Cert 12A
158 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence
As much as I enjoy Indian cinema I am not sure I will ever be able to plug into the thought patterns of its screenwriters.
I can only imagine that AR Murugadoss must have had a drop of the hard stuff or a particularly psychedelic dream when he came up with the plot for Maan Karate.
There is a touch of similarity to the US TV series Early Edition in the film's original premise but it veers off into the land of the much more surreal.
The storyline surrounds five computer company workers who are on a hike when they come across a mystic who says that he has special powers.
Thus, one of the group challenges him to look into the future and produce a newspaper from the next Indian Bank Holiday (apparently, papers don't print on bank holidays).
The bad news is that the paper contains a report about their firm's demise, the good news is that it also states that a boxer called Peter dedicates a championship win and his two-million rupee purse to them.
So, after losing their jobs they set out to find the Peter who will, they hope, help replenish their bank accounts.
However, the only one they can find is a loafer (Sivakarthikeyan) who knows nothing about sports but, as luck would have it, is in love with a beautiful young lass (Hansika Motwani) who is passionate about them.
So, agrees to learn to box and also learn to be a champion by the time of the next Bank Holiday.
Inevitably, this prompts something of a farce surrounding both Peter's pursuit of his dream girl and boxing success, neither of which is without significant complication.
Thirukumaran's movie has great dance routines and catchy tunes but its comedy is diluted by the fact that it drags on for way too long.
This is largely down to the plot firing off at a score of tangents.
Also, I am still struggling to come to terms with Indian films' obsession over the colour of people's skin. They seem to be suggesting that white means beautiful and cultured, while dark means ugly and stupid.
It really is time that their attitudes over race moved into the 21st century.
Laughs: a couple of chuckles
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 4.5/10