PDA

View Full Version : The Screen-Turners: YEK Part 2 - Jananam (Naaz)



RR
27th February 2006, 10:05 AM
The Screen-Turners. YEK Part 2 - Jananam


By Naaz


In her preface to the collection of novellas/romances, titled Jananam (and including Moongil Pookkal and Plum Marangal Pooththu Vittana,) Vasaanthi has this to say about why she is compelled to write:

[html:13662112a8]http://www.mayyam.com/mag/vAsanthi.jpg[/html:13662112a8]
[tscii:13662112a8]
“±ØÐÅÐ ²§¾¡ ´Õ Ũ¸Â¡É ͨÁ¨Â þÈ츢 ¨Åì¸ò¾¡ý. ÀÊôÀÅ÷ Áɾ¢ø «ó¾î ͨÁ º¢È¢¾ÇÅ¡ÅÐ ²È §ÅñÎõ. «Ð ¾¡ý ¦ÅüÈ¢ìÌ «¨¼Â¡Çõ..”
[/tscii:13662112a8]

On that score Jananam is an all stops pulled, no holds barred success.

O the burden.

<hr>

Loveunna…

There are Romances, and then there are Romances. What distinguishes genre escapist writing, formulaic and fantastical as it all so self-consciously is, is the writing. There are two sacred tenets of “Romance” that are absolutes: The central plot has to be a love-story. And in the end everything should be tied up in a pink ribbon. Mauve, if that’s your preference. The in-betweens can be peopled with villains, vamps, conniving sisters-in-law, blow hard step-mothers, rivalry addicted grand/parents, I’ll die for you second leads, shipwrecks, car chases, misdiagnosed cancer but, ultimately, love has to survive and unite them all. In Romances, the emotions are high and the word “passion” figures quite prominently just in case the bodice ripping were all still a notch low by you. You are free to walk through Vasantha Maaligai with your guide, Bobby.

In essence, their success is all about their optimism. The ability to make you dream big as you turn the page or leave the cinema, your starry eyes glistening with organic idealism and a bouncy heart tickling your toes - that’s the magic. The fleeting that holds the promise of forever

It is not the what, but the how, which makes the heart break into song, and that how had better not be jaded for a showing in Hallmarkville. It is the how – how gracefully the writer walks you down this straight path of predictabilities usually leading to a freeze frame from an earlier duet (with soundtrack) or a kiss - that damn thirsty long time coming oh brother do it do it do it kiss that finally makes the page on a clear cigarette ad sky in St.Tropez - that’s the true marvel.

----------------------------------------------------


Forget About It.

[html:13662112a8]http://66.165.130.95/images/TA293.jpg[/html:13662112a8]
So there’s this bus accident somewhere in Tamil Naadu. All the passengers perish except one, a girl in her twenties, fair bordering on red, in a province of dark-to-very-dark people. Imagine.

The village doctor, Anantaramakrishnan, inheritor of Thaatha Kittiya Aaspaththiri and “Seekiram Kalyaanam Kattikoda” mother named Mangalam (you should have had your pencils out the moment I started this) declares that it is not a skin disorder, that the girl is rosy rosy nejammavae, but she’s forgotten her past, severe concussion, total amnesia, and this bit he keeps to himself: Don’t you just love bus accidents?

Listen to Paruvam Kanindhu (http://raretfm.mayyam.com/mag/paruvam_kaninthu.mp3)

So there’s this Chokkalingam guy now. He’s konjam over in all sorts of usuals - gambling, drinking, women - and the moment he sees the amnesia azhagi, he’s like innum konjam over. In Romance terms, you’ll mark antagonist in the margins right away. It’s been a month and nobody has come to claim the girl, so Chokkalingam is chuffed. O. The day was not far away when he’ll take the sevaththa ponnu for a grand tour of his periya pannai, but until then he’ll just have to choke his desires and bide time. He is aware that he is beginning to creep her out by his unannounced drop-ins at the ICU. You’d think he read those letters as words.

Many years ago, Doc Anant also read a novel by P.V.R. Maybe that’s all he ever read, for he can’t get the name Lavanya out of his head. Why not give that name to the girl who is so out of her head, instead? Genius.

Lavanya has a visitor. Anant’s heart dips and his dreams begin to flat-line. If you say it slowly, one syllable at a time, La-van-ya could be the name of a girl from Kiev. That could be her uncle at L’ Aaspaththiri door. “Indha Ponnu Illainga…” the man says and leaves. False Alarm. Mark it up as dramatic tension. These things happen. Anant grabs more hair-gel and is back in touch with the inner lover boy.

Lavanya is initially, like for two days and one and a half or less pages, very upset about her losing it. But once she’s over saying she doesn’t find it funny (she does so once,) she laughs a lot. They say it can be good medicine, laughter, when taken with a good independent apartment, a teacher’s job, a loan from Bank Anant, full time domestic help and the rosy spell of goodwill and kindness of ingirukiravargal ellaam that only rosyness can beget.

Listen to Naan Paadum Raaga (http://raretfm.mayyam.com/mag/nAn_pAdum_rAgam.mp3)

So there’s like all this talk about Dr. Anant and Lavanya which he claims is all rehabilitation (duet therapy) remember total amnesia (don’t overlook the paradox) it is very fragile, rojapoo maathiri, I mean ava nilai not ava colour…Let it be, mother.

But Chokalingam can choke on it no more. A seasoned predator, he tries the rumour route. Anantalavanya is soon the chant in the sandhu bondhus from here to wherever. Lavanya does not want to bring a bad name to a good (secretly liking bus accidents) doctor and has packed her bags to move to aedho oru oorukku. I mean, she might not even remember the mother and son three months down the road, and could you really blame her? If you think this is all happening too fast, just think how quickly one can forget it all. Total Amnesia! O my!

Mangalam shifts into Subha gear, and Anant and Amnesia girl are simply ah ah aayiram sugam.

Listen to Aha Aayiram Sugam (http://raretfm.mayyam.com/mag/AhA_Ayiram_sugam.mp3)

Chokkalingam over drinks and over eats jaangiri (you can’t make this stuff up!) and dies of cerebral palsy at sixty-five at Anant’s thaatha kattiya aaspiththiri. (Sweetmeats makers everywhere are mighty miffed). And you thought I was punning on his name pejoratively, being deliberately ethnically insensitive, didn’t you? So which part of predictability didn’t you get?

Now one more obstacle, and then we’re looking at loveunna loveunna.

Raghupathi, the husband, whose wife went on a South India tour while he was away in America, his pretty, pretty Uma, she who never came back, o could she be the chevaththa ponnu, that bus vibaththil pooththa roja malar? His carefree, hindi-speaking, sculpture loving, poetry writing, taking a bus without checking the operator’s credentials Uma, such a trusting dimwit, could it be her, his wanderlust or bust, wife?

He leans in closer and what does he hear? Oh, the doctor, the guy who invited him to come and identify his wife is actually going gooey on his patient? His mother approves? They’re like official all over town? What’s this, Malibu Nagar?

Certainly no way to treat an amnesiac, no sir

But Lavanya is truly, madly, blissfully, forgetfully, in la la land, traveling lite, oh the past is all so much baggage baggage (like a badly written romance) and she’s happy to put the burden down and move on. Like author, like character, memory is for those who have time for it. Readers, keepers, yeah?

Raghupathi makes a zero impression when he meets Lavnya/Uma, so he leaves with a commitment to fall more deeply in love with J. Krishnamurthi. Anant falls more deeply in love with Lavanya (and stops scanning the newspapers for items on transport mishaps.) Lavanya falls more and more in love with the perks of forgetting, and for her to know and remember that, that’s immense, it’s like total recall.

ps: [tscii:13662112a8]ͨÁ ²È¢Â¾¡? º¢È¢¾ÇÅ¡ÅÐ?[/tscii:13662112a8]

Listen to Kannil Nin (http://raretfm.mayyam.com/mag/Innale-Kannil_Nin.mp3) (Innale)

(To Be Continued.)


(c) Author 2006

vengayam
7th March 2006, 12:33 PM
Naaz,
The title should have been YUK Part II :x
Even by Vasanthi's standards this seems the pits :!:
Can't fathom why CVS had to choose this story? was he trying to do to amnesia what he did to reincarnation with Nenjam marapathillai :?: :!:
I am curious to know who produced this dud? was it his own Chitralaya, chitrakala or is it the people who produced A Aa( not to be confused with SJ Surya's BF enginra A AA!)
These days Amnesia has found a new variant - short term memory loss. Call it advance of technology or accessibility to your friendly neighbour DVD wallah!!
Seeing "methu vadai "Jayashree--- who shares the same memory slot in my brain with" Bonda" Viji- --- :wink: this movie should have come after "Thendral ennai thodum"
Hospital scenes seem to be ripped off from Kathirundha Kangal or was it Poojaikku vantha malar.
Long live CVS - inspite of YUK !

Naaz
15th March 2006, 11:39 AM
Vengayam -

Enna "Tiffin" Time-aa, when your post was being written? :P

CVS apparently (re)discovered his "love specialist" magic after Thendrale Ennai Thodu (but for the IR and Thengai Srinivasan, this one was all stale air) and YEK was the (almost) immediate product of that breeziness...

Thendrale was a 1985 release (Devi Films?) Appaala came Unai Thedi Varuvaen (1985, banner? his own perhaps?) and adhukkum appaala was YEK (1986, Durga Bhagavathy Films)

3 Films. Bad. Terrible. Never Mind.

Should we call them Sriduds?

Naaz
18th March 2006, 01:20 AM
Jananam was first made in Malayalam as Innale (The Past) and was directed by the renowned, Padmarajan. Vaasanthi mentions this in her introduction to the collection of novellas. The film featured Shobana, Jayaram and Suresh Gopi. I believe the film has landmark status in Malayalam Cinema. I have not seen it.

Perumpavoor G. Raveendranath scored the music for Innale (he collaborated with Padmarajan on one more film, Thoovanathumpikal) and I have a solo from the film to share. I will request the editor to add it to the review above.

Naaz