Sardar, Tamil Film

An Ode to Shankar's style of film making

The gold standard for a spy thriller has to be the mini-series, The Spy, streaming on Netflix. Tense and poignant, The Spy, for me drove home the burden of being a spy and I was deeply affected after seeing this mini-series. for quite some time.

Interestingly Sardar amidst many other messages, also drives home the message of the burden of being a spy!! 

Make no mistake this is not a spy thriller.

If the love element would have been a bit stronger, one would have thought Shankar was actually in charge of the script and direction. 

Sardar is probably, Indian, cleverly re-imagined!!

With say, about 20 minutes and a tardy climax knocked off, the movie would have been far more enjoyable.

Having said that, the movie is an object lesson in research and storytelling. the storytelling that can be understood by the common man.

Mithran with his third interesting film is an exciting talent to watch out.

It will be interesting to watch, if the sales of mineral water will come down! after this movie!!

That will be the litmus test for Sardar's success!!!

P.S: By the way, Karthi, keeps on getting better and better!!

Ponniyin Selvan, PS 1

Celebrating the spirit of life

As the title Ponniyin Selvan came on the screen, it was difficult to hold back the tears. The dream of the countless fans of Ponniyin Selvan has become a reality.

When I started reading the novel way back in the summer of 1984, I was transported to the world of Cholas, all the other activities came to a standstill for 15 days. Over the last 70 years, the novel has mesmerized legions of fans through its fascinating narrative.

In the summer of 1985, I saw Pagal Nilavu. The visual appeal of the film was unmistakable. After the lovely Mouna Ragam, Nayagan descended on us and stunned a whole generation of viewers. This also probably redefined the look and feel of Tamil Cinema, forever.

However one always felt Maniratnam was constrained and could have delivered better-finished products. That jinx has finally been broken.

Thanks to destiny, the book found one of the most capable directors, who understands Tamil history, its culture, audience, and nuances of cinema so well.

Thank you, Mani Ratnam, for this wonderfully thought and executed film. You have permanently carved a place in our hearts.