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The unatonable sin

Thamizh Cinema fans, for all their chest thumping about the quality of movies they are supporting today, have one unatonable sin attributed to them. The abysmal reception they gave in 2011 to the best Thamizh movie to have come out in more than a decade. Aaranya Kaandam was nothing like any of the Thamizh movies that were made before it. None of the Thamizh movies made after it have managed to occupy the space that it does, even today. I remember being enthralled by every character, every scene and every frame of Aaranya Kaandam. I watched it six times in the theaters within a span of one month. Each time I would come out on a high. But I would also be puzzled by the sparse crowd that this movie attracted. Today, I am able to understand why it got such a reception. When the movie released, heroine stereotyping and misogyny were rampantly mainstream in Thamizh cinema. I am not saying the situation is totally in control today, but there is enough audience and space for movies that dont stereotype genders and dont portray its ladies as expressionless glam dolls. What Aaranya kaandam did was to goad the audience interest by portraying the character subbu, played by yasmin ponnappa, as naive, male-dependent and submissive. In short, the quintessential 'Thamizh cinema loosu ponnu'. But as the gullibly misogynistic audience waited for subbu to be saved by a macho transformation of her boyfriend, sappai, the director kumararaja pulls the rug from under their feet. When subbu creates surprising havoc during the climax, reveals here true self and says 'sappayum oru aambala dhaan, elaa aambalaingalum sappai dhaan' it was a slap on the face of those very audience who were used to woman characters in movies being submissive. However brilliant the movie was for them till then, they exited the theater with this resounding slap. That, according to me, was the undoing of Aaranya Kaandam. Today, the movie has attained cult status among the buffs. It runs to packed houses when it releases during film festivals. Though this adoration seems too late for the movie, it might not be too late for the director. From the craze around kumararaja's upcoming sophomore titled 'Super Deluxe' it looks as though there will be an attempt to atone the unatonable sin.

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When thamizh cinema talks caste

The most interesting aspect of Sarvam thaala mayam, for me, was the director Rajiv Menon's take on casteism. While he has explained at length in various interviews that commentary on dalits, casteism or oppression was not the movie's intention, it nevertheless makes for intriguing comparisons. Talking caste in movies is on the up in today's thamizh cinema thanks to Ranjith (Madras, Kabali and Kaala) and, more recently, Maari selvaraj (Pariyerum Perumal). Ranjith's movies have slowly transitioned from mere symbolism to direct attack on castesim. There is bottled anger in Madras that takes a violent turn in the pre-climax portions. Similarly, Kabali has a jarry shift from an emotional search of love to a bloodied patronas shoot out. Kaala is the most direct attack on the upper caste, right down to the one-note, upper caste antagonist. Ranjith projects the anger of the oppressed and also brings a closure by showing the oppressed tasting freedom, success and victory, even if attained by violent means. If bringing a change in peoples' mindset is the aim of such movies, then Maari selvaraj is much more effective. Of course, anger does simmer throughout Pariyerum Perumal. But, Selvaraj's intention is to showcase the actual atrocities that the oppressed face and make the audience to not only reflect but also, in certain scenes, squirm in their seats. In what can be termed as the most brilliant closure a movie has had over the past decade, Pariyerum Perumal closes with a note to the audience - without you changing, things wont change. Sarvam Thaala Mayam is totally in contrast with the above movies, with respect to its commentary on casteism. This is because the movie offers only that - a commentary. Nothing more, nothing less. There is more focus on the craft of filmmaking. The oppressed of this movie are far more gentle in nature than those in Ranjith's or Selvaraj's universe. If Ranjith's movies are a fodder to the simmering anger of the oppressed, selvaraj's Pariyerum is a slap on the face of the oppressor and Sarvam thaala mayam attempts to inspire the oppressed to succeed in life. And through pitch-perfect casting (Nedumudi Venu is marvelous while GV prakash is a revelation), a flowing screenplay and excellent music, it does tick many boxes. But something seemed amiss throughout the movie. Maybe the punch that comes with anger or the disturbance that comes with shame was missing in Sarvam thaala mayam. For a movie that wants to inspire, it turned out to be too mellow. I should have been moved by the plight of the mridangam makers. I should have been overwhelmed by the intricateness of the percussion instrument. I should have been bowled over by the high that GV prakash's Peter achieves through sheer passion. Instead, my state of mind was the same at the end of the movie as it was at the start - blank.

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Spyder - mythical masala

In what turned out to be a pleasant coincidence, I watched my second serial killer genre movie in Thamizh cinema last week, with Spyder. Spyder was as much mythical as Ratchasan was methodical. Here, the graph of the serial killing villain is designed as though he is the god of death. This character , Sudalai, is played with terrorizing exuberance by SJ Suryah. He mouths insanely whacky punchlines with bone-chilling calm and simply sinks his teeth into this once-in-a-lifetime role. The character sketch of Sudalai and his childhood flashback that gives a solid backstory to his insatiable thirst for killing involves some of the best writing that Murugadoss has ever done. If Sudalai is the god of death, then Shiva, played with a suave nonchalance by Mahesh babu, is the omnipresent protector. While the role falls right in Mahesh's comfort zone, he still makes you buy the devil-may-care attitude, subtle punches and slow-mo shots. With such a strong protagonist-antagonist pair, the director's job is half done. Murugadoss, of course, falters a lot with the other half. There is tacky graphics in many scenes (the wonderla ride sequence and a 'rogue' boulder sequence would have made director Shankar cringe) and unnecessary songs hampering the movie's pace. The climax, staged amidst debris of a crumbling building, is a major letdown. Still, I enjoyed this movie the most among the director's other recent offerings, simply because it had a far more appealing star, a superbly written villain and some absolutely innovative masala moments (the sequence where Mahesh babu's family gets saved from Sudalai's wrath by a bunch of back to back door deliveries is a stroke of simple ingenuity). Spyder is an eminently watchable masala fare with Murugadoss in good form for most of the movie's length. It is a pity that he followed this up with Sarkar.

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Ratchasan - the piano is ‘key’

Indian movies that explore the serial killer genre are few and far between. The last one i saw was Raman raghav 2.0 which, though brilliantly made, was indulgent towards being as twisted and neurotic as possible. Hence, it was a pleasant surprise to finally catch up with Ratchasan, a movie i would call the best in this genre over the last decade or so, without any hesitation. Ratchasan focuses on the procedural of the serial killer and the methodical unraveling of the quirks by a cop who has a burning desire to direct a gripping thriller movie (a superbly effective vishnu vishal). 

The director, Ramkumar, sets up scenes with spectacular atmosphere where he is more than aided by Ghibran's brooding background score. In fact the piano, which forms itself into the title of the movie, adds lot of key elements that come together in a breathtaking manner as the story progresses. Ghibran uses strings to chilling effect and would probably deserve a major portion of the raving reviews that Ratchasan got. Ramkumar also comes up aces with respect to the design of the serial killer's looks. The final minutes involving the reveal and subsequent cat-and-mouse between the killer and vishnu vishal literally sent chills down my spine. There is lot of visual poetry involved, especially when ramkumar uses duality, wherein two parallel sequences play out. There were a few sequences that did feel unnecessary, but the framing and direction of even these sequences (the one involving the abusive school teacher, even though unnecessary, was superbly shot) compensates for their seeming detachment from the core plot. 

That this movie went on to become one of the biggest commercial successes of 2018, did not surprise me. What did surprise me was the fact that the director who made a frothy but rooted comedy like Mundasuppatti has gone on to make a sophomore that contrasts his debut in every way possible. And the very fact that he has achieved this by retaining the core cast of his first film speaks volumes about his ability as a director and also the range of performance that this core acting team can deliver (’Munishkanth’ Ramadoss is spectacular in a stretch that is high on emotions while ‘Kaali’ Venkat delivers a solid, understated performance). This only makes my wait for his next all the more eager. 

Ratchasan, like any movie, starts with a title card that says the producer "proudly presents". 

For once, that statement is every bit justified by the movie.

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The return of Thalaivar

An outsider gains entry into a controlled ecosystem. Once he enters that ecosystem he simply transforms and owns it. Does this sound like the life story of a phenomenon of Thamizh cinema fondly called 'Thalaivar'? It is also the first half hour of his latest movie - 'Petta'.

Right from the first frame the director Karthik subbaraj establishes that this will be an out and out 'Thalaivar' extravaganza. The introduction sequence is spectacularly staged with lot of silhouette shots of the man. When his visage is finally revealed behind one of the sorry thugs, there is eruption, not only of music, but of the whole theatre. From then on it is frame by frame of the showcase of different facets of 'Thalaivar'. Subbaraj also peppers the screenplay with little twists for which he is renowned.

Right from the time the movie was announced, Subbaraj has been very clear that this is a pure 'Thalaivar' celebration movie. So anyone expecting the character detailing that the director is so good at (think Iraivi and Jigarthanda), would be slightly disappointed. But once you settle down for some 'Thalaivar' mass, there is no way you will avert your eyes from the screen. Subbaraj stages mass sequences like a director who has had more than ten commercial outings with big stars. While doing this, he also retains his style of filmmaking. He will not only be celebrated by 'Thalaivar' fans, but also revered.

Out of the supporting cast it is only Vijay sethupathy and nawazuddin siddiqui who create an impression. Sethupathy is brilliant, especially in a few sequences that required complex reactions. Siddiqui has the most interesting characterization in the movie and the actor aces the role.

Music and stunt choreography are two pillars to the movie. Anirudh produces some blistering music, truly complementing and sometimes elevating the scenes. The fight sequence in a vegetable market deserves special mention for appropriate, yet heroic action choreography.

What do I write about the man himself? I would have been four when I watched my first Thamizh movie in theatre - Thalapathy. I remember the uproarious reaction as a face, drenched in rain, appeared on screen. I asked my mother who was this man and why was he getting such a response.

"Avan dhaan hero, Rajinikanth", she replied.

Maybe it was her words, maybe it was the unique attitude of this man on screen, maybe it was the thunderous reception his dialogues received, maybe it was something more I could not fathom, but that day he became ‘THE’ hero on screen for me.

It has now been twenty seven years but all those reasons that made me a 'Thalaivar' fan are still intact and have only increased.

As 'Petta' closed, 'Thalaivar' faced the camera and asked ' Indha aattam podhuma Kozhandha?'

I got up on my seat and howled a resounding 'NO'