Music is scored by D. Imman. It is the 50th film of Prabhu Deva. The film was released on 19 November 2021. The film also marks the final film appearance of actor and director Mahendran, before his death on 2 April 2019. The film received mixed reviews from critics
Pon Manickavel - 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film
The first look poster of Pon Manickavel shows Prabhu Deva as a Police officer, and for the first time, he is acting as a police officer in his filmography. For the first time D. Imman is composing music with Prabhu Deva in his film
In July 2021, it was announced that the theatrical release was cancelled, and that the film would instead stream via Disney+ Hotstar. The film was released on 19 November 2021.
The film received Mixed reviews from critics and positive reviews from audience.
- Pon Manickavel begins with the murder of a judge. The cops, who are unable to find any clues, are facing pressure from their higher-ups to solve it fast. During a discussion, one cop says that he knows the right man for the job and mentions the name of the hero. If you have already rolled your eyes by this point, then, this is not the film for you. But if you do choose to soldier on, be prepared for an extremely predictable film with an abundance of cop-movie cliches.
- Prabhudeva plays the titular Pon Manickavel, a deputy commissioner who is asked to take over the case of a murdered judged. But much to the chagrin of his subordinate, he seems hardly interested in solving the case. Meanwhile, a cop who was close to the judge gets murdered, and a businessman (Suresh Chandra Menon), who was also his friend, gets a death threat. Manickavel strikes a deal with him to protect the man. Is he a cop disillusioned by the system who has gone over to the dark side? Will he be able to crack the case?
- Despite the earnestness that director AC Mugil Chellappa displays, Pon Manickavel hardly turns out into the thrilling cop film that it wants to be. The chief issue here is the writing. The plotting is formulaic and we are able to guess how every scene might turn out. When the film reveals some of the so-called twists, you feel sorry for the filmmaker, who seems to be the only one to have felt that there were genuinely novel. The characterisation is also broad. The protagonist is someone who believes more in justice than in law. The antagonist is your template rich businessman (Sudhanshu Pandey) with an extraordinary amount of influence.
- The one bright spot is the film's attempt to highlight the vulnerability of #MeToo survivors, but it handles this angle with hardly any nuance that these scenes only feel exploitative. We also get to see director Mahendran in a minor role two years after his demise, which offers some bittersweet moments. But beyond these, nothing stands out. Even Prabhu Deva, in what is reportedly his 50th film and his first cop role, looks jaded. The perfunctory romantic track between him and Nivetha Pethuraj, who plays Manickavel's wife, Anbarasi, is also hardly new. By the time the film ends, we realise that it has hardly made us feel a thing!
Pon Manickavel is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by A. C. Mugil Chellappan of Kandaen fame. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nivetha Pethuraj in lead roles. Music is scored by D. Imman. It is the 50th film of Prabhu Deva. The film was released on 19 November 2021. The film also marks the final film appearance of actor and director Mahendran, before his death on 2 April 2019. The film received mixed reviews from critics
