Kuttram Kadithal: Tami Film: Noble, yet not inclusive and Hypocritical

When  you see Kuttram Kadithal, you cannot but remember In My Country.

IN My country is A beautiful and important film about South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will engage and influence not only South Africans, but people all over the world concerned with the great questions of human reconciliation, forgiveness, and tolerance.

In My Country left me moved and touched. The perpetrator of a crime would go about describing the crime to the person to whom he or she inflicted the crime and then seek forgiveness. Often the perpetrator would get an opportunity to regret and the affected party would forgive and then there would be reconciliation.

Kuttram Kadithal, attempts a variation. The perpetrator does not commit a crime,  ends up owning an act of indiscretion. The narrative explores the guilt of the perpetrator and drives home that redemption indeed lies in seeking forgiveness and forgiving, .

While the director sets up the plot with a lot of thought, he is unable to add enough meat to the narrative after the tension is built and is completely lost.

Human act of owning up, a value has to be necessarily associated with conscience and not with any religious beliefs and ideology.

In the true grammar of Tamil Cinema, The Christian, as always has to be Good, the Communist always concerned about the fellow human being, and the Tambrahm has to be the spineless skunk!!!

As hypocritical as it can get, the director takes necessary help from another  Tambrahm,  Tambrahm poet, Mahakalavi Bharathi, to not only put back the movie on to the track, but use "Chinnachiru Kileye" to magical use leading to climax of  forgiveness and redemption.

Thupparivalan, "Detective", Tamil Movie

Moriarty Sizzles, But Where is Sherlock?

Director Myskkin dedicates, Thupparivalan to Sherlock Holmes.

Who has not been inspired by Sherlock? Sherlock and Watson have been recreated in different avtaars, Ganesh and Vasanth, by writer Sujatha, Byommkesh Bakshi and Ajit, in Bengali by Shardindi Bandhyopadhyay, to name a few.

Sherlock has been been created as movies and TV serials over the years. As time has progressed, the narrative has evolved.

Incidentally, I accidentally watched, Satyajit Ray's 'Chiriakhana' last week. Wow, What a treat. Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh Bakhsi went on to win the best actor award and Satyajit the best director, in the year 1967. Available on Amazon Prime. Movie lovers want to catch up this extraordinary work.

We all got to savour, Guy Ritchie's work in recent times, where   Sherlock Holmes intellect married the action packed James Bond, in never before seen action blocks. The first installment was a combination of problem solving and adrenalin rush tossed into an intoxicating mix. 

With the Myskkin in control and his reputation, and the great feedback about the film, I did go with sky high expectations.

MY greatest disappointment, was with the way Sherlock has been recreated and while artistic liberties can be exercised, the trade offs are hugely disappointing.

Sherlock has always been objective, seldom giving space for emotion and sentimentality. He has no space for women in his life, except for the irrepressible, Irene Adler, a worthy adversary, who outsmarted him(in matters related to the mind). Sherlock is always ahead, two steps, of his opponent. He is the one who gets to take the opponent by surprise. 

Missing sorely are his nocturnal visits and errands in  disguise. Sherlock was a master in disguises. It is a pity that the movie does not even contain one sequence of disguise. In Chiriakhana, Uttam Kumar's disguise as the Japanese visitor, is a treat. 

IN configuring a Sherlock Holmes, who is emotional, sentimental, and who is at the receiving end almost upto the end, it looks this movie is an ode to the Moriarty. Vinay is just brilliant, as he menacingly personifies evil.

Vishal, while physically being able to create Sherlock, is unable to bring in the eccentricity necessary for Sherlock, with his wooden face. The eccentricity manifests in fast paced walks and loud dialogues delivered from the bottom of his abdomen. 

Disastrously, the movie starts of with the discovery of a prosthetic tooth. A wonderful opportunity to drive, Sherlock's detective skills is missed. They could have just taken a leaf out 'International' , where the discovery of a prosthetic feat leads to a show down at the Guggenheim museum. They could have suffused with some great piece of detective work with a great action block. Instead the hunt for the missing prosthetic teeth is quite a tragedy.

A U/A certification for the movie, is an absolute dishonest certification which educates the viewer, on how you can kill people in zillion ways. 

Fascinating is Myskkin's obsession with Buddha. I can understand a martial art, competition in front of Buddha. I thought Buddha preached non-violence, An action block, with machettes chopping off people with Buddha in the back drop, is fairly a mysterious mind at work. 

About fifty people are killed, in diverse ways, either through the principles of physics, chemistry, plain thrust of the pillows, Hara Kiri,(Japanese warrior honour killing) machettes chopping off, slitting of necks, knife inserted in the ears, bullets, arrows, swiss knives inserts, pushed from a high rise building, bodies are cut into parts, puppies are killed, a fantastic array of assorted violence. Long live the Buddha!!!! Normally such great work's violence get released on Gandhi Jayanthi. This time around we have a film of this kind released two weeks in advance.

Going by the positive reception for the film, I really hope the young generation do feel enthused to read Arthur Conan Doyle's work They are a great pleasure. It is an easy read. Students will be able to develop the habit of reading. Sherlock can also be inspiring. One can inculcate an appreciation for a sense of details, the need to be observant, the necessity to improve you competence, the importance of deep dives in multiple disciplines, the focus required to excel, enjoy your work and the great will to solve problems.

Here is hoping that a highly capable director like Myskkin, who  is a prolific reader of great works of art, harnesses his concern for the society and anger, into creating truly world class films, which he is eminently capable of.

Kurangu Bommai, Flashes of Brilliance

Small movies, benefit from experimentation.They also bring the joy of film making to the fore.

In defining four central characters in less than thirty seconds, the debutant director underlines, great things that can be expected from him.

In recreating a particular sequence, with the essence of 'Birdman' intact, the music theme(the calibrated drum beat), the camera moving around like a paint brush, with gay abandon and the editor freaking out, the discerning viewer is in for a lot of fun!!!!

But one man who steals the show, with his extraordinary acting performance is Bharathiraja. There is this three minute, possible, single take, where he is in complete control, regaling you with a story that is bound to send you into tears. 

Bharathiraja Sir, in the last forty years, you have probably acted in half a dozen films. I think it is an unpardonable crime. You have denied, the Tamil Audiences, the pleasure of seeing you in many more roles.

Then there has to be a mention about Kumaravel, who breezes through with his menace. I guess with the range of Kumaravel's(Remember Ravi Shastri in 'Abiyum Nanum') capabilities, one wonders how we do not see more of  Kumaravel.

It is exactly a year ago, that I saw Kutttrame Thandanai. I am happy to see Vidharth persevere with good films like ' Oru Kidavin Karunai manu' and now KB. Good Luck, Vidharth!. For a man who exploded with Mynaa, luck may not be on your side, but perseverance will take you places. Your charm and screen presence is in tact.

The mandatory love track and two misplaced song sequences effectively bring down, what could have been a superlative experience.

Watching Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia is sheer joy

An awful days unpleasantness wiped away, without a trace. So much of imagination. I just wonder, the thought, that an actor must think through to bring to life,   the multiple facets of a character. Meryl not only bulks up to show her slightly bigger than ever, and there is the gruffish musical voice that 'dances' as she speaks, the gait, and walk, that infuses a streak of masculinity. With the  variety of roles she has done, the thoroughness in her preparation and the effortlessness of execution, one is tempted to feel and ask, if she is the greatest actor, the world ever produced?