Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy’s drama Max, Min & Meowzaki stars Nassar, Adil Hussain, Siddharth Menon, Medha Shankr, Mandira Bedi and Vidhatri Bandi. Though the slightly offbeat title may try to put you off, however at the outset, nevertheless let me clarify that this one is an indigenous heartfelt drama which deals quite copiously with grief, dad issues and complex societal prejudices and sets out to impress you with its emotional restraint and performances, though, all said and done, that being said some of its messaging feels self-conscious and didactic.
Waiting in the wings for quite some time, ultimately at the heart of this coming-of-age, interesting slice-of-life drama are three different generations of single men, each carrying a heavy yet silent sorrow. They are men who have forgotten even how to speak to one another.
After the death of his mother, jingle singer Mahesh or Max (Siddharth Menon), is negotiating with the break-up of a bittersweet breakup with Minara Hussain, or Min (Medha Shankr). Equally burdened, his father, Ramesh (Adil Hussain), is suffocating under a sleepless, unconfessed grief for his deceased wife and societal biases. Nassar, the grandfather Sridhar, an eminent Carnatic singer, navigates the fading twilight of his memories, carrying a guilt of not being able to take his son along in the song of life.
Cat and the Path to Healing – Max, Min & Meowzaki
To sum up, the refreshing film is a gentle, urban dramedy directed by Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy that follows three generations of men, a recent breakup and a cat named after Hayao Miyazaki.
Meowzaki, is a rescued cat named in honour of Hayao Miyazaki, the master of cinematic wonder. Surprisingly Max, though severely allergic to the animal, fights for custody. Grieving his mother’s death and a sudden breakup, the young man Max reluctantly cares for his Muslim ex-girlfriend’s left-behind cat. Max shares his grief with an intuitive cat-sitter, Carol (Vidhatri Bandi), while Ramesh slowly sheds his defences in a quiet therapy room to Reiki practitioner Dhaara (Mandira Bedi). At the same time Sridhar finds a poetic piece of joy in an old age home alongside Jennifer (Nafisa Ali), a woman whose memory is slipping away.
The writer-director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy subverts typical indie-drama expectations by weaving in complex social themes like communal prejudice, domestic violence, dementia and homosexuality, doing so with surprising restraint. As far as performances are concerned, humanising a dogmatist and almost acing the South Indian accent, Adil succeeds in carrying the heaviest emotional weight as a conservative businessman dealing with insomnia, communal prejudice, and a deeply entrenched patriarchal outlook.
While Siddharth injects a confident yet quiet energy into the proceedings, after making her debut with 12th Fail, Medha elevates an underwritten part with her natural flair, bringing necessary brightness to the proceedings.
– Review by JYOTHI VENKATESH
Cast of Max, Min & Meowzaki:
Siddharth Menon as Max (a singer and grandson)
Medha Shankr as Min (Max’s ex-girlfriend)
Adil Hussain as Ramesh Mahadevan (Max’s father)
Nassar as Sridhar Mahadevan (Max’s grandfather)
Mandira Bedi as Dhaara (a therapist)
Vidhatri Bandi as Carol Sequera (a cat-sitter)
Nafisa Ali as Jennifer Sequera
Gitanjali Rao as Vasuda
Roopak Saluja as Arijit
Samiksha Oswal as Yuki
Chillar Party – movie review
Credits of Max, Min & Meowzaki:
Director & Writer: Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy
Producers: Shael Oswal, Samiksha Oswal, and Naveen Kwatra
Cinematographer: Nikhil Arolkar
Film Editor: Satyajeet Kelkar
Distributor: Shiladitya Bora
