Mandela

One of the prime reasons why the film works effectively and mostly stays relevant is because of its comical treatment. Yet, it does strike quite a few emotional chords without getting overly sentimental. Another reason Yogi Babu and his earnest performance. Mostly used to play silly comical characters in films, Mandela allows Yogi Babu to truly showcase his potential and he plays the titular character with so much sincerity. First-timer Ashwin’s writing deserves a lot of praise. Without ever making a mockery of the caste-politics, he deals with the issue with a lot of maturity. His understanding of how the oppressed are seen and treated as per everybody’s convenience is on point, and it never goes overboard in its representation. The film feels slightly long-drawn in the second half but the way it ends leaves a strong impact.

Director Madonne Ashwin’s latest film Mandela debuted on Netflix on Monday, a day after its television premiere. The Yogi Babu-starrer is an allegory about the weakness and strength of our political and democratic structures. It, in fact, feels like a ready reckoner about the importance of voting without prejudice amid the high stakes Tamil Nadu assembly elections. While cash for votes is one of the menaces that has plagued the electoral process across the country, its prevalence in Tamil Nadu is quite pervasive. State politics is notorious for the political parties doling out freebies and cash in the run-up to the polls. In the Netflix satire Mandela, director Madonne throws light on what happens when electors fail to grasp the significance and full power of their right to vote, and get seduced by such freebies.