Mugam (1999 film)
Mugam (English: Face) is a 1999 Tamil language film directed by Gnana Rajasekaran. The film features Nassar and Roja in lead roles whilst Manivannan, Vivek and Thalaivasal Vijay play supporting roles. The film opened in October 1999 to negative reviews and it did poorly at the box office.[1]
| Mugam | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gnana Rajasekaran |
| Produced by | Kalaipuli Dhanu |
| Starring | Nassar Roja Manivannan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | P. C. Sreeram |
| Edited by | B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan |
Production company | Kalaipuli International |
Release date | 1 October 1999 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Ranganathan (Nassar) is a very ugly man and therefore lives a tough life. He is kicked out of jobs, gets ill-treated constantly, and the girl he loves hates him. Then one day, Rangan goes to the house. With the Mask, Rangan generates followers, becomes a film star, and his new wife Malini (Roja) loves him solely for his handsome face. Nearing the end, Rangan takes off the Mask for a moment and expects that people would respect him for who he is on the inside. His wife walks in, sees his ugly face, and throws him out, mistaking him for a robber. Rangan's former followers throw him to the side. Deciding that only beauty can bring him respect, Rangan puts the mask back on and lives the life of an actor.
Cast
- Nassar as Rangan
- Roja as Malini
- Manivannan as Muthannan
- Vivek
- Thalaivasal Vijay
- Venniradai Moorthy
- Dhamu
- Mayilsamy
- Fathima Babu
- Ajay Rathnam
- Raviraj
- Peeli Sivam
- Monica
- Shobana
Release
A critic felt that "The storyline would be excellent to read in a novel, but the reality in film is incredibly slow-paced and implausible." and "that the actors do the best with what they have, but the result is still a very boring long drawn-out masterpiece gone horribly wrong."[2]
The film did poorly at the box office and was played on television within 2 weeks of release.[3] Post-release, Nassar mentioned that the role had seemed interesting when it was first narrated to him, but as the project progressed he lost interest and just followed the director's instructions.[4]