take on godmen, blind faith and exploitation of belief, the sequel moves into a completely different territory.
The story moves between two timelines set some 2,000 years apart. In the present day, Shakthi (Nayanthara) is a young police constable living with her mother (Urvashi) in Chennai. She is haunted by recurring nightmares about a mysterious village called Mailanji / Mylanchi, and soon finds herself at the centre of a supernatural battle.
Bhaira (Regena Cassandrra), a powerful witch who worships Satan, is waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge against the goddess Amman for killing her husband.
According to the review, the conflict between Bhaira and the Amman feels cliched, and the face-off between good and evil feels routine and unexciting. The portions set in the past bring to mind Hollywood fantasy films like The Mummy and Gods of Egypt, but lack their narrative excitement.
Lavish sets, ornate costumes and VFX-created demons don’t fill the gap left by the absence of a solid storyline, the review notes, adding that the screenplay loses sight of the story itself after a while.
Nayanthara remains the film’s biggest strength, lending the goddess both grace and authority, while Regena Cassandrra makes for a striking villain with a committed performance. Hiphop Tamizha’s grand orchestral background score amplifies the devotional quotient.
But even her star power cannot compensate for a weak screenplay, the review concludes, calling the film a massive let-down despite its ensemble cast and scale.
