Kamalhassan, Celebrating Kamal Hassan

It was such a pleasure to see Kamal participate, recently in the Super Singer contest

In an era where people go through the motions of their work, it is a pleasure to see a professional, so involved in all the areas of his chosen field.

Kamal truly stays invested in learning, experimenting and enjoying every bit of everything he does.

While we all know that Kamal is dear to all the muses, the hard truth which hit me during the program, that his genius is a result of remarkable application. 

Kamal, is a role model, for any professional in quest for excellence. 

Kamal, May your journey of excellence rub on many more of your countrymen

Kumki, Proud to be an Indian

The visual grandeur of Kumki matches that of  The Life of Pi!. 

A lovely world full of verdant fields, blooming flowers, cascading waterfalls, towering trees, earnest human beings and a lovable elephant with soulful music blissfully transporting the viewer to a haunting journey. 

It kicks of with assualt of Komban, the rogue elephant in 'Spielbergian' fashion reminding of you a shark attack of Jaws and the glare of the dinosaur's eye in Jurassic park and Komban's exit coincides with a scintillating chime from Old Clint Eastwood western. Exhilarating stuff.

The high point of this ballad is when the viewer is taken to the top of a waterfall along with protagonists and the cinematographer circumambulates the waterfall in anticlockwise and keeping the viewer transfixed and mesmerised allowing sheer intensity and energy of the waterfall to sink into you. This is divine stuff.

Wish. the verbal chatter of Thambi Ramiah could have been cut down. 

One of the most poignant moments of the film is when Manickam, Kumki tries to save the Komban, the rogue elephant gets lost in some mediocre CG. While the climatic fight may have last only a few minutes, the quality of CG distinctly stands below par and from the rest of the movie. Inexplicable.

Hats of to a work of excellence!!!!

Naduvula konjam pakkatha Kaanom, (NKPK), roughly translates into English as 'A few pages missing...'...

Well new pages are being written in Tamil Cinema. No stars, No Masala, No Duets, No foreign location, No fights, looooow budgets but pure entertainment!!!! Way to go..guys. This is change.

What Aravaan, VE 18/9, Attakathi, Pizza, Neerparavai, Raatinam and NKPK has done for Tamil Cinema this year is path breaking. We hope this inspires Tamil Cinema to evolve further.

Tamil Cinema, take a bow

Neerparavai

The vast expanse of  ocean, the unending horizon, and a  magnificent church form an exquisite backdrop to this universal story of love. Seenu Ramaswamy and writer Jeyamohan take their time to narrate a the story with a lot of taste. You almost get a feeling that you are reading a novel. But when the protagonist feels the first touch of his lover or the father laying the biggest fish that he can carry to lay at the feet of the doctor who cures his son there is no doubt you are watching cinema. I doubt if there is any other film which has captured the lives of fisher folks with so much detail and authenticity. The Climax seems to have been inspired from the Azhagan song, "Kozhi Koovum NeramAchu..". Strong Contender for the National Award for the Best Price for National Integration. A special note of appreciation for Jeyamohan, for the splendid dialogues and the intense Mr. Samudrakani, who intoxicates you with his mere presence.

Pather Panchali

With all these years of fanatical movie watching, it is a shame that I never caught up with Pather Panchali and the Appu Trilogy. Well...I finally caught up with PP on this dreary Sunday evening.

This is seriously for the discerning viewer but for some strange reason, I would recommend that in case he or she wants to view Pather Panchali, it may be a good idea to first watch the Korean Classic Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring by Kim Ki Duk. 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring is a movie of extraordinary beauty and is a motion picture but the viewer goes through the spectacle as if it is seamlessly bounded by Still Photographs. I feel that this could enhance the appreciation of PP.

Once you digest the magic of the Korean master and if you have the patience to watch PP, the viewer will be rewarded with innumerable 'That is what we watch cinema' for moments.

The superlative black and white photography, with the most pleasant and unobtrusive music by Pandit Ravi Shankar freaking out combined with terrific re-recording takes your breath away. All the characters are well etched, the dialogues are optimal, the screenplay perfect and the casting, especially of the old lady with sunken eyes, the hunch, the receding hairline, the absence of any teeth and yet with a glint of gleam in her eyes, is just mind-boggling. 

Only for a very serious cinema viewer, others may please give this a miss.

When Pi converges to zero.

The last Ang Lee film that I had watched was Lust and Caution, where Lee masterfully steered the movie to an poignant yet explosive climax etching it in your memory forever.

Well Lee does a somersault here, starting of like a literary classic with each frame beautifully embellished, slowly but steadily the story meanders to a eminently forgettable climax. Yet another classic case of inability to translate a literary writing to an exciting screenplay.

It is difficult not to see parallel between Life of Pi and Castaway. When Wilson, the ball, in Castaway drifts away from Tom Hanks you had a lump in your throat, but when Richard Parker, the Tiger, In Pi walking away, there is only relief that your nearing the end of the movie.

Thanks to Lee, though for a visual treat, whether it is the magnificent ocean which is infinitely sprawling in the day, resplendent in the night, furious during the storm, bountiful when hungry, the quaint little church in Munnar,  the magical Puducherry and specifically for the shot of the flotilla on the temple tank with diyas lit all over, the camera zooming on the Lord Vishnu and then drifting up above into the star lit sky metaphorically depicting cosmic existence. Wow!!

Thuppaki, Muted Shots.

When Murugadoss directs, there are definite expectations. There are Navarasas but whatever be the genre, it seems to be Indian Cinema's curse is to have a love story as an undercurrent. 

Four chunks of action blocks interspersed with Love and sentimentality served in Indian Cinema' style, that is Thuppaki for you. 

In tune with the big releases in recent times, Mugamoodi. Thandavam and Mattran, the director sets it up nicely till the interval and fails to step up the accelerator in the second half.

The opening credits with the stills from Mumbai Skyline needs special mention. Very Creative.

Vijay punches away without his punchlines. All Vijay needs is some great writing and you have the screen writer set it up for him with clinical execution of the plan of eliminating the twelve terrorists.

When you have the brains to conceive of such great sequences, one wonders mindless violence in a couple of action blocks in the later half.

By setting up the story in Mumbai and including characters from all parts of the country, the director, successfully transcends the regional boundaries and makes you feel that you are watching the film as an Indian and not as a Tamilian. 

Only hope directors like Murgadoss treat a subject by the merit of the subject and not by the constraints of the local market. The market have become global!!!

Skyfall

When you have Sam Mendes don the director's cap, your expectations are Sky High!!! And when Javier Bardem is cast as the villain, the expectations become higher than Sky!!! And when the movie opens to great reviews, the expectation are hurtled to the nearest planet!!! And when the movie opens to a Spectacular begining with an Un Bond Like exit for James down the cascading waterfalls, well your expectations soar even further. With the beautifully shot Shanghai sequence in the night, the Shangai skyline and stunt choreography dazzle and will be etched in your memory for a long time,  here is where the fall starts and what a free fall it is!!!! While Bond has inspired the Bourne Franchise, the MI franchise and even the making of the First Sherlock Holmes(have not seen the second part) have been inspired by Bond. I thought Bond inspired people to travel around the world and took his viewers along with them for a grand treat with some rollicking action. With Sam Mendes one would expected the action to be intertwined with definite cerebral stimulations . Alas!!! there is not an iota of it!!! Action, there is, in a stuttered fashion and the motives of the villain cliched!!! For me the greatest disappointment probably is the casting of Bardem. Bardem was at his menacing best as a beast in NO country for Old Men. One does not understand the compulsion for him to emulate 'Jokeresque' persona.

Mattran

Mattran, felt very sad, a lot of hard work, atleast 3 songs wonderfully picturised, extraordinary stunt choreography before the interval, great performances by Surya and Sachin Kedekar, let down by a poor screenplay. Of course you were constantly wondering, if Sachin Kedekar was dabbling in Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering or Chemistry!

Pizza

The new generation of Tamil Director's have yet again proved that they do not require stars to make a movie rock and bring in the moolah!!!. The movie starts of on a rather weak imitation of Ghostbusters and kind of meanders before the Director targets the audience, teases and tantalises them and sucks them into the proceedings with the dexterity of a magician. The Annanagar visit by the Pizza Delivery boy till the Policeman getting sucked into haunted house is told with devilish relish, stands out distinctly from the rest of the film.

Lovely article written by Kamalahassan on Nayagan

On wintery night way back in 1987, my dear friend Shankar and I saw Vertigo in Chanakya, the evening show, which left us breathless. After the the Hitchcock feast we were not very sure if we should accept another friend Suresh's invitation to his Karol Bagh Adda for an all night exposition of Tamil Films which were released for Diwali that year, Manithan, Nayagan and a Suresh and Nadia starrer. We had been continuously receiving rave reviews of Nayagan and decided to take the plunge on shivering drive through the dark Buddha Jayanthi Park. We had to patiently wait for Nayagan to be screened by two in the night. There were about twenty people watching the movie. All through the movie there was not only pin drop silence throughout the movie but not even once did anybody get to use the restroom. It was just stunning. I can just visualize the happiness that Kamal experienced after completing the film. Even though there has been a lot said and written about Kamal, this article is certainly special and gives a certain perspective to thought process of a highly driven professional. 

Enjoy the article, Of course Velu Nayakan doesn’t dance

Argo

Argo, has been made fascinatingly. Any professional in any walk of life must watch Argo, for three important aspects, The level of detailing, The narrative style(the screenplay) and the extraordinary dialogues. Working professionals especially who want to improve  their communication and presentation skills must view it several times over. It is a cleverly crafted thriller, expertly narrated but falters in the end due to a simplistic escape plot which does not have enough meat. Wish Ben had tweaked the plot a bit to include some more twists to the tale  in the second half to make this one hell of a movie. Nevertheless, this is a movie which is not to be missed

English Vinghlish

The whole world is paying tribute to SriDevi. The Movie is a well crafted film and will be remembered for a long time. I shall always remember it for Mehdi Nebbou. Mehdi born to a German mother and Algerian Father is quintessentially French. It is a mesmerising performance As a doting lover whose eyes are forever transfixed on SriDevi, aching to see her at the every possible moment, trying to catch enough of her whether at a distance while watching a film, or travelling with her in the train all the way to her home or the disappointment at her not turning up at the class or catch up over coffee or at his perseverance in sharing a crepe,' French Laddu', cooked by him. Nebbou is intoxicating. Nebbou is beautifully sensitive when SriDevi and him take a peek at the New York Skyline and while doing so, SriDevi accidentally falls back only to be supported by Nebbou from behind and in that instance, Nebbou eyes meets SriDevi's and Nebbou, reaches out for a strand of her hair on her face and gently pushes it back. Mind Blowing!!!!!!

The Fighter

Since Thandavam, have had the opportunity to see two interesting films, the 2010 film, The Fighter and the latest English Vinglsih. Probably record my impressions in two separate posts. I feel really sad I have not seen this for two years. The Fighter was quite interesting and absorbing. While the movie was dominated by the standout performance of Bale, the screenplay vied with him for equal honours. I tried to imagine the amount of preparation, that Bale must have taken to shed his weight and bring the drug addict's sunken eyes. Bale beautifully enacted the grand illusion of an addict and enhanced it with the most quixotic gaze sometime giving an expression of getting lost and sometime wandering away into some dark forbidden world. It is a pity that he only won a best Oscar for a supporting actor. It is a joke that in view of such kind of performance and the haunting performance of Xavier Bardem in Biutiful  a lack lustre performance by Colin Firth won him the Best actor award at the Oscars. The Fighter is quite metaphorical and resonates the trials and tribulations we all face in our daily lives, the manifestations though being different.

Thandavam, The latest Tamil Film

We have a unique way to remember Mahatma Gandhi. On October 1, 2005(or was it 2006?), Ghajini was released. For a country that got its independence through Non violence, Director AR Murgadoss (who lamented as the credits of 7AM Arivu rolled down, the degeneration of a great country!!!) made one of the most violent flicks. The talented Mr. Vijay who gets inspired by almost all well made films and adapts even small sequences with extraordinary intelligence has now paid a tribute to the great Mahatma by adapting Ghajini on the eve of another Gandhi Jayanthi. Replace Short term Memory Loss by Blindness, Combine the revenge with the unrequited love you have Thandavam. While the disabilities of Short term memory helped the director whip up a certain excitement in the narration, the the tautness of Thandavam's narrative needed an investigator like Nedumudi Veni in INdian or Prakash Raj in Anniyan to enhance the tension to the story. Unfortunately Nasser's role has not been etched with depth it really required. Consequently you have a straight forward tale of retribution. The hype and publicity surrounding Dan Kish and echo location do not add to the requiredd tension for the narrative. Vijay successfully manages to insert his customary redundant duet near the climax(just like Madarapattinam and Theivathirumagal). For the positives, the movie is an interesting watch, the love story, part Ghajini, part Dum Dum Dum, is narrated with a lot of taste. As a hard core Vikram fan, his role is not entirely satisfying. While Anushka is impressive, it is Saranya, as Vikram's mother in a small cameo who steals the films acting honours.

Sundarapandian

Sundarapandian, is a rehash of Subramaniapuram and nadodigal, makes for enjoyable viewing. However one more mutated strain of Subramanyapuram may bite the dust. Like Cheran, Sasikumar seems to be deeply attached to his father in real life. It is reflected in the reel life. The father's walk tall.  Naren as Sasikumar's father blitzes through the film and gets a chance to portray a character that never betrays his build, moustache, gait nor voice. While most people aver that movie's primary message, is about being careful about the choice of the friend's, the high point of the film is the elders in the village getting together and resolving the issue of a murder and agreeing that revenge and violence cannot be a solution, the solution itself reminding of the good old film Dushman(Hindi)/Needhi(Tamil) of the yore. Lakshmi Menon performance in a few sequences in the second half is noteworthy. Prabhakaran the new director is a welcome addition to the growing list of good director's in Tamil Cinema.

Arbitrage

Arbitrage was a pleasant and a riveting little tale. Seems to have been inspired the life of Dominic Strauss Kahn. The protagonist is a variant of Gekko sans ruthlessness. Brit Marling may not be a perfect substitute for Carey Mulligan's innocence, but her value systems are iron clad in her lovely radiance. With Strauss Kahn, A financial fiasco on the Wall Street and bit of Good Old Agatha thrown in, mixed with a neat and taut script, what you have is Arbitrage!!!. The movie could have been even better had they taken pains to characterize Richard Gere with more shades of grey and black.

Reflections on Casting

Got to see Se7en after all these years. An interesting film that triggered plenty of thoughts on casting. IN Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 2, Anurag Kashyap in his opening credits, gives the greatest importance to his Casting Team. Not only was the casting the key to the success of the Gangs, but his casting of Kalki Koechlin who was cast as Chandramukhi in Dev D, when she was tucked away in Pondicherry, was a most extraordinary one. As a practising recruiter, I always wonder about how the exercise and the process of locating the right would have taken place. 

In Se7en, the characterisation of each of these characters and their casting was admirable.

Was amazed how a fidgety, jumpy and volatile Brad Pitt has evolved over the last seventeen years. When you see Se7en, I am not sure if Brad Pitt himself would have imagined his ability to enact the climax in Money Ball where he breaks down listening to his daughter's song. 

Morgan Freeman, with all his class, wisdom and erudition goes through the demands of the role as if it is a walk in the Beach. No wonder he gets plum opportunities like the voice rendition in the acclaimed documentary in the March of the Penguins.

Kevin Spacey is ever classy. You are not surprised how he breezes through his roles in The Life of David Gale and American Beauty. 

And the Casting Coup of the movie happens to be the dainty, classy, graceful and vulnerable Gynweth Paltrow. While closing a conversation with Morgan Freeman with a Thank you, her body just leaning and slanting forward a wee bit, with a mixture of confusion and fear in her eyes with just the right lip twirling a bit, Gynweth is helplessness personified and that is accentuated by her quaintness. Wish the director had ended Gynweth's character in the movie with this parting shot.

MUGAMOODI

 

 Coming after Anjathey, nandhalala and, Yuddham Sei, your expectations are very high of Mysskin, the director. The expectations begin to soar when the movie is also pitched as the first Super hero movie in India/Tamil. Then comes a first tweak in the expectations when the posters screamed, The Super hero within. And when you start watching the movie, the movie is dedicated/homage to Bruce lee. The conventional rules of a super Hero movie is that a Super Hero discovers powers which transcend human boundaries. The hero then exercises them and is exhilarated at his prowess and then applies to the general good of the public. While and after performing innumerable miracles his course of action intersects that of the evil and eventually there is a titanic collision and good triumphs over evil. The super hero concept takes a shellacking and the powers of the super hero are most ineptly defined by an usually brilliant Mysskin. The motives of revenge cannot be the reason for the birth of a Super Hero. Myskin also suffers under the compelling need to package the mandatory love story with the crime drama cum Super hero tale cum Martial Arts exposition, whatchamalit!!!!(Whatever you may call it!!!). In all Mugamoodi suffers not only from its screen play but also its positioning. Now for the positives. Despite the disappointments it is watchable. Hats of to Mysskin for his dedication to Bruce Lee and the most elegant and stylish stunt choreography, by Tony Leung, the Stunt Director of Enter the Dragon. Tony manages the create the same energy which was prevalent in Enter the Dragon, nearly 40 years ago!!. The cinematography, Editing, Music and the performance of all the stars is decent. However for a hardcore Mysskin fan, I just feel a tad sad. i just can't wait to get another helping of the magic that Mysskin is capable of serving!!!

 

Attakathi

Got to watch Attakathi, one of the latest Tamil releases. The golden period of Tamil Cinema seems to endure. The industry seems to be firmly in the hands of technicians. A million stories are waiting to be told in our very backyard. Attakathi, narrates the story of yet another directionless Indian youth, with characters thrown around him etched out of our own lives. Exhilarating cinema intertwined with some intoxicating music laced with Spanish strains. Dinesh(?), the protagonist could well walk away with the Best Actor for the year. Thanks to the director for rekindling the magic of 'Thavani'(Half Saree) in a few of the scenes and a special mention of the sequence of the music and dance at the funeral peaking into a crescendo and then breaking into a song sung by the protagonist surrounded by his friends and relatives. It is for this kind of excitement that we see films.

Ek Tha Tiger

Watched Ek Tha Tiger, on Independence Day. Despite being independent for 65 years, we do not seem to mind plagiarizing. However the good part is that the quality of stunts in ETT is as good as the rip off in Bourne Supremacy, Quantum of Solace etc. etc. The second chase in England is outstanding. ETT is neatly packaged in around two hours and is pleasant watch, with a charismatic Salman, of course, he does remove his shirt in the end in Cuba, and a blemishless Katrina Kaif, she is supposed not to have put any make up for this film. Wish Salman could add the smart one liners which Arnold(Schwarzenegger)used to catapult himself. Paisa Vasool Escapist entertainment.

Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 2

Got to see Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 2 today. Anurag Kashyap whips ups a  delightful and wickedly creative film. While the frenzy of killing goes on unabated throughout the length of the film,the director punctuates and peppers the killings with humour and music, and dispels any darkness arising out of the killings. A maze of characters(and each character etched uniquely!!) pursue their ambitions with audacity and aplomb. Fearlessness and stupidity straddle hand in hand. Loved the logic for three special characters, Tangent, Perpendicular and Definite.  Watch it to feel how much the director and his team must have had fun making the film!! Congrats, Anurag. P.S: Dev D still remains your most exciting work till date

Dark Knight Rises

Dark Knight Rises, hope the genius of Christoper Nolan is put to better use after a most distressing event at Colorado. Like the Amazing Spiderman, Batman is a rehash of many of the recurring themes treated a million times with not an iota of novelty. I hope blessed people like Nolan exercise restraint and direct more responsible cinema

Vazhaku En 18/9

Vazhaku En 18/9  epitomizes how the powerful medium of cinema can be exploited by empathetic and responsible filmmakers to arouse consciousness at a grass root level.  We not only live in a world which is flat but which has also gone awry. What are the forces, that technological evolution without proper regulatory  mechanisms, have unleashed? Has economic liberalization really translated into prosperity and happiness?  Whom do we look for any kind of leadership?  Is there any sanctity left for any of our institutions? Where will the mindless, selfish and greedy acts of our rat race lead us to?  Balaji Sakthivel delivers a knockout punch with VE 18/9, by harnessing his overwhelming concern and seething anger for the world around, weaving it against a backdrop of a poignant love story to produce a rare gem in Indian cinema. Go for it.

Dhoni(Tamil) Film

Dhoni(Tamil) Film, is another earnest effort to bring to light the gnawing gaps in our education system. Way to go Prakash Raj. It is a small but an important drop in kindling the collective conscience of a billion people!!