Vishal plays a medical sales representative who lives happily with his wife, played by Dushara Vijayan, and their two children. Despite earning a modest salary, he dreams of buying a car. Since he cannot afford a new one, he buys a used car. However, danger follows his family because of the car, resulting in the deaths of his wife and daughter.
Vishal believes that his own father is responsible for the deaths, which intensifies his anger towards him. When his father comes to meet him, Vishal refuses to see him, insults him, and sends him away. Why is Vishal angry with his father? Who exactly is his father? What does Vishal do to those responsible for his wife and daughter’s deaths? ‘Magudam’ attempts to answer these questions through a masala-packed action drama.
Vishal has acted in and directed the film. Although it is based on the familiar father-son sentiment and action-masala formula, the director seems to have taken the concept in an extremely exaggerated direction.
Vishal appears in two roles—as the father and son—with three different looks. Unfortunately, the transformations do not work at all. His natural appearance as the medical representative is convincing, and his performance in that role is decent. However, his younger and older looks as the father, along with his performances in those portions, fail to make an impact.
Anjali, who plays Vishal’s wife in the father’s storyline, suits the role of a fish seller, although her performance feels somewhat over-the-top. Dushara Vijayan, who plays the son Vishal’s wife, once again impresses with her natural performance.
Jayaprakash, John Vijay, Thambi Ramaiah, Chitra Lakshmanan, Vamsi Krishna, Sabumon Abdusamad, Ajay and Arjai Prince, among others, appear to perform according to their own styles, while some seem miscast in their respective roles.
Cinematographers Richard M. Nathan and Abhinandhan have handled the camera with great speed. The action sequences are filmed energetically, while the portions set in the 1980s are presented with excessive use of colours.
The songs composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar have commercial appeal, while the background score adds energy to the action-heavy and loud sequences.
Editor N. B. Srikanth seems to have missed several opportunities to trim the film. As a result, unnecessary scenes remain in the final cut, making the film longer and testing the audience’s patience.
Vishal’s direction raises questions about his overall cinematic experience. Although the film follows a conventional commercial formula, it fails to maintain a smooth pace or satisfy fans of commercial cinema.
The review criticises the film for its casting, handling of comedy, lengthy runtime and lack of attention to several filmmaking aspects. The reviewer suggests that Vishal may be better off concentrating on acting rather than directing.
