On Vijayashanthi and Bhavani

The cult of Vijayashanthi is one of the lasting movie-going memories that I carry from my childhood. I have vague remembrances of watching several Vijayashanthi flicks with my mom and Vyjayanthi IPS [1990] is one of them. It was dubbed from the telugu movie Kartavyam [1990], for which she had won the National Award and this was supposedly the earliest movie in which the "Action heroine" tag was associated with her. 

Vijayashanthi's on-screen persona (which she successfully extrapolated towards her political career later) should have been constructed with a detailed strategy, taking into account, the existent social norms and gender dynamics in the late 1980s. In an outright patriarchal society where all authority is vested in men, a powerful woman on-screen (who can thrash men aside) naturally enthralls the female audience. Further, in the Police officer roles she enacted in Vyjayanthi IPS et al, her characters were packed with double the power-quotient, in a sense. At one level, it puts her across as a brave and physically sound woman who is not intimidated (or controlled) by the males. Secondly, the "power" that is inherently associated with the police - with which she audaciously "controls" the proceedings. 

Additionally, in the film promotions, Vijayashanthi was referred to as the "Lady Super Star", which again has some hidden sense. In the tamil cultural context, Super Star refers to Rajinikanth who can be seen as the macho symbol and on those lines, she is thus glorified as the lady with masculine traits. The Rajini-Vijayashanthi starrer Mannan [1992], exploited this association quite successfully.

Was watching (fast-forwarding) the Sneha starrer Bhavani [2011], which fails miserably because of one simple reason - it's not contemporary. A remake of Vyjayanthi IPS after 20 years won't work.

The film had an interesting catch though - instead of suggesting the "power" of the female protagonist symbolically or with her police attire, the film explicitly apotheoses Bhavani, thus combining two different genres of tamil cinema - the "Amman" cinema and the "female cop" cinema.

Image1: Bhavani's image is juxtaposed with that of big-mustached Karuppa Saamy (male deity).

Image2: Bhavani calls herself the Parasurama (One of Vishnu's avatars - male deity) with the axe.

Image3: Bhavani as the female goddess.

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.

20 Iconic On-screen Couples of Tamil Cinema

Disclaimers:
The list is not arrived at after a comprehensive survey of the entire film history and is only a reflection of the author’s tiny acquaintance with the cinema of the region and hence the list is undoubtedly personal.

It’s real sad that none of Gemini Ganesan’s (hailed the “Kadhal Mannan” aka “The king of romance”) movies could make it to my list, the only reason being ... I haven’t watched any of his films except “Then Nilavu” and that too as a kid. And, some of the iconic couples who won’t be seen in the following post for the same reason are, MGR – Saroja Devi, Sivaji – Padmini, Gemini – Vyjayanthimala, Gemini – Savitri etc.

And, No prize for counting the number of times, the word “Chemistry” is used in the post.

So, What’s this Iconic couple stuff, anyhow ? - Ever since cinema dawned as the principal entertainment medium for people, “Love” seems to be the one common aspect that both the film makers and the audience are obsessed with. From the days of MKThiagaraja Bhagavathar & PUChinnappa till “Vaaranam Aayiram”, romance-themed movies have always had a remarkable shelf life and entertainment value. And naturally, when a film captivates the audience, its protagonists or the lead actors stay with us. Art imitates life or life imitates art ... No, not a debate ... but there shouldn’t be any ambiguity on the fact that beautiful stories inspire lives (Be it any form of artistry – poem, novel or cinema). So, the following lengthy write-up is a result of my decision to relive and revive some of the wonderful on-screen couples who entertained us all these years.

Musicals - Our brand of cinema is very different from the other world cinema in a way that almost all our films are “Musicals”. Yeah, you can count the songless films in our film history, probably with the fingers of your hands. Songs are always seen by the west as needless hindrance to the flow of the movie – but honestly, there’s no underestimation of the importance of songs to our cinema. Our culture is distinctively different that, stage-plays and “Therukkoothu” were a part of our lives earlier and so when cinema took over at later stages, songs can’t be ruled out. There were instances when our cinema had more than 70 songs and that almost whole of the narrative is expressed via musicals. But on a purely personal note, item numbers and introduction songs are something that should be shown the red-card, I feel. So, why is this all said now ? ... Look down the following list and you will realise the importance of the melodious romantic songs and catchy duets in substantiating whatever is not said via the dialogues.

So, Into the list now ... (In no particular order ... The numbering is done only to provide an ordely view).

1) Moondraam Pirai (1982) – Kamal and Sridevi


Kamal and Sridevi – should be the favourite movie couple of any 80s film viewer. Starred in more than 20 movies together, they define everything related to this topic – attractive, elegant, alluring, charismatic and what not. “Varumayin Niram Sigappu” and “Meendum Kokila” offer good examples but there’s not a better example than “Moondraam Pirai”. Still considered a dream-role for any heroine, Sridevi’s performance was mindblowing. And then there’s the famous climax sequence which fetched Kamal a national award. The song “Kannae Kalaimaane”, the last one penned by Kannadasan, should summarise everything about the film.

2) Idhayam (1991) – Murali and Heera


They never looked into the eyes, they never sang duets, they never proposed and above all ... they barely talked to each other in the movie. Yet, the impact this on-screen romance created is still unparalleled & fresh and will continue so, across generations of viewers. While Murali’s “Unproposed love” is referred to in a lot of later movies, Heera created a style statement by placing the rose at the side of her banded hair. Ilayaraja’s BGM let romance flow throughout the film.

3) Mouna Raagam (1986) – Mohan and Revathi


Mohan represented the elements of an ideal husband with all his good-to-be behaviours and Revathi was caught between her old love & the new marriage. The portrayal of their love boiling down towards each other was awesome. Also, the Karthik – Revathi track in the flashback narrative featured an implicit & natural chemistry between them. The later is a “Haikoo” while the former is a charming "poetic nebula". Ask your mom her favourite movie and there will be a very good probability that the answer is “Mouna Raagam”.

4) Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006) – Surya and Jyothika


The movie premiered on the day of their wedding and this was the last time we saw the pair together on-screen. Thanks to a lot of movie appearances of the couple before this film that they appear to have a natural affinity and the chemistry appeared near-intrinsic. The Surya-Bhumika track in the movie will try to over-shadow this one but not so convincingly.

5) Sindhu Bhairavi (1985) – Sivakumar and Suhasini


Driven by desperation to share & discuss music, JKB (Sivakumar) finds an ideal companion in Sindhu (Suhasini). Suhasini’s performance with all her proactiveness, enthusiasm and genius of music, always looked deserving the National Award she won. This is not about love and bond – but about companionship. Though not completely platonic, the movie travels through a very thin line between professional companionship and personal intimacy.

6) Paruthi Veeran (2007) – Karthi and Priyamani


Can very well be hailed the biggest debut movie for an actor after Sivaji Ganesan’s “Parasakthi”, Paruthi Veeran launched Karthi on a real grand scale. Being truly regional, the film won numerous accolades at National (Best Actress – Priyamani) and International film festivals as well. The film can be justifiably compared to the arrival of “16 Vayathinile” in 1977 for its freshness and cult value. The film was a box-office blockbuster that the audience could feel the smell of the red soil and the intensity of a very raw romance in the A/C cinema halls. Toned camera work and beautiful serenades – the film definitely produced a perennially romantic couple in Veeran and Muthazhagu.

7) Mudhal Mariyadhai (1985) – Sivaji and Radha


Practically speaking, Sivaji Ganesan possessed every material in him to become a world class method actor. But our cinema only fed him with roles that demanded loud deliverance of lengthy monologues and groomed him into a overacting thespian. And, a few exceptions of this would include “Mudhal Mariyadhai” and “Devar Magan”. “Mudhal Mariyadhai” portrayed a platonic relationship between an aged village man and a young boat rower. Legendary Sivaji Ganesan just presented his character without any overacts and flamboyant Radha proved her acting prowess in the midst of iconic Sivaji. The songs “Vetti Veru Vaasam” and “Poongaatru thirumbuma” did ample justice in the build-up of this beautiful relationship on-screen. The movie’s songs found mentions in many later movies whenever a mature man-young girl relationship needs to be portrayed.

8) Rhythm (2000) – Arjun and Meena


This is one of my favourite movies – An unsung movie it is, it’s all about relationships. All the three romantic tracks involving Arjun & Jyothika, Ramesh Arvind & Meena and then Arjun – Meena were interesting. The movie’s song tracks had a uniqueness in the way they were written, covering all the five elements of nature – Water, Earth, Fire, Sky and Air. The protagonists were absolute strangers and the way they were drawn towards each other – poetic. The movie in its course portrayed various stages of a relationship starting from absolute outsiders through companionship, friendship and love.

9) Panneer Pushpangal (1981) – Suresh and Shanthi Krishna


Panneer Pushpangal, very boldly treated a usually overlooked but eternally present phenomenon – High school romance. The movie brilliantly delineated the hostel life at a convent, pointless puerile jealousies and the most characteristic aspect of the age – Immature mind and Infatuation. The movie didn’t actually required a chemistry between the lead actors and hence naive performances from Suresh and Shanthi never looked bad. After all, they were playing school kids in the movie. Prathap Pothan played a school teacher and his performance is quite acclaimed. “Anandha raagam” and “Kodaikkaala kaatre” were brilliant tracks from the movie.

10) Hey Ram (2000) – Kamal and Rani Mukherjee


This particular sequence involving Kamal & Rani is very short in the movie – less than 20 minutes considering the length of the movie that runs for over 200 minutes. But that couldn’t resist me from including this in my list. The scene opens with Rani’s eyes through the door-lens, the way she speaks tamil, the piano with a Kamal - Rani picture over it, the Bengali poetry and last but not the least - “Nee Paartha Paarvaikkoru Nandri”, an absolute musical gift from Ilayaraja - Everything you see and hear is romantic. And, I have seen this in many a movies - The piano - whenever it is shown, will be a metaphor for love or a romantic relationship. Catch this at Nammavar’s “Poonguyil Paadinaal” also. So, the next time you see the lights on a piano – Expect a romantic tickle there.

11) Johnny (1980) – Rajini and Sridevi


Wielding the angry young man looks and image, Rajini’s film career is mostly studded with action oriented mass entertainers. Mahendran offered a glimpse into a very different Rajinikanth – soft and lovable. Sridevi is a singer and Rajini likes her music and loves her. “En Vaanile ... Orey Vennila” – the way the song unfolds and progresses leaves you mesmerised. And Yeah, there was a piano here also – Read the “Hey Ram” description above.

12) Kadhal Kondaen (2003) – Dhanush and Sonia Agarwal


One of the rare kind of movies that explored relationship complexities. Vinodh (Dhanush), out all afresh from his church school couldn’t quite identify the affiliation he has with his classmate Divya (Sonia) at college - Is it friendship, love or lust ?. Divya looks at him as a friend but Vinod, driven by possessiveness just couldn’t let her go off him. Dhanush with those boyish looks and insane behaviour, made full use of the acting opportunity and won a lot of acclaim for the performance. And the movie brought the gorgeous Sonia to the tamil screens.

தாயாக நீ தான் தலை கோத வந்தால் உன் மடி மீது மீண்டும் ஜனனம் வேண்டும் ...

காதல் இல்லை, இது காமம் இல்லை, இந்த உறவுக்கு உலகத்தில் பெயர் இல்லை ...

The lyrics of "Nenjodu Kalandhiru” pinpointingly presents the confusion and complexity of the relationship. The tracks were chartbusters and provided an elevated feel of the film.

13) Oru Thalai Raagam (1980) – Shankar and Roopa


T Rajendar’s first directorial venture, the film depicted “One sided love” in all its colours. Though the lead actors weren’t noticed much, the film and its songs were very famous for the way it treated the tragic face of a romantic relationship. Set in a college backdrop, the film will only present a boring endeavour to an audience of our generation, the only reason being the dismal performance of the lead actors. No emotions, No modulation in dialogue delivery – they just speak the lines aloud. Nevertheless, “Oru Thalai Raagam” is a very important film for two reasons – One, the film is still used as an image of “love failure” and two, its proven boxoffice abilities. The film’s soundtrack featured seven songs all sung by the male protagonist.

14) Vaaranam Aayiram (2008) – Surya and Sameera Reddy


Considered the most personal movie of Gautham Menon, Vaaranam Aayiram provided the much needed freshness in our cinema’s portrayal of romance. Invariably liked by everybody, the Surya – Sameera conversation in the train, Surya’s meeting at Meghna’s (Sameera) home and then the crispy US narrative – the sequence provided an eventful and memorable romantic presentation classily different from the usual dull & routine depictions. The fervour of the on-screen romance was so deep that the film could successfully connect both the ecstatic romance of the couple and the excruciating pain of love, to the audience. Credits are due to Harris Jayaraj for the magic this movie created.

15) Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal (1989) – Rahman and Sithara


For the most part of his career, K Balachander remained an iconoclast and always seemed interested in blasphemic and taboo breaking relationships. This particular relationship portrayed in “Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal” was very interesting that it will just begin without a basis, proceed seamlessly driven by a wild passion - more like a oarless boat before it will face an abrupt end at the climax. But, the flow was poetic and the relationship was lyrical. Accompanied by mellifluous Ilayaraja numbers (especially “Keladi Kanmani ... Paadagan sangathi”), the movie’s song picturisations were engaging.

16) Kushi (2000) – Vijay and Jyothika


This S J Suryah venture still remains the prototype of a lot of later movies that present “Ego in romantic relationships”. It had a very clear screenplay expressing one of the most easily-seen but complex-to-explain facets of any relationship – ego. Screenplay played the hero of the movie but Vijay-Jyothika sequences had a pleasant substance and that material undoubtedly carries the film forward. The very famous “Jyothika Iduppu” scene and Mumtaz’s presence provided an enjoyment stimulus and electrified the audience.

17) Chinna Thambi (1991) – Prabhu and Khushboo


Perennially occupying the gossip pages of every tamil magazine during the early 90s, their on-screen romances as well as off-screen antics received a lot of attention and media glare. Prabhu’s performance with his well enacted childishness & ignorance was received well and the movie was a big-break for Khushboo – and the couple undoubtedly had that enviable sizzle associated with them. The movie’s boxoffice success was phenomenal and Khushboo’s arrival to the fore paved the way for the import of a lot of fair-skinned ladies from the North (to be cast as heroines) during the later stages.

18) Alai Paayuthe (2000) – Madhavan and Shalini


Dreamy and delightful urban romance, Alai Paayuthe launched Madhavan as a sensational lover-boy to the tamil cinema and Shalini, with all her unpretentious girl next door looks and homely behaviour - the couple shared an instantaneous chemistry. Definitely not the typical Maniratnam style movie, the film had a non-linear narrative structure and Rahman’s wonderful BGM & songs were instrumental in providing a wholesome romantic experience. The conversations between the two lead actors, specifically the one at the local train ("Aana idhellam nadandhudumonnu bayama irukku") were very engaging and memorable.

19) Guna (1991) – Kamal and Roshini


Guna is the story of a man mad(e) in(with) love. It presented a celestial love story where the male protagonist treats his lover, equivalent to a goddess (Abhirami). It had an ugly-looking Kamalhaasan in love with the angelic Roshini (real sad that she is not seen on-screen after Guna). It had a very different perspective of love – It’s depicted as a supernatural feature and a lustless bliss. “Kanmani Anbodu” and “Guna caves” still speak the impact, the movie created. But, the film which opened on the Diwali day met “Thalapathi” at the boxoffice and had a very poor run across the state.

20) Kadhal Kottai (1995) – Ajith and Devayani


Love seems to be the only impetus that manoeuvers our cinema ahead from time to time. “Every kind of love has been dealt with ... I should come up with a radically new and creative depiction of love” thought Agathiyan and the result was “Kadhal Kottai” - which had the lead actors who haven’t seen each other, in a romantic relationship. The idea was novel, the movie was a grand success and Agathiyan was gifted with the “Swarna Kamal” for the best director (National Award). When there’s no scope for dialogue deliverance across the couple and duets together – how to convey and reciprocate love ? ... Letters did it and the sweetness of the song “Nalam Nalamariya Aaval” conveys a lot. When Surya (Ajith) and Kamali (Devayani) meet at the railway station (yet again !) at the climax, you exhale in relief and send out a happy sigh.


Some other entries that narrowly missed the list are, Jeans – Prashanth and Aishwarya Rai, Bombay – Arvindsamy and Manisha Koirala, Alaigal Oyvathillai – Karthik and Radha, Keladi Kanmani – SPB and Radhika, Kilinjalgal – Mohan and Purnima, Poo - Shrikanth and Parvathi, Pudhiya Paadhai - Parthiban and Seetha, Idhyathai Thirudathey - Nagarjun and Girija, May Madham - Vineeth and Sonali.

So, the cruise gets over here ... Get out of the stream. Pour in your comments on the post.

Bharathiraja & his Kadalora Kavidhaigal (1986)

Cast: Satyaraj and Rekha
Directed by: Bharathiraja

Was watching Kadalora Kavidhaigal yesterday. Instead of attempting a review on a film that has been watched by 9/10 people in Tamilnadu, I shall highlight certain good aspects of the film and Bharathiraja's direction, in general.

There's always a big trouble in speaking about the classics. And especially about the films that were released more than 30 years ago and before you were born, as you were simply unaware of the society, the people, the cinema, the politics, the entertainment value etc.


En iniya thamizh makkale ... ungal paasathukkuriya Bharathiraja pesukiren ...

The story looks very simple and has become a cliched subject, these days. But the box office success of the film suggest that it was not a very common story, then. So, As in every Bharathiraja's (henceforth referred to as BR) film, the movie opens up with a salutation to the audience from BR and in a village (Muttom in this case). The male protagonist (Satyaraj) is a rough (but soft at heart, you know that right ?) Sandiyar, beating up people and be in jail more time, than at home (You can imagine, its more like Paruthiveeran's Karthi). There has to be a village belle, uncle's daughter, for whom our hero is everything (Ranjani here). There has to be some person, who should toil and convert our rough-hearted villainous hero to a soft, romantic and lover-boyyish character. In this case, it is Rekha who plays a school teacher. Then there's story, romance, Ilayaraja's wonderful BGMs and a few nice songs, twists, romantic turns, Subham ---.


This is how a beautiful and original story has become a gush-stream of cliches for the next generation because of the lack of creativity and extensive usage of the storylines of successful movies by the later directors. However, I felt the first part (involving the character sketches and romantizations) very interesting and the second half is a bit boring, tears and the usual melodrama stuff.

Satyaraj's looks and acting are so natural and he has performed the role with an effortless ease. Rekha (debutant to Tamil cinema, in this movie) looks sweet and there are no complaints on her performance too. The support cast including Janagaraj (no comedy tracks in the movie,though) and Ranjani (another debutant in this movie) are also impressive. The highlight of the movie and the USP should be Ilayaraja's score for the songs. Songs like "Adi Aaathaadi ... Ila manasonnu" and "Kodiyile Malligappoo" are famous, till this date.

Now, a look at a few general aspects of BR's Cinema ...


I consider the arrival of Bharathiraja in the tamil cinema scene very important for two reasons.
One -- He took cinema to real locations, out from studios.
Two -- His growth in the field can't be seen separately and has to be seen as the growth of a lot of skillful technicians and wonderful actors alongside.

Substantiation follows ...

BR starts his career with 16 Vayathinile which is widely considered the first film that is shot outide the studios and follows up with a lot of scripts on village backdrops. Mann Vaasanai, Kizhakke pogum Rayil, Karuthamma, Kizhakku Cheemayile till Tajmahal - he never needed sets and grand locations for his cinema.

கரிசக்காட்டு தரிசு நிலங்களையும், கருவேலா முட்செடிகளையும் அவற்றினுக்கிடையில் வாழும் அம்மண்ணின் மனிதர்களையும் வைத்து கதை சொல்ல முற்பட்ட ஒப்பற்ற கலைஞன் அவன்

Bharathiraja's films had wonderful music and soulful songs. Ilayaraja as a music director and Vairamuthu & Gangai Amaran as lyricists made it big with BR's films making it big at the box office. No, this shouldn't be seen as an underestimation of the skills of Ilayaraja and Vairamuthu. A good artiste needs no advertisement .. But all these wonderful and creative people from southern districts of Tamilnadu burst into the scene together and created self-made success stories, together. Manivannan (as a scriptwriter), K Bhagyaraj (as actor and assistant director), Parthiban and the list would keep growing. His films never banked on the star value of a particular hero/heroine. He picked up the raw-clay and shaped them into wonderful actors. And, He had this sentiment of christening his introductions with letter "R". Radhika, Radha, Revathi, Rekha, Ranjani, Ravi (Yes, Nizhalgal Ravi), Raja all acclaimed actors were introduced to the scene by Bharathiraja.

Now, Some of the personal observations ...

BR's films redefined tamil cinema, in more general terms. His fresh portrayals of romance were very innovative and his love stories never stood away from life, They are never larger than life.

மண் மீதான காதலும், மண் சார்ந்த மனிதர்களுக்கிடையில் மலர்கின்ற காதலுமே அவரது படங்களில் பிரதானப்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன.நகரம் சார்ந்த கதைகளையே திரைப்படங்கள் பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்த காலங்களில் சென்னையின் தெற்கே உலகம் ஒன்று இருப்பதையும், அவர்தம் வாழ்வினில் வடிந்தோடிய காதல், வீரம், சோகம், விருப்பு, வெறுப்பு என உணர்வுகள் அனைத்தையும் படம் பிடித்து காட்டிய கலைஞன் அவன்.

The film directors, these days run out of ideas in portraying the song sequences and thus run away into the foreign locations to divert us to the scenic beauty of those locations. Contrastingly, BR's song sequences always looked interesting, they explored beautiful village locations and his protagonists, for the most part, never danced to the tunes and diverted us that way also. His films didn't have item numbers also (Yeah .. There might be exceptions).

His films always had a limited set of characters and each characterization would be vivid and lively. All characters, big or small would leave an expression in the minds of the viewer. Silk Smitha in Alaigal Oyvathillai, Rajinikanth in 16 Vayathinile, Vadivukkarasi in Muthal Mariyathai all had a pronounced importance in the build-up of the story. And more importantly, in a hero-oriented industry known for chucking out films that encouraged hero worship, his portrayal of women is something that deserves an applause. Like Shyam Benegal's women (Bhumika, Ankur, Sardari Begum, Nishant etc), BR's portrayals of his lead-ladies were very special and full of life. They are beautiful, they are raw, they are emotional, they are honest, they had love, they had courage ... they carried every part of the human emotional structure. Radhika in Kizhakku Cheemayile, Radha in Muthal Mariyadhai, Rajashri in Karuthamma, Jayasudha in Anthimanthaarai - All stunning characterizations. And More importantly, they are never pointless eye candies and they never stood up in our minds with their sex appeal.

One more high-point of his film direction is the usage of images, symbols and allegories, metaphors & similies in dialogues etc to suggest the idea. Chess boards, small dolls & statues, posters on the wall, flowers & thorns, goats & lambs, umbrellas & rains, all had a meaning in his cinema. And they were not so intellectually complex and were simple enough to hit the minds of an ordinary film-goer.

In the early nineties, BR's films started getting attention at a national level. Karuthamma spoke a social issue - Female infanticide and fetched him a national award. Anthimanthaarai and Kizhakku Cheemayile also won him lots of critial applause. Late nineties were literally the end of his career ... "Tajmahal" and "Kangalal kaithu sei" bombed and "Bommalaattam" looked like he is back. But there was no Bharathiraja touch in it. Nevertheless, his creativity is always original and authentic and I would call him a self-made cinema genius who took tamil cinema to the next level.

Dominant Phenomenons of Tamil Cinema

Tamil talkie has celebrated 75 years of its Existence last year and Sun TV screened a host of great classics in view of this,last year.I attempted to identify certain dominant phenomenons in our cinema during this 75 year old history.

This account by me might not be a comprehensive one keeping in view that the cinema of a period is largely driven by the socio-economic and political scenario of that period and the expectations of the audience.The following write-up is just an extrapolated interpretation of my understanding of tamil cinema and is sure to have quite a few shortcomings.

1930s to 1940s - Stage plays & Bhajans

Pre-independence era saw movies being used for the propaganda against the British imperialism [Haven't seen any of them...but hearsays and literature say so].Also,we get to see a lot of films in which Gods/dharma up against the Asuras/Adharma.In simpler terms,the films of this period are just minute extensions of the stage-plays and they were absolute dramas.Lengthy dialogues & loud deliverance of the lines and a huge number of songs are characteristics of the Pre-50s cinema.


Haridas - 3 Diwalis at Chennai Broadway

MKThyagaraja Bhagavathar,KBSundarambal and PUChinnappa are considered notable actors of the era.Tamil Cinema's first known comedian NSKrishnan and his wife TA Madhuram gave socially important messages with the comedy tracks.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's (MKT) "Haridas" successfully completed three diwalis in the Chennai Broadway Cinema hall and MKT is widely regarded as the first superstar of Tamil Cinema.

1950s - Dravidian Propaganda

50s were a period of social renaissance and the Dravidian movement grew leaps and bounds in stature and political satires are a characteristic of 50s cinema. "Parasakthi","Manohara","Naadodi Mannan" are a few important films on this regard.These films are sensational hits and elevated Kalaignar Karunanidhi,the dialogue writer to a superstar status."Parasakthi" marked the entry of Sivaji Ganesan and its courtroom sequence is still remembered for its fiery and satirical dialogues.


Gunasekaran(Sivaji Ganesan) court scene - Parasakthi

Dialogues got their due importance only after Kalaignar happened to the tamil cinema.Annadurai and Kalaignar,both gifted writers and orators took tamil cinema and politics to great heights and used Cinema as a party propaganda vehicle with astounding success.

1960s - MGR,Sivaji & Gemini

60s saw cinema out from all its traditional shackles and directors like Sridhar delivered some of the great romantic flicks.50s and 60s films had some great film stars like Sivaji Ganesan[Played a variety of roles],MGR[Saviour of the down-trodden and poor - Robin Hood] and Gemini Ganesan[Kaadhal Mannan...I need not substantiate].By the end of 50s,Sivaji Ganesan has left DMK and presented himself a congressman.There after he started portraying several historical characters in films like like Veerapaandiya Kattabomman, Karnan,Thiruvilayadal,Saraswathi Sabatham etc.


DMK's trump card in 1967 Elections

Perhaps the most important political event of the decade should be Anti-hindi agitations of 1965.Anti-congress slogans were getting stronger in Tamilnadu and DMK capitalised the issue and came to power in 1967.One more important thing that contributed to DMK's stupendous success in the 1967 assembly elections is the sympathy wave,as MGR was shot in the throat by MR Radha.

Late 60s and 70s - New wave Cinema

Late 60s and 70s saw K Balachander breaking a lot of Cultural taboos in his cinema.It is widely considered that KB brought back the days of tamil drama into the tamil cinema.But nevertheless,we had a lot of great talents making their way into the tamil cinema in his films.Nagesh,Kamalhaasan and Rajinikanth to name a few.
Early 70s marked the fag end of the career of MGR as he became the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu in 1977.As MGR left DMK in 1972 and floated his party ADMK,his films of this period 1972-1977,cemented his saviour of the poor image and also questioned the atrocities committed by the ruling party,DMK.The trend of caching in on the image of an actor in films,that we see in most of Rajini & Kamal movies these days has been set by MGR.The songs of "Naalai Namadhe" and "Idhayakkani" literally spread ADMK's political aspirations,capitalising the halo of the party chief,MGRamachandran.

70s are a period of political turmoil and chaos in India as this period coincides with the Emergency and the restlessness and hatred of the people on the then Indira Gandhi's government can very well be observed in films like "Varumayin niram Sigappu".So,"the angry young man" character represented the anguish of the people on the government.Amitabh Bachhan portrayed this image in his films with an effortless ease,thanks to his tall and rugged persona.The ill-effects of emergency are not felt much in the south,but when Amitabh's movies were remade in the south,Rajinikanth with his rough looks and dark skin portayed those roles quite brilliantly and became an Image of this phenomenon.


Balu Mahendra - Master craftsman

In a pure cinematic sense of Technical excellence and absolute creativity,Late 70s are a golden era for tamil cinema.This period saw a gush of young blood like Mahendran, Bharathiraja,Bhagyaraj,TRajendar,Balumahendra and Rudhraiah who took cinema to the next level.Mahendran popularised the idea of films being inspired from short-stories and novels and his "Udhiripookkal","Johnny" and "Mullum Malarum" garnered wide critical reception and great commercial attention."16 Vayathinile" by Bharathiraja is considered the first film shot outside studios.Sensible film making with beautiful photography amused the audience as Balumahendra wrote,handled camera,edited and directed his films with sheer excellence.

80s - Rajinikanth & Kamalhaasan

Mid 80s had liberal cinema and films are no longer used for political propaganda and absolutely no constructive issues are dealt in films.Films begun to be looked at as full-time entertainers.The concept of masala films is originated by MGR through Enga veetu pillai,Engal thangam,Ulagam sutrum Vaalibhan etc.The baton was carefully relayed to the next generation actors Rajinikanth and Kamalhaasan.If Murattu kaalai and Sagala kala Vallavan haven't happened for Rajini and Kamal respectively,the fate of these actors and the tamil cinema as a whole would have been different.


Rajinikanth as Kaalaiyan in Murattu kaalai

Kamal Haasan chose to remain different and gave himself room to act in a variety of roles and established himself as the greatest actor of his generation and Rajinikanth knowingly or unknowingly multiplied his fan base through formula films.Any description of 70s and 80s cinema would be incomplete if Ilayaraja is left out.He is a genius...

90s & 2000s- Glamour & Masalas

90s are a liberal period and 90s saw India opening itself economically via globalisation.So,society is not the villain any more in films and Dons,Rowdism,terrorism are to be fought by the protagonists.Mani ratnam happened to Indian cinema through "Roja" and he quite boldly dealt with a lot of controversial subjects in Bombay,Uyire,Iruvar,Kannathil Muthamittal etc.
And,people are no longer satisfactorily entertained by south indian women.Gone are the days of Sridevi,Revathi & the like and Khushboo became a sensational success.Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra first acted in south India before pulling it off big in the Bollywood.This saw a host of North-Indian women imported for lip-moves and hip-moves.The role of a heroine has been cut-short terribly and her role is to dance with the hero for three duets in skimpy costumes.One rain song or swimming pool or beach sequence or bath tub is made compulsory.Simran,Jyothika are extremely successful after a series of exploitative roles in the beginning of their careers.


Paruthi Veeran by Ameer

Late 90s and Early 2000s again saw a new wave with a lot of youngsters like Bala,Ameer,Cheran and Mishkin involving themselves in quite a few creative and quality ventures among the so-called commercial trash.Tamil cinema technicians are world famous...ARRahman,Santosh Sivan,Thotta tharani...to name a few made giant strides in their crafts.

So that was a miniaturised history of tamil cinema in my viewpoint and now comes the all important task of identifying our Dominant phenomenons in our Cinema through these years.

1) DRAVIDIAN POLITICAL TINCH IN CINEMA - KALAIGNAR & ANNADURAI
2) ROBIN HOOD & THE ANGRY YOUNG MAN - MGR & RAJINIKANTH
3) CINEMA OUT FROM STUDIOS - NEW WAVE OF LATE 70s
4) THE GLAMOUROUS HEROINE - EARLY and MID-90s
5) MASALA FILMS & TECHNICALLY SOUND FILMS - LATE 90s and 2000s

Hope I have convincingly went through the history of our Cinema.