Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya - Review

Spoilers ahead !!! 

Finally, the tough-cop and the disciplined army man in Gowtham Menon are dead and comes alive in him is, himself of the yesteryears, young wannabe film director.  VTV - Breezy, vibrant, youthful, colourful – So, Is VTV, just one more addition to that long list of Kollywood flicks which glamorize, idolize and epitomize the boy-girl relationship ?. Not really, though not much offering from the storyline point of view, the presentation is applause-worthy.

 There is nothing much happening in the movie as such, meaning, the film is not studded with events and consequential scenes. It just strings together “n” number of meetings and colloquial exchanges between a smart lad and a charming lass. It’s just a boy-meets-girl and fall-in-love story in an urban setting with all those society-contributed hiccups for love. But, I still wonder how the movie managed to keep us all engaged, the whole time. The magic, I think, lied with the screen presence of the lead couple and the wonderful dialogues seasoned with peppy-zippy one liners. Gowtham probably picked this up from Mani Ratnam – many interesting and crispy short dialogue exchanges, successfully received many a “Wow”s from the audience. The dialogues, unlike the usual Kadhal, chedi, poo, deiveegam, divine stuff, were exploring the lust-diamensions also. 

This movie is what, I would like to define a “Romantic Musical”, in the limits of Tamil Cinema. Our films generally couldn’t be brought under a single genre umbrella and they always are Action-Romance-Sentimental and blah-blah stuff. The movie is pretty one diamensional except for that tiny boxing expertise episode. I, definitely, ain’t complaining this … I, Infact, loved this aspect of the movie.

Offtrack - Silambarasan is labeled “Young Superstar” in the title credits. I don’t understand this … He was previously the “Little Superstar”, probably referring to his relative immaturity in the field (in terms of age, attitude and naivety of his activities) … Now, that he is a bit seasoned in our cinema arena, he has been promoted from “Little” to “Young”. Next in line, might be “Pubescent”, “Teenager”, “Middle aged” etc. But, where will all this end ?, as plain “Superstar” is something reserved and he can’t afford it, whatsoever.

Coming to Simbhu’s performance in the movie, Here’s a Simbhu without his finger-gimmicks and the trademark narcissistic attitude and dialogue deliverance. In the movie, (quoting one of my friends, here) his dialogue deliverance and behavior are a bit unusual that it took some time for us to actually tune into his frequency band. You befriend a new guy, you take some time in getting accustomed to him … That was exactly the glitch, I just explained. But, there after, you actually have no problems, whatsoever … Simbhu has delivered a real good performance and you gotta love it. He looks more subtle and matured, as he conveys a lot of his emotions with his facial expressions and dialogue modulation. 

Trisha, as quoted in the trailer and the movie, is classy, stylish and sexy too. Dressed up in angelic chiffon sarees and salwars, she has an elegant and ravishing screen presence. There was this Lord Byron’s poem, “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies”, Trisha just picturises this as she gracefully walks and Simbhu glancing at her in an overwhelming admiration - one of the nicely shot sequences. 

 Characterization of Jessie (Trisha) is what is, “the” achievement of Gowtham, as far as VTV is concerned. Millions of poets would have registered this in all their poems - “the depth of a woman’s heart” and Gowtham, very successfully brings it graphical. Confusion, obscurity of thought, explicit misunderstandings, absolute swiftness in opinion making and naivety in decision making – all complex diamensions of a lady’s mind were brought out so lucid. In my opinion, Jessie is the actual villain of this script, more than her father and brother, who understandably throw in red lights, for her love. I am not sure, if Trisha has done complete justice to this character in all her capacity, but her presence, vagueness in eyes and her empty smiles definitely communicate her confusion, effectively. Chinmayee (who dubbed for Sameera in “Vaaranam Aayiram”) dubs for Trisha in the movie. Myself, so much accustomed to this voice was actually looking for Sameera on the screen and realized it’s Chinmayee again for Trisha.

Jessie’s attitude and behavior is where, I believe, this movie holds aloft, the personal filmmaking of Gowtham Menon. You can be supremely confident that, this candourly genuine characterization of Jessie is not a result of imagination but of experience. Then, there is this Gowtham regular – “Mechanical Engineering” – given a chance, Gowtham just plugs this in every movie of his. Also, Simbhu is an aspiring filmmaker in the movie. Again, this presents a lot of scope for the director to pour in his life as a beginner in the industry and I should say, he has utilized it good. I was, somehow reminded of Balu Mahendra’s “Marupadiyum”, in which Balu brought in many of his diamensions as a filmmaker in Nizhalgal Ravi’s character. That was more intense, I should say and understandably, Balu is a more turbulent and intimately-personal filmmaker, this industry has ever seen. 

The cameraman character, who is seen with Simbhu all the time, with his witty and timing deliverance of lines, provides a lot of short one-moment laughter situations. 

This movie is definitely “a body without soul” without the mesmerizing BGM tracks and songs. ARRahman’s album tracks have been chartbusters, months before and the thrill actually rested in seeing them all picturised. (No Rahman track should suffer the horrendous picturisation which “Nee Marilyn Monroe” of “Azhagiya Tamil Magan” received, with Namitha shaking her booty off and made it possible). Hardly, there are moments in the movie without the BGM in the backdrop … the music just keeps you submerged in that pool of romance. My favourite track, “Mannippaya” by ARR and Shreya Ghoshal was placed at an apt juncture in the movie and as ARR with his typical intonation, vocalizes in high pitch, “Melum melum urugi urugi, Unai enni engum Idhayathai enna seiven ?” – you actually get lost somewhere (Lyrics by Thamarai). 

The picturisation of the songs were good and would require subsequent viewings or TV broadcasts to actually observe and enjoy them wholly. I never remember any dark colors like red, brown or black on screen through out the course of the movie … blue and green all the way - Soft and cool mood throughout, with the camera work.

Cinematography – I don’t know if anybody else felt this problem. But, there was this large scale misuse of close-up shots, through out the movie. Right from the frame one, it has been close-ups all the way … The movie looked like 8X zoomed in, through the course. There were always beaming faces on the screen which was not so pleasant. Close-ups, one of the five Cs of Cinematography is a very powerful technique and storytelling device that actually transcends the viewer into the actual mood of the protagonist, chopping-off the unessential props around, for that particular shot. But, terribly overused and misused, close-ups lose their potential and becomes more of a routine endeavor in this movie. 

Many would probably like to call this a “feel good” romance. I don’t know, from my childhood, I have accustomed myself that only “they lived happily, ever after” are “feel good”. If pain and loss in love can be considered “feel good”, then this one is. It is actually the “pain of love”, which has inspired many a great poets and achievers (in the creativity industry, more importantly) towards goals. This movie, or rather Gowtham Menon’s career, can be a testimony to this particular aspect.

EDIT: Days after I published this post, I found this particular song "Maalai Neram" from "Aayirathil Oruvan", fitting-like-a-glove for the mood, feel and substance of this movie (VTV). Listen to this number ...

காதல் இங்கே ஓய்ந்தது ... கவிதை ஓன்று முடிந்தது
தேடும் போதே தொலைந்தது – அன்பே
இது சோகம் ஆனால் ஒரு சுகம்
நெஞ்சின் உள்ளே பரவிடும்
நாம் பழகிய காலம் பரவசம் – அன்பே
இதம் தருமே …

பேருந்து பயணங்களில் ...

பேருந்தில் பயணம் செய்வது எனக்கு எப்போதுமே பிடித்தமான விஷயமாக இருந்துவந்திருக்கிறது. என் அப்பாவிடம் டி.வி.எஸ் முதலிய உந்துவண்டிகள் அன்றைய நாட்களில் இருந்திருக்கவில்லை, அதனால் சிறுவயதினில் எங்கு வெளியே செல்வதாயினும் பேருந்து தான். இதற்காகவே வாரா வாரம் அம்மாவுடன் சந்தைப்பேட்டை செல்வது மிகவும் பிடித்தமானதாக இருந்தது எனக்கு. பவானி கூடுதுறை எங்கள் வீட்டிலிருந்து சற்று தொலைவு. ஒரு மணி நேரம் பிடிக்கும் ... ஒரு மணி நேரப் பேருந்துப் பயணத்திற்காகவே எனக்கு கூடுதுறை மிகவும் பிடித்திருந்தது. அப்போதெல்லாம், பல முறை சென்று வந்த போதிலும் பாதை மற்றும் சாலையோர அம்சங்களை நினைவில் வைத்துக்கொள்ள பிரயர்த்தனப்படுவேன். எனினும், ஒவ்வொரு பயணமும் புதிதாகவே தோன்றும். இன்றளவும், பெங்களூரிலிருந்து சொந்த ஊரான சேலம் செல்லும் போது கூட பேருந்து பயணம் களிப்பு மிகுந்த அனுபவமாகவே எனக்கு தென்பட்டுவருகிறது. ஆயினும், பெங்களூர் வாசம் உள்ளூர் பேருந்து பயணத்தினை வெறுப்பும், சலிப்பும் உடைய அனுபவமாக மாற்றியது வேறு விஷயம்.

எல்லோரையும் போலவே "ஜன்னலோரம்" எனக்கு மிகப்பிடித்தமான ஒன்று ("பேருந்தில் நீ எனக்கு ஜன்னலோரம்" என்று பாட்டெழுதும் அளவுக்கு இது ஒரு பொதுப்படையான விருப்பம்). அன்றைய காலங்களில் பேருந்தில் ஏறியவுடன் கண்களை வேக, வேகமாய் அலைய விட்டு என் தம்பியையும், என்னோடு ஏறியவர்களையும் முந்தியடித்து ஒரு ஜன்னலோர இருக்கையை பிடித்து அமர்வதிலே நான் கொள்ளை ஆர்வம் காட்டியிருக்கிறேன். இன்றைக்கும் பேருந்தின் ஜன்னலோரம் எனக்கு கவிதையாகவே தோன்றுகிறது. முன் செல்லும் சாலை, பின் நகரும் மரங்கள், விசித்திரமான மற்றும் வித்தியாசமான மனித முகங்கள் ... ஒரு முழுமையான அனுபவம் அது. திரைப்பட சுவரொட்டிகளை பார்த்தல், கடைகளின் பெயர்ப்பலகைகளை வேகமாய் எழுத்துக்கூட்டி வாசித்தல், மற்றொரு பேருந்து முந்திச்செல்லும்போது தென்படும் முகங்களை நோக்குதல் என்று சுவாரசியங்கள் ஏராளம். சில முறைகள், இன்று எத்தனை பேரை சாலையோரங்களில் காண்கிறோம் என எண்ணிக்கை வைத்தது கூட எனக்கு நினைவிருக்கிறது.

பதின்பருவங்களில் பேருந்து பயணம் எனக்கு ஒரு வித்தியாசமான பரவசத்தை அளிக்கத்தொடங்கியிருந்தது. இந்தத்தருணத்தில் ஆர்.கே.எம் (RKM) ஐப் பற்றிய ஒரு சிறு அறிமுகம் தேவைப்படுகின்றது. RKM சங்ககிரியிலிருந்து பவானி நோக்கி இயக்கப்பெறும் ஒரு தனியார் பேருந்து. எங்கள் பள்ளியில் ஒன்பதாம் வகுப்பு முதலான மாணவர்களுக்கு  தினமும் காலையில் சிறப்பு வகுப்புகள் நடைபெறும். தினமும் காலை 7.45 மணிக்கெல்லாம் நாங்கள் பள்ளியில் இருக்க வேண்டும். RKM சரியாக 7.15 மணிக்கு சங்ககிரியிலிருந்து புறப்பட்டு 7.40 க்கு எங்களை பள்ளியில் சேர்க்கும். நான் 7.15 மணிக்கு வீட்டில் இருந்து எனது மிதிவண்டியில் கிளம்பி, என் பெரியம்மா வீட்டில் மிதிவண்டியை நிறுத்தி விட்டு, 7.25 மணிக்கு பேருந்தில் ஏறுவேன். ஏறக்குறைய, வெறும் 15 நிமிடங்கள்தாம் பேருந்துப்பயணம் என்றாலும் அந்தப்பயணம் அளித்த அனுபவங்கள் அலாதியானது. அந்தப்பேருந்து கிட்டத்தட்ட எங்கள் பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்காகவே இயக்கபட்டதென எண்ணவே தோன்றும். அப்பேருந்தின் காலை 7.15 இயக்கத்தின் போது பயணம் செய்யும் கிட்டத்தட்ட 65 பேர்களில் சுமார் 40 பேர் எம் பள்ளி மாணாக்கராகவே இருப்பர். எங்களுக்கு பயணச்சீட்டு கட்டணத்தில் சலுகை அளிக்கப்பட்டதாகக்கூட நினைவு.

RKM பேருந்து அழகான நேர்த்தியுடன் அலங்கரிக்கப்பெற்றிருந்ததாய் நினைவிருக்கிறது. பின்புறம் கண்ணாடியில் ஐஸ்வர்யா ராய் அழகாக சிரித்துக்கொண்டிருப்பார். பேருந்தில் பொருத்தப்பெற்றிருந்த ஒலிப்பெருக்கிகள் கூட நல்ல தரமானவையாகவே எனக்கு அப்போது தோன்றின. இன்றும் கூட, அந்நாட்களின் காலைப்பயணத்தின் போது நான் ரசித்துக்கேட்ட ஒன்றிரண்டு திரைப்பாடல்கள் எனக்கு நன்றாக நினைவிருக்கின்றன. "வானத்து நிலவெடுத்து வாசலில் வைக்கட்டுமா ?", "காதல் என்பதா காமம் என்பதா ?", "உயிரின் உயிரே" முதலிய பாடல்களின் வரிகளை படியில் நின்றுகொண்டே முனுமுனுத்தது பசுமரத்தாணி. RKMன் நடத்துனர்கள் கூட மிகவும் இயல்பாகவே பழகியதாக நினைவு ... பெரும்பாலும் எங்கள் வயதையொத்த இளைஞர்கள் தாம் .. பேருந்து முழுக்க பள்ளிப்பாவையர் - பேருவகையுடனே பயணச்சீட்டைக் கிழித்தனர்.

சங்ககிரி போன்ற சிறுநகரத்தில் அமையப்பெற்ற பள்ளிகளில் சமுதாய ஆண்-பெண் ஒழுக்கக்கூறுகள் எவ்வாறெல்லாம் நிறுவப்பெற்றிருக்கும் என்பதற்கு பெரிய அளவில் விளக்கம் தேவையில்லை என்று கருதுகிறேன். (இன்றைய தேதியிலும், சென்னை மற்றும் தமிழகமெங்கும் உள்ள பொறியியல் கல்லூரிகளில் நடைமுறைப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள விதிகளைக் கவனித்தாலே புரியும், நமது ஒழுக்கக் கோட்பாடுகள்). கலாசார காவலர்கலாகவே வலம் வருவார்கள் ஆசிரியர்கள். பள்ளியின் பெயர் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுவிடக்கூடாது என்பது அவர்களது குறியாக இருந்தது. இயல்பாக அமையப்பெற வேண்டிய ஆண்-பெண் நட்புச்சூழல் சமூகம், பள்ளி, கல்லூரி எங்குமே கிடைப்பதில்லை என்பது தனிப்புலம்பல் ... அதை விடுவோம்.

கட்டுப்பெட்டித்தனமே நிறைந்து வழிந்தோடும் சமூகத்திடமிருந்தும், பள்ளியிடமிருந்தும் ஒரு தற்காலிக விடுதலையாகவே அந்த RKM பயணம் எனக்குத்தென்படுகிறது. அந்த வயதினில் இவற்றை நான் உணர்ந்ததில்லை ... ஆனால், இன்று அப்படித்தான் எண்ணத்தோன்றுகிறது. உண்மையாகவே, RKM பயணங்கள் பதின்பருவத்தினரான எங்களின் உற்சாகம், வேகம், உணர்வுகள் முழுவதையும் பிரதிபலிக்கக்கிடைத்த ஊற்றுக்கன்னாகவே கருதுகிறேன். அன்றைய எண்ணங்களும், சிந்தனை ஓட்டமும் வித்தியாசமானவை ... என்றாலும், இன்றளவில் எண்ணிப்பார்த்தால் பதின்பருவத்து உணர்வுகளான Peer pressure, Infatuation, shyness, coyish glances முதலிய அனைத்தையும் சிக்கலின்றி நாங்கள் வெளியிட்ட இடம் RKM பேருந்து தானோ என்றெண்ணுகிறேன். மொத்தத்தில் நாங்கள் நாங்களாக இருக்கும் வெகு சில இடங்களில் அந்த RKM பயணத்திற்கு மிக முக்கியப்பங்கு இருந்ததென்னவோ உண்மை.

வாழ்த்து அட்டைகளோ, காதல் மடல்களோ பரிமாறிக்கொள்ளும் அளவுக்கெல்லாம் எவனுக்கும் தைரியம் இருந்ததாக நினைவில்லை ... எல்லாம் பார்வைகளின் ஊடாகவே நடந்தேறின. எனக்கு நினைவு தெரிந்து நான்கைந்து காதல் ஜோடிகளுடன் நான் பிரயாணம் செய்திருப்பேன். ஒன்றிரண்டு சீனியர்-ஜூனியர் ஜோடிகள் கூட உண்டு. உணர்வுகளை வெளிப்படுத்த பார்வைகள் மட்டுமே கைவசம் உள்ள நிலையில், அந்த தவிப்பு மிகுந்த சிருங்காரப்பார்வைகள் ...கண்கூடாய்ப்பார்த்தது நினைவிருக்கிறது எனக்கு. பலசமயங்களில், பேருந்தின் முன்பகுதிகளில் அமர்ந்திருக்கும் பெண் இவனை கவனிக்கக்கூடமாட்டாள் ... அவள் நோக்கும் ஒரு நொடிக்காக காத்துக்கிடப்பான் இவன். இதில் சமவயதுக்காரர்களின் கிண்டல், கேலிகளையும் சமாளித்தாக வேண்டும். இப்படியாக எங்களோடு எங்களின் எத்தனையோ தவிப்புகளையும், உணர்வுகளையும் சுமந்து தாம் RKM பயணம் செய்திருக்கும்.

அவசரம் அவசரமாக அசைன்மென்ட் காப்பி அடிப்பது, தேர்வு சமயங்களில் வினாக்களை விவாதிப்பது, புத்தகத்தை வைத்து படிப்பது, படியில் நின்று சீன் போடுவது என அனைத்தும் RKMஇல் ஐக்கியம். சினிமா, கிரிக்கெட் முதலிய பொதுப்படையான விமர்சனக்கருத்தாக்கங்களும் நடைபெற்றுக்கொண்டிருக்கும். சில சமயம், முந்தைய நாள் கிரிக்கெட் ஆட்டம் அக்குவேராய் பிரித்து மேயப்பட்டுக்கொண்டிருக்கும். 10 மற்றும் 12 ஆம் வகுப்பு பொதுத்தேர்வுகளுக்குக்கூட RKM இல் தான் நான் பயணம் செய்தேன். RKM எனது பள்ளி வாழ்கையின் ஒரு முக்கியமான பாத்திரம் என்றே கருதுகிறேன்.

கல்லூரிப்படிப்பு - விடுதி வாழ்க்கை ... பேருந்துக்கும் எனக்குமான தொடர்பு அறுந்தே போனது. பின்னர், பெங்களூர் வாசம் ... இங்கு தங்குதடையின்றி வாகனங்கள் செல்ல வழியே இல்லை. பேருந்து பயணங்கள் களிப்பும், சுவாரசியமும் தருவதற்க்கான மிக முக்கியமான காரணம் - காட்சி இன்பம் தான் ... சாலையில் வேகமாய்ப் பயணிக்கும் போது தான் அது காணக்கிடைக்கும். பேருந்து சிக்னலில் நின்றே கிடக்கும் காலம் தனில் அது வெறுப்புக்குரிய அனுபவமாக ஆகிறது. நம்ம ஊர் அரசுபேருந்தில் கிடைக்கின்ற இன்பம், இங்கே எனக்கு வோல்வோ பேருந்தில் கிட்டியதில்லை என்பேன்.

Tamil Padam and Goa - Reviews

Spoiler-free ...

Tamil Padam (2010)

I am not going to evaluate this movie analysing it's Camera composition, Sound Recording, Editing excellence and the likes. Keep aside the sacred rules of Cinema and hop onto it ... But, I think it is reasonable on my part to expect an engaging screenplay, even though it brands itself a Mockumentary feature. The Only reasonable benchmark against which the movie can be accessed should be, Vijay TV's weekly feature "Lollu Sabha". But, honestly speaking, the movie fared much below-par, the standards of a spoofy mockumentary and presents a much boring endeavor altogether.

If you look at the rolls of Tamil Cinema, if this movie is the curtain-riser of this so-called genre "Mockumentary", the answer would be "Yes". A few of the Satyaraj flicks (like Englishkaaran and Mahanadigan), Venkat Prabhu's cocktails and the most recent "Quickgun Murugan" etc have a pinch of this genre, but not as wholesome as Tamil Padam. The movie's stills and trailor only heightened up our expectations and we were all set for an absolute rib tickler. Being aware of the fact that the movie is going to pick up pieces from various tamil films, the only expectation from my side was, "How will the screenplay be adjusted to fit in all those pieces of a jigsaw puzzle ?". Ahh !! And, the result, I should say, was miserable.

The characters - I understand that the movie is a parody and that the characters are caricatures, but you need not be caricaturously caricaturesque. I don't ask for touchy characters but for logical & hilarious ones. The cast of Manobala, M.S.Bhaskar, Vennira Aadai and Paravai Muniyamma - the oldie-foursome with all their college-dude characterisations and machi-conversations just torture you to the highest possible extent. I was frequently glancing at my watch for the movie to get over and the second half was an extreme prick and I should say, a lot (if not all) of Lollu Sabha episodes were better than this movie. The problem, I think, was with the length. The movie runs for close-to 2:15 hours and you only rush out of the theatres as it has got over.

Complaints apart, the film has it's hilarious moments, Thalapathy-Mammooty and the Mani ratnam style one word conversations, "Ippaadalai Paadikondiruppavar ungal Siva", Mouna Raagam-Karthik, Lady Don Sornam and her rape attempts, becoming a millionaire in half a song, A English song - etc were good. Mirchi Shiva just fits in the role and he is becoming more of a type-cast, these days ... His performance was good anyways. The film parodies various tamil masala regulars like Introduction song, punch dialogues, village panchayats etc but definitely loses out in keeping you engaged, the whole slot. The heroine was a regular face and a more regular role - Nothing great.

The film tries to score on the shock value, by parodying tamil cinema to an all new, non-existent low stature. But, even then, it doesn't seem to work all fine. The film looked more like an unfinished product, with hanging scene sequences and absolutely out-of-nowhere plot incidents. I still feel that the movie would have kicked-off with the script in its infancy and the product, instead of being a polished outcome, was crude and looked like patches pasted together.

I am supremely confident that, with however lighter vein, you are in, you wouldn't be able to avoid those distressed disturbances & uneasiness, at some point or the other, with the movie. Considering the fact that you have the entire 80 year old tamil cinema history at your disposal, the film could have been more interesting. A bit of more homework on the director's part would have resulted in a better-fit pieces on this jigsaw board.

Miserable and Missable.

Goa - A Venkat Prabhu Holiday (2010)

A Few random thoughts & opinions ...

Goa is a typical Venkat Prabhu venture, with mostly his regulars in the cast department. The movie started with a Ramarajan style village setting song & banyan-tree panchayat and me, still with the Tamil Padam hangover of the last night was aghast. Thank God, Venkat Prabhu knew when and where to stop.

 Three constrained & conservative village lads (Jai, Vaibhav and Premji) travel to Goa and adventure the glitz and glamour of the beach-paradise. That was all the movie is about and the movie was never bad, honestly ... Whenever the screenplay hung-on, Venkat just maneuvered the script ahead and "All was well".

Lights on a few aspects of the film ...

Male Homosexuality - I couldn't recall the last time, when the gayism or the male homosexuality is dealt in all these details in a tamil movie. Share of the beds, hugs, six-packs gazing, open dialogues addressing the relationship - Am I in India ? ... I still couldn't believe, how they were let-off at the censors. There was absolutely no hideous or subtle dealing and it was all black and white. It was meant to be a comic track but still, I couldn't understand the Indian censors.

Subramaniapuram Hangover - It's high-time Venkat and his boys escape this "Kangal Irandaal" hangover. Premji Amaran has already patented this turning his head backward and gently swaying his head (Hope you understand what was meant) action and has used it more than Jai (in Subramaniapuram) himself. Whenever a romantic scene opens up, Premji does this and James Vasanthan's BGM props up. I could see people enjoying it at the cinema hall, anyways (including me). I have this getting-ready-to-laugh syndrome, as soon as Premji appears in the frame. He just manages to put everybody in laugh-riots with his custom body language and dialogue delivery. He does action sequences also, in this movie.

Camera Cool - Sakthi Saravanan - Wow !! Gorgeous camerawork. You only get that Jill-Jill tone through out the Goa sequences. Bluish beaches and dashing bikinis - Saravanan just brings you Goa alive. Me, being a Goa resident for four years, haven't seen such a beautiful Goa with naked eyes & Saravanan's camera-eyes does that in all efficiency... The film brings out an utterly glamorous depiction of Goa and his camera just aids the point.

As the second half opens up, there was a slight slow-down, in a not-so-racy script. But, before the effect becomes much more pronounced, the film moves ahead. Definitely, those timing comedy pieces, trademark of this gang, was missing in this venture. Probably, Venkat runs out of stuff on this particular aspect. Premji Amaran, without a girlfriend in both Chennai-28 and Saroja (and was desperate to get one), is presented with an absolutely gorgeous Melanie Marie in this movie. Pia Bajpai (the close-up ad fame) and Sneha just spice up their roles. The build-up towards the climax is not so interesting and surprisingly, you get Nayantara and Simbhu (No .. No... Not together !!!) in guest appearances at the climax.

Overall, the film looked enjoyable all the way. On a final note, the Venkatprabhu style movie is losing that punch, mainly because he is running out of fuel on this genre & style. If at all there's a next movie from him employing the same screenplay sense and script-flow, that might turn out unattractive to the audience. Buck up Venkat !!! Time to amend ...

Definitely watchable.

M.G.Ramachandran's Film & Political career - A Critical assessment

M.G.Ramachandran's 22nd Death Anniversary Special

24th of December ... Exactly 22 years earlier, Tamilnadu was a ground of uncontrollable grief and social & political unrest of huge magnitude. The entire state came to a standstill as people were aghast with shock on the death of their beloved Chief Minister, M.G.Ramachandran (MGR). The response was genuine and highly emotional to the extent of a large number of reported self-immolations.

Dinamani dated 25th December, 1987 - Carrying the news of MGR's death.

The following article is a recap of, what MGR was to tamil filmgoing audience and tamil people, in general. Most of the facts presented were borrowed from various media and the output is a result of my understanding of the various inputs I received. The article will try to assess the cinema and political career of MGR and I generally will try to avoid the flowery descriptions that he always gets from any media, print or visual.

MGR starred in his first major film role "Raajakumari (1947)" and for a larger part of his film career spanning 30 years till "Madhurayai Meetta Sundarapaandiyan (1977)", he was the reigning superstar of the tamil filmdom. MGR's popularity as an actor was well pronounced and more readily seen after his own production & directorial venture "Naadodi Mannan (1958)" broke and set new box-office records.

If you leave aside his most obvious box-office capabilities and success, what were his contributions to Cinema, as such ?.

Actor Vs Director
Early 50s were a crucial period for tamil cinema as this period saw the emergence of a large number of films with social themes (transition from Mythology based movies). If not for the star system (MGR & Sivaji Ganesan) that developed during this period, the control of the cinema would have rested with the directors instead of the lead actors. MGR paid ample attention in moulding his on-screen persona and encouraged hero worship. In MGR's case, it is said that, he would interfere in each and every department of his film and that lead to the sidelining of the actual creator of the movie - the director, forever.

The Hero
MGR rewrote almost all the prevalent notions that defined a film's lead actor. In tamil popular culture where moustache is seen as a macho-symbol, MGR never acted with his original moustache. Also, when he made his way into the cinema, the lead actor should be in a position to lend his voice for the songs also. Playback singers weren't popular that time. MGR acted out what a film-hero should and shouldn't do on-screen. He was a definite milestone in tamil cinema's history and even today, actors like Rajinikanth, Vijayakanth and Vijay just follow him. The image of Robin Hood that he left behind was picked up by later generations of actors.

 Enga Veettu Pillai 

Masala Cinema
There is a very common term that we use these days, Masala film. What is a masala film ?. The film won't have a great plot ... The story never stands on its own but on entertaining scene sequences, good songs and stunts. I think MGR institutionalised and popularised this concept ... Sword/Silambam fights, romantic songs with attractively dressed ladyleads were almost universal in his later movies. "Enga Veettu Pillai", "Ulagam Sutrum Vaalibhan" etc offer grand examples of how a masala movie should be made.

Philosophical Songs
One good thing that formed a part of each and every MGR movie is his introductory / thathuvam / philosophical song. They really educated and inspired a generation of audience. Again, the credit for the song was never given to the lyric writer or the singer but to MGR. Even after the defect in his voice (M.R.Radha shot MGR at his throat, 1967), people discussed, "Vaathiyaar paatellam nalla dhan paaduraaru, dialogue pesum podhu dhan prachnai pola", which means, "MGR is able to sing the songs properly but only while delivering dialogues, he has the problem with his voice".

MGR and Latha

MGR never looked at cinema as an art. For him, it was sheer business. For producers, he was the most reliable brand available, MGR would stand for Maximum Guarantee of Returns for them. People never complained or expected real performances from him. They just wanted to watch him on-screen and whistle at his gimmicks for three hours. Interestingly, the MGR fanatics were referred to as "Whistleadichaankunjugal" (விசில்அடிச்சான்குஞ்சுகள்). MGR's films, in a way desensitivised the film-going audiences in Tamilnadu and made them very mediocre. On the other side, if you speak of monotonous performances, even Chaplin did the same. Entertainment is what people looked at and they got it in him. That's how it went !!!

Let's have a look at MGR's Political career.

MGR & AIADMK
It was a complete underestimation of MGR's potentials on Kalaignar's part that brought MGR into the political arena of Tamilnadu. Once he was in, he never turned back and was outrageously successful. MGR was never a serious politician in his beginning years or till the death of C.N.Annadurai in 1969. Annadurai called MGR his "Idhayakkani" and he was generally used by the DMK to mobilise people for political rallies and meetings. Annadurai has once openly commented on the vote-garnering capability of MGR. Out of DMK in 1972, MGR starts his own political party AIADMK and won the state assembly in 1977. What are his political achievements ?. Lets have a look ...

Anna and his "Idhayakkani" MGR

Tamilnadu on a back-foot
MGR's rule during 1977 to 1987 resulted in an apparently visible setback in terms of Industry & Commerce infrastructure and performance of Tamilnadu. The Economic indicators of the state were on a rampant back-foot during his governance. The development activities only slumped during his regime and this should be seen in light of the fact that MGR's party enjoyed a real continuous reign of the state, close to 11 years except for a brief period in 1980. Single party, Single administrator and hence uniform policies & governance should have only elevated the growth of the state, which sadly didn't happen during his period.

 MGR - Jewel of the masses

Populism
MGR was straight from the studio sets of "Madurayai Meetta Sundarapandiyan" to the Chief Minister office and hence his administrative capabilities were below par, atleast during his first term. His government always concentrated on the populous schemes like the mid-day meal scheme etc (Which would keep his votebanks intact) rather than Infrastructure oriented schemes which should have put the state in a good shape in future.

Faction Politics
MGR is credited with setting up a faction-ridden AIADMK and factionist politics saw its peak during his regime. A large degree of misuse of powers and government funds was reported and this only deepened the economic disparities in the state. If it was DMK under M.Karunanidhi which introduced corruption into the state, ADMK under MGR institutionalised and mastered the course. His fans and devotees used to dismiss these facts with a simple explanation, "It is the people around MGR who do all these and that he isn't aware of things around him". Even if that is the case, Can it be called a good governance ?

Glamour Politics
MGR was very much aware of the saleability of his brand and was very consciously preserving his image. He was heavily made-up in all his public appearances. His fur cap and black glasses were only hiding his balding head and sunken eyes - signs of ageing. He never let people knew that he was ageing, for them he was still the same young man romancing with youthful ladies in cinema reels. MGR's brand of politics, the so-called "glamour politics" only set a bad example in the state that almost every actor in this state nurtures political ambitions just after delivering a box-office hit. I completely admit that the filmstars are also part of this democratic system and hence own every right to contest elections and lead people. But "Right" doesn't provide an automatic implication of administrative efficiency, which many of them lack at the outset.

The MGR Phenomemon
His politics never projected AIADMK as a party, it's policies or its plans / manifesto for the state and MGR remained the sole cynosure for AIADMK and its political propagandas. Whenever questioned about the policies, agenda and manifesto of the AIADMK party, MGR never came up with a concrete or complete explanation. He used to blabber Annaism, democracy, socialism, "Naadodi Mannan" etc. Apparently, In AIADMK's political entry and succeeding electoral duels with DMK, the wholesome attention is paid to the MGR Phenomenon only. Interestingly, the then Tamilnadu Food Minister Tirunavukkarasu once said, "We all are zeros.We gain our value because of the number one before us.The number one is MGR". In all the 200+constituencies, people always believed that they were casting their vote for MGR as they punched their ballots on the two-leaves symbol.

Leaderless AIADMK
By the fag end of his political career, MGR was largely sick and was unable to deliver his duties effectively. The party was in dangers of disintegration and there was an apparent unrest among the partymen. As long as he was alive, he successfully kept the party intact but left behind a chaotic and leaderless AIADMK. Lots of turmoil followed before things fell into place under Jayalalitha. This is a more serious blunder on the part of the leader of a party. Literally, the second rung was absent in AIADMK during his premiership of the party and AIADMK still remains so under Jayalalitha. For all these partypeople who call themselves patrons of C.N.Annadurai, Anna was a magnanimous leader who encouraged a second rung leadership in DMK and fondly called them "Thambigal", meaning younger brothers.

That's a lot of criticism. So, What has his government given Tamilnadu. My father gave me the following information and when I asked him, "Is that all ?", he said, "That's it". He was of a firm opinion that, even if MGR would have lived more, his party would have been defeated in the next polls because of apparent administrative negligence on his part and corely corrupt-head politicians of his party.

- Housing scheme for Harijans or the untouchables.
- Good Transport network or town bus facilities to small towns.
- Immensely popular Chief Minister's mid-day nutritious meal scheme.

Mid-day meals scheme
His Mid-day meals scheme has been analysed and applauded worldwide. In 1982, MGR started the noon-meal scheme for children below five years which was then expanded to include pre-schoolers, all primary school children, children up to 15 years of age in rural areas, old age pensioners, the destitute, widows and all pregnant women. The noon meal scheme has had a long run in Tamilnadu with a wider coverage and as a result various indicators of malnutrition showed a downward trend in Tamilnadu during the period.

Summary
Summing up, The relationship that MGR and DMK had before the formation of AIADMK was a symbiotic one. MGR required the party's light on him for a successful cinema career and also, It was the DMK's propaganda cinema and DMK's script writers who provided a kick-start for MGR's film career. DMK also took his services for adding glamour to the party and nobody can deny the importance of the sympathy wave (MGR was shot at the throat, 1967) that put DMK on the political saddle. Later MGR-MK fallout and the formation of AIADMK produced a wholesome shift in the state's politics. MGR's administrative capabilities and his political successes only seem to be an oxymoron, for me.

Nostalghia - Retro Images

Just for the sake of a revision of our entertainment evolution ...
Probably a pointless post to flaunt my Image collection and Memory ..

Pictures with tweety notes ... Recall and have fun ...

"I am a Complan boy ... I am a Complan girl" - Classic Complan ad. Hats off for anybody who will identify these two little stars who later became Bollywood actors. [Answer at the end]

Madhubala on Stamps.

Madhubala personified an Innocent beauty and won millions of hearts with her smiles.

Mandakini on Filmfare cover.

Raj Kapoor's 1985 movie, Ram Teri Ganga Maili which has acquired a cult status now, got famous for this bath sequence and carved an instant celebrity status for Mandakini.

Ramayan telecast in Doordarshan (1987)

After the Sagars discovered Arun Govil's beautific smile and the power of televisual religion, Sunday mornings were never the same again. Nor was India, with Sagar's miracle-a-minute amalgam of 14 different versions of Valmiki's epic, keeping pace with an aggressive and unapologetic Hindutva that swept the nation. [Excerpt from India Today]

 Sharmila Tagore on a Lux Print Ad.

Yes, I am Sharmila fetish ..  like millions of Indians. From Ray's Apur Sansar to the jury at the Cannes ... Her's is an Illustrious ride.

 Milind Soman in Captain Vyom.

My schoolpals liked Shaktimaan and I liked Captain Vyom. I Used to travel to my friend's home to admire his Sci-Fi gimmicks every sunday .. I guess the time slot is 10:30 AM.

 Malgudi Days

Timeless, Classic ... RKNarayan, Period.

Mukesh Khanna in Shaktimaan .

Parle-G's Business strategy was one of the best this country has ever seen. Shaktimaan stickers with the Rs.3/- Parle-G packs was a business blockbuster, then.

Children reportedly jumped off from the terrace expecting a saviour in Shaktimaan.

Madhuri Dixit on Illustrated Weekly cover. 

Madhuri was the Indian face of beauty before Aishwarya Rai took the honour. Madhuri was so famous in Pakistan that there was once a poster in Lahore stadium declaring, “Madhuri de do, Kashmir le lo (Give us Madhuri, take Kashmir)”.

 

Durga of Pather Panchaali.

Ray's Apu Trilogy completes 50 years in November, 2009. Durga was my favourite character in "Pather Panchaali" outscoring the title boy Apu.

Complan Kids: Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia.

So, How was it ?

Antichrist (2009) - Incomprehensible !!!

This is not at all a review !!!
No one can review this Lars von Trier film, as the film would, I am sure, convey different things to different viewers in succeeding viewings.

 Some random thoughts ...

- Intensely horrific - the film stars only two characters (yes .. Absolute two), the fear or horror evoked is based only on the fear of being lonely or solitary. As far as I am concerned, it was genuinely horrific and definitely not a B-Grade exploitation. The viewer would naturally transcend himself/herself into the shoes of the protagonist and hence will feel engulfed with the fear of being lonely, under the circumstances portrayed.

- Very less dialogues - The film almost conveys everything via images and brilliant cinematography. Cinematography & the powerful imagery is the acute strength of the film and it almost single handedly carries the film forward. It was a real treat to get lost into those vivid images and I am sure the film's camera work would require a thesis-long analysis to comprehend the techniques and mastery exhibited.

- The film will evoke a lot of confusion and chaos in the minds of a viewer, atleast in the first viewing. Many shots and still images - I am sorry, I haven't comprehended them yet. Probably, a copy with the director's commentary audio track would help.

- Like Tarantino flicks, The film's narration carries a chapter structure. But the focus is linear and no flashbacks,  no other characters - Lucky that way... Or else, it would have mounted even more incomprehensibility in the viewer.

- The film has in it, a lot of grossly violent sequences and really disturbing images. They just add up the confusion and more importantly, since the grossness is concerned with male and female genitalia also, I don't know .. If the film is suitable for all categories of audience (among adults only).

- Without spoilers here, the film, I guess, should be about  the evil-ness that rests 'within' one's self, here in this case, within a female. By looking at the controversial critics the film has managed to receive, I guess again, the film is trying to question a few Biblical stuff. Due to non-acquaintance with Christianity or the Bible, I have no comments on that front, actually.

- Google out the meanings of the terms "Misogyny" and "Gynocide" before starting with the movie, if you aren't already aware of them. The film, quite heavily discusses them.

- It's quite unable to classify the film's genre ... IMDB calls it Drama & Horror. The film has a lot of surrealistic elements, helped accordingly by the camera. 

- The film premiered at the Cannes 2009 and was nominated for the Palme d'Or and the film's ladylead Charlotte Gainsbourg won the Best Actress honour for her fine performance.

- The film, with some of it's gore and sexually violent images, will haunt you and it's very easy to call it bad or uninteresting on those grounds. But, on an under-layer, it has quite a lot of artistic or auteuristic nuances that are all open for your imagination, interpretation and appreciation. The film, I am sure, will be hailed as a classic and would attain a cult status in future.

- Not for all, definitely and not a must-watch also .. It has something very very different to offer ... You have the inclination ?? Start with it and no disappointments, I guarantee.

And a photo essay here, solely to highlight the mastery of the film's Cinematography ... 

Black and white imagery - It has its beauty always !

 

Gross !

 

Lighting !

 Believe it or not ! - It's Graphical ...

Surreal Love 

 One of the confusing still shots in the movie

Iruvar (1997) - Six Events that shouldn't have been skipped

Mani Ratnam's Iruvar (1997) remains the only movie in Tamil Cinema that offers a panoramic glimpse into the glorious Dravidian Movement of Tamilnadu.The biopic presents a chronological view into the lives of two of the greatest personalities of Tamil cinema and Tamilnadu's politics, Mu.Karunanidhi and M.G.Ramachandran.

You can only laugh at this disclaimer...

There has been a general consideration that movies are the mirrors of the social, economical and political conditions of a country during a period, but this has never been true in India, I feel. Even during periods of political turmoil like wars, Emergency, Anti-Hindi agitations etc, Our cinema has never chose to speak about them.

Hence, Iruvar being the only torch-bearer that tries to pass the history or legacy of this political and social churning to the next generation of young viewers, We (or rather, I) expect it to be factually exact. Iruvar is a cinematic wonder, no doubt .. The movie's period touch, excellent art direction, lyrical dialogues, brilliant acting, wonderful direction - No flaws, absolutely. It is one movie, I would always like to boast and discuss about when it comes to cinematic quality. But, Factual flaws - ?. There's a huge list of them ... The movie, of course takes care of tiny aspects like Veluthambi's Dhoti wearing style (Annadurai used to tie his dhoti improperly), Anandan's dance movements in songs (A very good replication of MGR's movements), Senthaamarai's bindi etc. But, there is a huge list of misrepresentation of political events and I chose to list only a few of them. I understand that this is a feature film and not a documentary and hence the director owns every right to manipulate around with the screenplay but still ... !!!. I wish he creates a documentary on this by making use of the already-done-extensive-research on the topic.

Please click on the images for a magnified view.

1) The Split in the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and the Birth of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) (1949)

There were many instances in the movie where Veluthambi (Read C.N.Annadurai) is addressed  as "Ayya" but E.V.Ramasamy (called Periyaar) has always been the "Ayya" and C.N.Annadurai was fondly called as "Anna" (meaning Elder brother) by his followers and the public. This way Mani Ratnam probably wants to convey that Veluthambi is both the "Ayya" and "Anna" and thus he creates some comfort for him, for the non-inclusion of Periyaar's character in the DMK's saga. Thus, the movie quite misleadingly refers to the birth of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) without any reference to Periyaar and the parent party - Dravidar Kazhagam (DK).

2) Anti-Hindi Agitations (1965)

The most important political and social event in the post-independent Tamilnadu's history should be the Anti-Hindi Agitations of 1965. And, it was a grave injustice that there is absolutely no reference to this radical movement that shook the country during the 60s. The Secessionist politics of the DMK and the original demand for a separate "Draavida Naadu" were also carefully overlooked or ignored.

The only related event that featured in the movie is Karunanidhi's "Kallakkudi Struggle" which in original was organised for the renaming of Dalmiyapuram Railway station as Kallakkudi. But, the movie presented a revolutionary Tamilselvam (Prakash Raj) conducting the demonstrations for the sake of Reservations. And, the punch of the protest was further mitigated by the romantic encounter between Tamilselvam and Senthaamarai (Tabu), in the midst of the turbulent agitations.

3) C.N.Annadurai - The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu (1967)

C.N.Annadurai taking Oath of office after DMK's stupendous success in the 1967 Assembly Elections.

DMK rode the wave with an overwhelming electoral victory in the 1967 Assembly elections capitalising the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1965 and MGR's near-death encounter as he was shot in the throat by M.R.Radha. And, C.N.Annadurai - the then General secretary of the DMK became the first non-congress Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. In the movie, Veluthambi (Nasser) expresses disinterest on heading the state and Tamilselvam becomes the CM with Anandan's (Mohanlal) support. This way, the events that actually took place after Annadurai's death in 1969 - Mu.Karunanidhi becoming the CM with the support of MGR, were pushed ahead by approximately two years.

4) The Birth of Anna-DMK (1972) & The Dindigul by-election (1973)

The cinema entry of Mu.Ka.Muthu (Karunanidhi's son) as a competitor to an ageing MGR, created well-pronounced rifts in an already diminishing MGR-Karunanidhi relationship. Though the magnitude looks small, Mu.Ka.Muthu's "Pillayo Pillai" is still considered an immediate impetus that gave birth to the MGR's Anna-DMK. Thus, Maniammai (Periyaar's mistress) and Mu.Ka.Muthu hold a very important place in the state's political history - the former leading to the birth of DMK from DK and the latter leading to the birth of ADMK from DMK. Both find no mentions in Iruvar.

The Dindigul by-election (1973) - MGR floated his political party ADMK in 1972 and was on a eager wait to prove his political mettle. The first oppurtunity came to him in the form of Dindigul by-election and ADMK's candidate Maayathevar defeated both the DMK and the Congress by a comfortable margin. The victory marked a decisive shift in the politics of Tamilnadu and more importantly, heralded the arrival of MGR in the political scenario of the state. Interestingly, MGR's "Ulagam Sutrum Vaalibhan (USV)" faced a lot of troubles from the ruling DMK at the censors for its release and MGR emerged successful with both actually ... May 12,1973 - Release of USV and May 20, 1973 - Dindigul elections.

These events were absolutely absent in Iruvar, though there has been a small mention about this before "Kannai katti kolladhe" song but Tamilselvam lets the movie through with a criticism of his rule of the state.

5) MGR at Brooklyn and AIADMK's Third Electoral Victory

Operation Bluestar, Indira's Assasination, Anti-Sikh riots (Yeah, in that order), Bhopal gas tragedy - 1984 was arguably the worst year in India's history after independence.

Dialysis, Apollo, Brooklyn - the most discussed words in Tamilnadu in 1984. The entire state was in a prayer mode conducting group-prayer sessions for the good health of their beloved Chief Minister, MGR. MGR was sick and was admitted in the Brooklyn hospital, United States and Jayalalitha Jayaram, R.M.Veerappan and Panruti Ramachandran were on the election campaigns. Apparently, people only required some proof that MGR was still alive and AIADMK used MGR's videos and photographs extensively during the campaign and the party comfortably packed another punch with a decisive third consecutive victory in the assembly elections. MGR came back in 1985 and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state, the third time.

Again - No reference.

6) Jayalalitha Jeyaram - MGR's Political Heir

There was a lot of drama in the AIADMK after the death of MGR in 1987, regarding the party premiership - MGR's widow Janaki Ramachandran on one side and his favourite lead lady in the cinemas, Jayalalitha on the other side. But Jayalalitha, with her charismatic personality and iron will was able to win the support of the party and has held the party intact since then. Jayalalitha is by far the most controversial political figure of the state and Iruvar chooses to erase this off the history books - Aarghh !!

Hope you enjoyed the history ride !!!