User Reviews

Definitely the best comedy by my favorite actor Kamalhassan. This movie was well ahead of its time (think about it. It was released in 1990-91) and that was its main problem. The mass could not appreciate it at that time so it did not really become a box office blockbuster (compared to Rajini movies). But all said and done, this movie is a definite classic. The dialogues and screenplay were one of the best in Tamil movies. And Kamal's portrayal of 'Kameswaran' is as famous as a movie character could get in Tamil cinema. Kamal set the bar for himself so high with this movie, he himself is finding it difficult to exceed that in his successive movies. Though Sathi Leelavathi and Avvai Shanmugi were good comedies, Michael Madana Kamarajan stands out on the top.

This was a movie that made a certain style of story extraordinarily popular.

It starts out cliched enough with the background of a happy couple separated, the wife being pregnant, by the evil bro of the rich husband. Wife gives birth to 4 babies. Bad guy who is going to kill her takes all four. She escapes.

One baby is left in a temple and picked up by a Palakkattu cook. Another is left in a car, which by coincidence gets picked up by its own father. One is left in an orphanage, and the bad guy adopts the last one.

The story, then picks up, and follows various twists and turns.

It is a very good movie, and is really funny. Great acting all around.

Asusal Great acting by kamalahaasan with four types of character.. Then unimaginable story and screenplay its hard to bring in screen...

First of all I am not even Tamil but I really enjoyed the movie. This movie has got to be one of the best comedies ever.

I don't understand Tamil and the movie I watched did not even have subtitles. However, it did not stop me from enjoying the movie. I found it really funny. Kamal Hassan was just awesome in this movie. I think Kamal is one of the best actors in cinema history. I wish he had done some Hollywood movies too.

I am of Indian origin. So, I do watch a lot of Hindi movies too. I have seen a couple of Hindi movies of Kamal's and he was really good in them as well.

I am trying to get my hands on his other movies like Nayagan, Kurudhipunal, Guna, Mahanadhi and Anbe Sivam. Michael Madana Kama Rajan has definitely got to be one of the best performances of Kamal Hassan's in his long career.

Right now, I am waiting for his Vettiyaidu Vilaiayadu. Is it going to be released in the UK, I wonder. I hear it's coming out on Tamil new year but it's so hard to find any information about the UK release dates or whether it's going to be released here or not. If anybody can shed any light on this I'd be grateful...

Should be among the greatest comedy movies in any language, from anywhere in the world. Immaculate dialogues, brilliant acting from Kamal Hassan (I feel he does his best in comedy roles), good music score, and around three hours of wholesome entertainment.

The story is about a woman giving birth to identical quadruplets who are separated at birth. Later in life each of them tries to play another for monetary benefits. All this with confused lovers singing duets with the wrong people!

I am not sure if the movie would have as much effect with subtitles (not so much of a slapstick), but a must watch for anyone interested in Tamil movies.

I agree with one of the previous posters!! Undoubtedly one of the best comedies ever made in any language!

I have seen some of the great comedies like "Some Like it Hot":AFI's #1, "The Producers", "Annie Hall", etc. but this movie will just hold its own, if only audiences can understand the language/ethnicity, if only...

Yes, it is completely unknown outside of South India/Tamilnadu and unfortunately, no amount of sub-titles will ever convey the comic timing of its script.

The screenplay and the script is just too good! I have lost count on the number of times I have seen it but this is one movie I can never get tired of!

Unless & otherwise you were actually born & brought up in that area (urban TamilNadu) it would also be an exercise in futility to explain to an outsider, some of the characterizations in the movie (obviously "Kameshwaran" the cook).

It is a pity that this movie can be cherished only by an esoteric group. That group knows what I am talking about.

The master work of Kamal Hasan..Acting in 4 different roles The movie with the best of screenplays in handling 4 roles of kamal Hasan with easy explanation to audience without confusion The songs add a great value to the movie.

Dialogues are at the best with instant comic feel Climax is the best part of the movie with every one united at a single place with different routes.

The film is one of the legendary movie in tamil film industry.

The best movie to watch with family and friends giving a pleasant and enjoyable time.

All age comedy movie!

I might have watched this movie 40+ times, in Telugu and Tamil. Each time it makes me laugh and wonder about the genius of screenplay (Kamalahasan) and direction (Singeetham) behind.

All characters were tightly interwoven including the 4 played by Kamal himself in one of the slickest screenplays ever written for an Indian movie. Take it from the motives of the different characters, their characterization, level of wit, and even small events like a goon getting hit on the hand in the beginning, and appearing all the way through the rest of the movie with a bandage-- are all taken care of impeccably.

And of course, Kamal himself gave a tower of performance -- in fact, make it 4 towers for the 4 roles he played. Very few other actors in the world, and definitely no one in India not only in the contemporary scene but in the entire history itself would have played 4 characters without giving the viewers in such way -- when other actors play even a double role, viewers all the time get confused who is who also -- but here is Kamalahasan playing 4 roles in a movie with no mix up between characters to give you an impression that it might actually be 4 different people from very different backgrounds!! Kudos to his performance.. but for being a comedy or more like a tickling farce kind of one --- this deserves accolades for Kamal's action more than many of his other more serious ventures like Vichitra Sodarulu (Apoorva Sahodarargal), Nayakudu (Nayagan), Vasantha Kokila (Moonram Pirai) and Kshtriya Putrudu (Devar Magan)..

But as he is, Kamal is an entertainer at heart, and he made serious films and entertaining films in tandem throughout this career, this one being the very best of his comedies in terms of both planning and execution. Thanks are due to Rajashri for bringing the original Crazy Mohan dialogues to life in the translated Telugu version. Kamal is also fortunate to have none other than SP Balasubrahmanyam telling his dialogue in Telugu, which made him a superstar in Telugu without even many direct films.. specially this one where there is a great amount of variation in dialogues between the 4 characters he played.

All in all, its my all time favorite in Indian movies and a classic which would be hard to beat for a long time to come. If you think the main purpose of films is entertainment, you should not miss this movie.. But its not a silly story either, even though a very improbable one but who cares? -Ramarao

Agree totally with the above reviews. This is not only the best comedy movies in any language, but perhaps the best movie in any language I feel. Awesome direction, great team work, great dialogues by Crazy Mohan, great acting by Kamal - his best I feel. I was surprised that the story was neither Crazy Mohan's nor Kamal Haasan's. Lovely storyline. You cannot point anything negative in this at all! I wonder why it has not yet been dubbed in any other language. Watch it a 1000 times, and you would not be bored. Kamal as Kameshwaran was amazing! The best family entertainer there can be. I've not seen a better movie. A movie is supposed to be like this - entertainment - nothing else. 100% marks.

Let me start off by saying that this is one of the earliest films I watched, probably when I was five years old, and I liked it instantly. The sheer wit and humor displayed by each character in the film is astounding, to say the least. The plot revolves around the lives of quadruplets separated at birth, and leading seemingly unrelated lives, which intertwine during the course of the film and result in a hilarious comedy of errors. It isn't really the most fantastic plot ever written, and viewers of Indian cinema would know that the premise of brothers or twins separated at birth is an age old pretext for a plot in our movies.

But in this case, it has to be said that the positives by far outnumber the clichés. One huge plus in the movie is obviously Kamal Haasan. He carries off the roles of all the four main characters so convincingly that at times you almost forget it's the same guy. Each of them speaks a different accent, and he seems to bring it out so naturally that all one can do is wonder at the genius of the man. Another factor is the dialogues by Crazy Mohan. The puns and one liners from this creative genius are simply wonderful. The fact that he is from a theatre background only adds to this. And of course, veteran Tamil actors Nagesh and Delhi Ganesh are brilliant in supporting parts which are acted out so naturally, that it makes one feel if acting is easier than a stroll in the park for these people.

Above all this, it is the performances from the smaller characters which really elevates this film from a good comedy to a masterpiece. The villain's henchmen, the hero's friends, his bodyguard,all play their part to perfection, and these small nuances really add to the spirit of the film.

If you haven't yet watched this film, please do so, it is highly recommended. If you have already, I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say, it will never fail to make you laugh.

Kamal Hasan once again shows what it takes to be a good actor, comedian, and a perfect executor.

The story maybe unrealistic but the execution by the director (of Pushpak fame) is remarkable. Also, the screenplay and music is good.

The songs are also fantastic! God bless Kamal Hasan his charm constantly strikes to impress us throughout the movie as he specializes in all the four characters that he plays. Hats off to the effects, too!

Minus the ridiculous sequences and out of bound scenes, this is a must watch!

For more - bit.ly/TEJAS

I have the habit of catching up with classics from across the globe, but this is probably the best movie I have seen ever. It is difficult to find everything good in a movie - the direction, comedy, screenplay, writing, acting, casting, music, editing... But this movie has enough scope for all the departments and everyone has done justice!!!

From the title song which explains the prelude, to the introduction of each character brilliantly portrayed by Kamal, everything is done so neatly. In fact, the screenplay is so fantastic that scene from each character leads to an intro to other.

You can't take the screenplay lightly just because its a comedy flick. Crazy Mohan has done an Epic here, by shelling out some gems (especially to the Palakkad Cook character). And no words about Kamal, he is THE actor. Neat performances by Delhi Ganesh, Oorvashi, Nagesh, Bheem and Manorama. Raja sir has done another masterpiece in his BGMs, I personally loved the "Kai vechalum vekkama" song in climax and the way it is choreographed. BRILLIANT...

If you haven't watch, please watch it immediately, If you have already watched, do watch it again. IMDb has provided space for maximum of 1000 words only, so I'm stopping my review here :)

Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990) : Brief Review -

A prime example of visionary writing in chaotic comedy not just to use the right potential of 'The Comedy Of Errors', but to expand it in best possible way. It all started in 16th century when William Shakespeare first gifted 'The Comedy Of Errors' to the audience and then 3 centuries later, Cinema world used to deliver the same entertainment. The same Idea of Twin brothers creating comedy of errors gave birth to so many mainstream entertainers in every corner of the world then how could Indian cinema stay behind? Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada all industries have made films on it and many of them are termed as classics too. But how about giving it an extention in the number of characters? Sounds interesting, no. Well, Michael Madana Kama Rajan does exactly that. Gulzar's Angoor had two pairs of twins but here in MMKR the writer has doubled this number. Double the fun, double the chaos, double the confusion and double the entertainment. The film is a comedy of errors with identical quadruplets, separated at birth, coming together as adults. We have seen how misleading and confusing two twin brothers or sisters can be then just imagine the madness and chaos with four of them in a single narrative. A special mention to the writer Kader Kashmiri and the screenwriters Kamal Haasan and Crazy Mohan for daring to do something new and huge in mainstream limits. The only thing this film lacks is hysterical gags, rest, it's out an out blockbuster show. Kamal Haasan shows yet again that how versatile and perfect he can be. The entire cast unit is simply awesome with everything they do. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao dares to gamble with numerous faults with his genius skills and does very fine at the end. Overall, it's a great invention in this genre and a enjoyable one too. Less comedy but smart chaos with perfect drama.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Spectacular performance by Kamal. awesome songs Watched many times, still it is not boring.

The movie was excellent. Songs and BGM in the movie were also good. The movie has many funny scenes. Superb Movie.

This movie is an biggest comedy flim of Kamal Hassan. Which shows the legendary comedy sense of him. It brings the two new technologies to tamil cinema.

Let's talk about others. Because Kamalhasan as you know is an expert in everything he does. Take Urvashi for instance. The way she competes with him in every scene, she steals them with flair. Nagesh-a legend. Delhi Ganesh- watch him in the marriage occasion scene with Kamal. All in all, it will always be a classical. Tamil movie fans- watch this and get to know how a comedy comercial movie should be made with a star cast. 😊

I was wondering how Kamal Hassan and team crafted this movie at 1990 when there is not much computer technology in the industry. I must say Kamal Hassan deserve a national award for the acting in this movie. Beautiful songs. Still in 2021 people remixes it. Please watch the movie. Don't miss it.

I must have seen this more than 100 times in my life. Still I want to watch this film when I realize who truly I am. That is when I get motivation from this film and decide to move forward in life. The movie talks about four look-alikes Michael, Madan, Kameshwaran and Rajan who in their respective professions bump into each other and realize that they are brothers. They were divided by their wicked uncle, united by destiny. From 1992 till 2022, I must of seen this film multiple times and each time I see this film there is something else to appreciate about it. A classic comedy featuring Kamal Hassan in four roles. 10/10.