Vansh..adhuvum 1992! :rotfl: indha maadhiri posters namma Jaishankar kaalathulaye stop pannittom.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cudK8MwW64...9_bi_vansh.jpg
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Vansh..adhuvum 1992! :rotfl: indha maadhiri posters namma Jaishankar kaalathulaye stop pannittom.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cudK8MwW64...9_bi_vansh.jpg
Rogith settiAr pazhaya remake patthi ellAm kavalayE padAma, ippa remake paNNuvAr, adhuvum Ajay devagan-ai vachu...
Here I am offering my head, get the guillotine ready Mani-fans. My blog post on Mani:
Mani Rathnam: Of Sexism and Homoeroticsm.
Tamil film industry is known for glorifying the mediocre, simply because there are very few greats. This holds true for directors especially after K. Balachander decided to stop being awesome and make a couple of films with Suhasini.
I mentioned Suhasini to do a “speaking of Suhasini” schtick simply because I wanted to talk about Mani Rathnam this time.
Why? Well, simply because he is touted as India’s greatest director by many and I wanted to convince myself, knowing well that nobody’s gonna agree, that he is not. Truth is, he had a shot to greatness but somewhere he fizzled. More importantly the future might actually remember him as sexist director with slight fascination with homoeroticms at the time when women broke the goddam glass ceiling, climbed up the iron ladder and knocked the male CEOs off their chair with wooden ladle.
Blatant accusation, you say? Hallo, this is a blog and usually that’s what it’s for. Plus no one would read this considering he has no release or health issue currently.
So, if you dare, go ahead, enrage yourself here
Lacks the punch, grouch. Fatherhood effects, eh? You wanted to know about the females in Dil Se. There are two of them. One of them has a hoary childhooda, abused by. soldiers and seething within. As if that was not enough, she has Shahrukh Khan doing his monkey tricks around her - you know the routine where he woos unsuspecting young women - and trying to convince her of his "immortal love" for her. The other one, unmindful of the said Khan's moroseness owing to lack of any signal from his love, gets engaged to him. Bubbly characterAmAm. And one of the ladies decides to cleanse the world of a "dancing, prancing, stammering, quivering general nuisance of a superstar". She achieves this by simultaneously performing the tricks of a) exploding a belt bomb - attached to her waist b) embracing the said nuisance superstar. Thus leaving the other lady a fiancee short. How does that sound?
All the more convinced now. Thanks for honest criticism, plum, always valued. I guess Fatherhood it is (poor quality writingku ithellam oru excuse-adA grouch?).
Trivia that you are not interested in: yours truly travelled 4 floors down a lift (all alone) with Priety Zinta in Green Park, hyderabad during her visit to Hyd for Dil Se promotions. I could tell you of my 25 seconds with Priety Zinta...
Groucho,
Your take on Mani sounds so much like Raja Sen on rediff,meaning this neither as a compliment nor criticism.
Personally,didn't like your writing.
Plum,
Grouch might not be interested but I am in the trivia.Go ahead and put in words those 25 seconds.
25 seconds?
liftla ellaam chaina pudichu pullamudiyaadhaa?
lift repair-lAm aagAma ponadhu unga unlucky..Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
Thought you were kidding and then you got serious in the end of the piece. So :confused2:
Cinefan - 25 secondla enna paNNa mudiyin. I could tell you about my 25 seconds with Priety Zinta in two words - nothing happened :). Anyway, adhumpEru kooda theriyAdhu appO, remember this was before release of Dil Se. Lift-ai vittu veLila varachE dhaan vada indhiya nanbargaL excite Agi sonnAnga. Lift-la irundha varaikkum EdhO kozhuk mozhuk vada indhya maidhaa maavungaRa rangela dhaan register Achu. Namakku eppOvumE taste Kerala and Bengal pakkam dhaan. North indies generally rejetted
caburys perk ad paathirundheenganaa neenga kandippa chaina pudichu ilutthu lifta nirutthirupeenga.Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
:clap:...Quote:
Ratnam's Raavanan part of Austrian Film Museum
Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam's Raavanan is now part of the permanent collection at the Austrian Film Museum, which has so far only 15 Indian films in its list.
Alexander Horwath, director of the museum, was trying to get a copy of "Raavanan" ever since he saw it at the Venice Film Festival where Ratnam received the Glory to the Filmmaker Award in 2010.
"It was a glorious evening and 'Raavanan' was screened after the award ceremony," Horwath said.
Starring Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and southern star Vikram, the bilingual was released in 2010 -- the Hindi version was titled "Raavan" and Tamil one was called "Raavanan".
"Raavanan" is one of the 25,500 films already in the collection of the museum that is also home to a library with more than 20,000 books and over 200 magazine titles covering a broad range of film related topics. Horwath, however, regrets out of the thousands of films in his collection only about 15 are from India, including three works of Satyajit Ray and "Veer Zaara".
But he was so enchanted with the film that he saw the Hindi version and remains overawed at Ratnam's scope of engagement with both the literary and mythological aspects of his culture.
"While reading more about the project, I was struck by Ratnam's approach of shifting around the traditional role of a hero and antagonist in the service of a commentary on present day India," adds Horwath.
The museum has been following Ratnam's work since 2003 when a season of popular Indian cinema organised here had included "Dil Se". Horwath has been in touch with Ratnam ever since and is grateful for having received a personal print of "Dil Se" from the director.
Horwath has watched "Najakan" and "Bombay" the other films by Ratnam and finds him a unique figure in Indian cinema for combining a strong interest in current social and political constellations with a spectacular talent for action and musical mise-en-scene and genre filmmaking in general.
He is trying to acquire his favourite director Ritwik Ghatak's films. A full retrospective of Ghatak's films was held here in 2002.
this is how content less movies degrade Indian cinema views across the world. Some bunch of guys sitting in some coffee shop decide and now that's historic masterpiece.. and master's sister piece.??Quote:
Originally Posted by Mahen
Superb post brother. Nail on the head.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dilbert
agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dilbert
AE ethana tava paarthaalum pidicuthu..superb movie...Surya Ubercool,Maddy great performancehttp://www.happylounge.net/styles/de...s/thumbsup.gif
cinematograpy for each character..green, red ,blue Ravi K chandranhttp://www.happylounge.net/styles/de...notworthy_.gif
Sid,trisha romance scenes also good..ennaala inthapadathula kuraiyae kandu pudikka mudilae...
Trish subtle acting moreover own voice nallairukku......enakku therinju trisah nadicha padangal VTV and AE
Arr's BGM in this scene http://www.happylounge.net/styles/de...ilies/clap.gif..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRDmsUpGrc
For Surya,one of the Best ever intro for hero sema punch and BGMhttp://www.happylounge.net/styles/de...smokesmirk.gif
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUpkTDwN2Dw
worst clarity in you tube
Agreed..Everyone was superb including Bharathiraja..Maddy-Surya confrontation scenes ellam :smokesmirk: This is one of the rear movies Surya's acting was natural :) First mani movie shot in live sound
another superb scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnnmkXMN7JY&feature=related
ya bharatraja-surya confrontations equally good as maddy-surya...
have to admit that i was fan of micheal surya that time.androgen-oestrogen love definition,final nappier bridge fight ..epic list goes on only blackmark - isha deol
Agreed on all the above comments on AE, including the one that says Surya was natural in this film. :)
Carbon copy of karthik intro in mounaragam ..Quote:
Originally Posted by Parthyy
nd of course, AE is maddy's best acting so far... bt, i lik alaipayuthe Karthick than Inba.. :smokesmirk:
Nobody can beat alaipayuthe Karthick (in terms of romance nt acting..)
My list of Mani's best romantic movies..
1. Alaipayuthe
2. Mouna raagam
3. Pagal Nilavu
4. Aayutha ezhuthu
way stunts choreographed,simple yet stylish with punches with killer BGM stands out makes it fresh ,dont give dejavu feel at all .Quote:
Originally Posted by Anban
Iruvar – The Doomed Masterpiece
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer perhaps knew somewhere at the back of his mind that the political saga he was about to embark on after the hugely successful BOMBAY, could be doomed for failure. What he perhaps never imagined was that he was about to create a cinematic masterpiece so brilliant and haunting, neither government, nor box-office could prevent it from engraving itself in the hearts and minds of Indian cinephiles. IRUVAR was bold, not just for it’s fictionalized exploration of the epic M.G. Ramachandran – M. Karunanidhi relationship, but for the cinematic trends Mani Ratnam chose to break, or as some may argue, return to.
The 90s were the age of A.R. Rahman’s Muqabla and Humma Humma. Shankar had stormed into the scene with a string of commercial spectacles. Audiences preferred action and gimmickry to the more simplistic, script and character-oriented family dramas that dominated the earlier years. Technology had taken over the Kodambakkam film industry and filmmaking became an excuse to play with these new toys. Audiences didn’t seem to mind either, for to be awed and nothing less, they went to the movies. Star or not, every producer was making money.
And then there was Mani sir. Neither Kollywood’s newly acquired toys, nor Rahman’s rhythms fascinated him anymore. At a time when theatres boasted of their gargantuan cinemascope screens, Ratnam stuck his middle finger up and shot his film in a classical 4:3 aspect ratio, unthinkable in an industry that has refused to even consider anything lesser than scope for decades. While other filmmakers flew to exotic, colourful, foreign locations to shoot their songs, Mani sir chose to stay home and shoot them in Black & White. Rahman’s synthesized sounds and loops were replaced with veenas and violins, thavils and timpanis, brasses and bass.
In what was perhaps the riskiest of casting decisions, Ratnam cast a living legend to play a past one. Such is the brilliance of Mohanlal’s layered performance that minutes into the film, you forget the thespian’s persona and are sold on Anandan being MGR. Equal to the task was the relative rookie Prakash Raj as Tamizhchelvan (M. Karunanidhi) who would go on to win the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for his career-defining performance. Prakash Raj was selected after talks with the initial choice, Nana Patekar failed, following rejection of the role by several thespians such as Mammootty, Kamal Haasan and Mithun Chakraborty. A magical ensemble surrounded this duo, each leaving behind a memorable presence regardless of screen time. Be it Revathy as Tamizhchelvan’s demure wife or Gauthami as the abused heroine seeking refuge at Anandan’s home, the detailing in their acts is impeccable. Lest we forget the mesmerising Tabu in her cameo as Tamizhchelvan’s lover, or Nasser commanding his scenes as Aiyya, the Anna Durai character. And yes, there was Aishwarya Rai too, making her feature film debut, impressive, yes, impressive, in a spunky double role.
Ratnam plays out the political saga linearly, starting from Anandan’s days as a struggling actor to his chance meeting with Tamizhchelvan in a studio set that sets the foundation for a friendship that would change the very nature of politics in Tamil Nadu. Prakash Raj’s role may have been slotted in a Supporting Actor category, but let it not disguise the fact that IRUVAR narrates a parallel story of two men, not just a sole protagonist. Ratnam chronicles Anandan and Tamizhchelvan’s rise in cinema and politics respectively through the first act, laying the seeds for a meeting of political ideology and influence. Tamizhchelvan writes politically and nationalistically charged lines which Anandan heroically performs on screen, sending Tamil Nadu’s cinema-mad public into frenzy. Anandan is the face of the fervor, his fans willing to dance to his every tune, yet he doesn’t know it. Tamizhchelvan spots a man capable of defining history and in what is perhaps one of the film’s most exhilarating scenes, strips Anandan off all his innocence, giving him his first raw taste of power.
Anandan tastes power for the first time.
Yet, Tamizhchelvan fears for the corruption of politics by cinema, opposing the party’s decision to recruit Anandan as a member. The stage is set for a brewing ideological clash between two best friends, held together by one man, Aiyya (Anna Durai). In one of the most telling scenes of the film, Ramani reminds Anandan that he is late for a political rally, only to realize he already knows it. Anandan takes Kalpana (based on Jayalalithaa) along for the ride, strategically making his entrance at the rally in the middle of Tamizhchelvan’s speech, just to test his power. When Tamizhchelvan denies him a ministry position, Anandan knows he has what he needs to fly solo.
Testing his power.
The epic battle scales heights Anandan and Tamizhchelvan perhaps never imagined it would. In the midst of it all, Ratnam fashions a scene of stupendous poignancy where the friends who have turned foes come face to face. The mastery of Mohanlal’s and Prakash Raj’s performance speaks volumes without any words about the war which has become bigger than them, escalated to a point of no return.
While IRUVAR is a fictionalized account of the MGR-Karunanidhi tale, Ratnam doesn’t shy away from anecdotal references. Like MGR, Anandan is shown to have Keralite roots, he is accidentally shot by a reigning villain during a movie shoot, MGR’s move to provide every unemployed man with a cycle-rickshaw to earn a living is referenced in a song, even the oft-heard rumour of Jayalalithaa bearing an uncanny resemblance to MGR’s first wife is blatantly played out with the casting of Aishwarya Rai in a double role. And this very quality of the film was perhaps its undoing, for Ratnam failed to fictionalize his script enough to escape the wrath of political parties. The film was initially denied a censor certificate by a cowardly board that seemed more vested in the interests of references to politicians still in the game. IRUVAR was eventually cleared by a special revision committee, with severe dialogue cuts, which Ratnam would mask with Rahman’s scintillating score, edited for dramatic impact. Despite the clearance, politicians threatened legal and physical action if “objectionable” portions on the Dravidian movement weren’t removed. Mani Ratnam did not relent, but eventually, exhibitors did. Was it political vendetta that forced them to do so, or a dumbed down audience more interested in the kind of political film where a man becomes Chief Minister for a day, jumps on buses and beats the living daylights out of goons, we may never know.
What we do know is that IRUVAR, for its craft and Mani Ratnam’s fearlessness, is a landmark in Tamil cinema. Santosh Sivan’s majestic frames are studied by cinephiles all over India even today. Who needs cinemascope for a film to look epic? Ratnam and Sivan reinforced that the classical ratio still stood firm as the frame to capture the most expressive compositions. Sivan deservedly won the National Award for Best Cinematography for his work. Be it the previously cited scene of Anandan realizing his power or the one where he speaks on stage with the camera circling around during the speech, Sivan’s work blended the classical style of the early days with movements better known to the post-modern era. Yet, it is his use of natural light in static interior compositions and spectacular deep-focus photography, rarely ever seen in Indian films such as in the scenes below that exemplify his mastery.
Composition and Use of Natural Light in Interiors
Spectacular Deep-Focus Cinematography
The scene Santosh Sivan fanboys swear by. Score takes over dialogues that censors killed.
Equally significant is Suresh Urs’ editing which never allows a dull moment in a film clocking in at 2 hours and 38 minutes. The juxtaposition of shots is as meticulous as the shots themselves, allowing performances to play out, milking each for emotion to the maximum. The concept of “less is more” has never been exemplified better in Indian cinema editing, as Urs is never insecure about staying on shots without cutting away, as long as the shot itself is enhancing and diversifying the value of the scene. It remains a pity Urs’ edit was marred by censor cuts. The recently deceased Art Director Samir Chanda often goes unmentioned in discussions on IRUVAR and inexplicably so. The detailing of the time period is dexterous and impeccable. From the movie sets that Anandan shoots in to the detailing of the exteriors, Chanda’s work is exemplary.
IRUVAR sees Mani Ratnam speak a cinematic language that is perhaps still alien to a majority of the Tamil mainstream audience. Yet, he maintains a mainstream format of filmmaking, replete with lip-sync song interludes, which he uses craftily as part of his narrative. One of the most eye-popping of them is the politically charged “Udal mannukku, uyir thamizhukku” interlude, voiced by actor Arvind Swamy, shot in stunning Black & White, in angles and compositions reminiscent of a Kurosawa battle scene, which finishes with a rousing ovation at a local movie theatre.
A.R. Rahman brings back the style of the 50′s and 60′s in much of the songs with nasally sung melodies, heavy use of the accordion and harmonica, and even a superlative exploration of jazz and the blues in Hello Mr. Ethirkatchi and Vennila Vennila respectively, the latter sung to utmost perfection by the amazing Asha Bhosle. It is often argued that at times the songs hamper IRUVAR’s flow, at one point, two of them literally popping up back to back. But the music and picturization are so wonderful, Ratnam makes it difficult for viewers to keep up their complaints.
Fifteen years after IRUVAR’s release, or close to forty years since its setting, the film remains topical even today. The DMK-AIADMK rivalry in Tamil Nadu still prevails, the inseparable relationship between politics and cinema still plagues creativity, Tamil filmmakers still fear to tackle mature, political subjects, while the audience has moved towards patronizing a brand of cinema that couldn’t be farther away from what Ratnam attempted with this film. Yet, IRUVAR will live on, not just as Mani Ratnam’s greatest and boldest film till date, but also the only, albeit unofficial cinematic account of Tamil Nadu’s political history.
As I conclude this recollection of my favourite Tamil film of all time, I’d like to showcase the excerpt below that exemplifies every aspect of IRUVAR’s craft, and ends with the film’s single-most memorable line.
Read more reviews on MANI RATNAM BLOGATHON:
1. Pallavi Anupallavi (Kannada) 2. Unaroo (Malayalam) 3. Pagal Nilavu (Tamil) 4. Idaya Kovil (Tamil) 5. Mouna Ragam (Tamil) 6. Nayagan Tamil) 7. Agni Natchathiram (Tamil) 8. Geethanjali (Telugu) 9. Anjali (Tamil) 10. Thalapathi (Tamil) Take 2 Thalapathi (Tamil) 11. Roja (Tamil) 12. Thiruda Thiruda (Tamil) 13. Bombay (Tamil) 14. Iruvar (Tamil) Take 2 Iruvar (Tamil) 15. Dil Se…(Hindi)
http://madaboutmoviez.com/2012/04/05...d-masterpiece/
:bow:..superb review..Iruvar was definitely Mani's best..For me, it scores above nayagan..Kamal refused Prakash Raj's character ? :( Whoa imagine if it was Mohanlal vs Kamal :smokesmirk:
I was really privileged to have met Mani Rathnam in person. I attended the function organized by Landmark Chennai for the release of his films on DVD, just after the release of AE. Madhavan, Surya, PC Sreeram, Keerthana and a few others also joined. It was a great evening and I also won a personally autographed DVD (some audience giveaways) of Roja for answering a question. Of late, I really hated Ravanan - it could be Suhasini's dialogues that were jarring - and I hope Kadal is worth it.
PAgal Nilavu - not bad at all. oru masala padamnA, ippa varra punchu filmsku idhai evLavO thAngalAm. (evLavO padathula orE sagikkable vishayamA irundha aNNan comedy, indha padathula most unsahikkable aspect of the movieyAga iruppadhu oru unusual happening)
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...85735324_n.jpg
புதிய மன்னர்கள் படப்பிடிப்பின் போது நடிகர் விக்ரமிற்கு "பம்பாய்"படத்தில் நடிப்பதற்காக இயக்குனர் மணிரத்னத்திடம் இருந்து ஸ்க்ரீன் டெஸ்டிற்கு வரச்சொல்லி அழைப்பு வந்துள்ளது.
காலையில் மனிஷாகொய்ராலாவுக்கு ஸ்டில்ஸ் எடுத்த பின்னர், மாலையில் விக்ரமிற்கு ஸ்டில்ஸ் எடுத்துள்ளார்கள். கன்டினியூட்டி பிரச்சனைக்காக புதிய மன்னர்கள் படத்திற்காக வளர்த்த தாடியுடன் கொஞ்சம் டென்ஷனாகவே அந்த ஸ்டில் செஷனில் பங்கேற்றுள்ளார்.
ஜெல் போட்டுப்பார்த்தும் விக்ரமிற்கு, அந்த தாடி முரடான தோற்றத்தையே தந்துள்ளது, மணிரத்னம் எதிர்பார்த்த மென்மையான தோற்றம் அமையவில்லை. கடைசியில் I will tell you என்று அனுப்பியுள்ளார்.
அதுவரை எளிதில் சந்திக்க முடிந்த மணிரத்னத்தை அதன் பின்னர் தொலைபேசியில் கூட தொடர்பு கொள்ள முடியாமல், மனம் உடைந்துபோனாரம் விக்ரம்..
My top list of Mani sir movies...Difficult to list in rating order.. i have rated according to my personal impact...
1. Alai payuthe
Reason :
The reason of being 1st is simple. If u take any tamil romantic movies from 1930 to till now, do u think any movies can come close to AP..
U can ask wt abt mounaraagam… tats only part (karthik-20 mins.) of the movie.. Otherwise both AP nd Mounaraagam wil be the same rank..
2. Iruvar
Reason :
Actually I don’t hav interest in political movies… This is the first movie I impressed a lot.. Wt a dialogues nd the same delivered by Prakash raj..
The kavithai delivered by Prakashraj
"unnodu naan vaazhtha ovvoru manithuliyum…marakka mudiyathu kanmaniye":clap::bow:
nd the climax 10 min. dialogue is best of the decade.. :clap:
3. Geethanjali
Reason :
First romantic movie which made me cry a lot.. Best supported by Raja sir songs.. :bow:
4. Thalabathi:
Reason :
So many times I told the reasons…
Most of the scenes r best of the decade one...
One of the scene..
While rajini, srividya & jaishankar r praying in temple, train crossed wit sound nd rajni & srividya seeing the train nd both eyes filled up wit tears...
No dialogues.. no single word.. but most emotional scene...tats mani .. Whenever am seeing tis scene my eyes become wet..
"Chinna thaayaval"- One of top 3 of amma songs..:bow:
another one is, when sridevi comes to rajni house nd rajni is crying wit emotional on her lap... best one.. :bow:
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthrea...l=1#post884117
5. Mounaraagam
Reason :
Close to Alaipayuthe.. Both the plot of AP nd Mounaraagam is same..However I luv AP more than Mounaraagam..
6. Nayagan
Reason :
Close to Thalabathi.. Bt thalaivar acting is far better than kamal in naayagan…
7. Roja & Bombay
Reason :
The plot of both movies r the same.. Bt I lik Roja than Bombay..
The beauty of the Roja movie is without the first half (Madhubala nd Arvind fight due to her sister marriage cancelled nd Arvind telling the reason, y he selected her..), the second half wont make impact on u…
The reason is told in first half hw much Madhu is loving arvind, so v too getting worrying moments along wit Madhu when she is chasing the location of Arvind…
If the luv story (first half) is nt there, then the scene of madhu searching wont make impact on u.. Tats mani sir magic…
8. Anjali
Reason :
One nd only Baby Shamili…
9. Kannathil muthamittal:
Reason :
The narration of story betn a mother nd her child..
10. Guru
Reason :
No other movie did tell a real businessman story in tis effective manner..
Other movies lik Thiruda thiruda, Agni natchathiram, Dil se , Aayutha Ezhuthu & Raavan r ok type one...
Idhayakoil--- I dint c yet..
i can write reviews for all the movies in detail.. bt lazy ya irukku.. :(
Ethanai paer vanthalum mani mani thaan.. No one can substitute him..:smokesmirk:
Frndship, Sentiment,action,mass,class,etc., .. ellam category yelum mani sir nalla pannirapparu...:)
It's very difficult to find another character that has been etched with so much charm and grace as Karthik's character in Mounaragam. Antha oru reasonkagga MR is my favourite MR movie.
// only Alaipayuthe Madhavan is possible to karthick's charm...
ThaLAbadhi - underrated, flawed - but still a gem.
It is not easy for any director to direct a Rajini film with equal footage for another hero and pull it off as a "Director's movie". Among the very few directors who have done this Mani Ratnam stands on his own. The movie is special to me because it opened up a lot of consciousness about some technical elements as well as BeeGeeEm. However it is too simplistic to leave the movie by mentioning just this much - because this is a movie where one got to see the screen light up with visuals and sound that gave full meaning to the word "action drama".
The movie set a trend from conception to theatre release thanks to Late G.Venkateshwaran. The first thing to capture the attention of the viewer was the title design. Hitherto an area paid scant respect to - GV and Mani changed the game by indulging "karisal" raaja to come up with a innovative title design - A blood splattered graffiti - that hinted at the violence in the content - It was so striking that I wasted entire back sections of many notebooks trying to write it exactly as seen on posters. A Friend of mine went some steps ahead and did it in water colours bringing to life the exact same "splatter effect".
If someone had been a staunch rajini hater - even that individual was forced to go watch it in theater after seeing the spectacular - yet lilting love ballad "Sundari". Thus I went in to the dark hall of Sri Brinda Theater in Perambur to watch my favourite stars and star director create magic on celluloid. There was a tinge of suspicion on Mani after seeing the climax of Anjali - some of my friends were vehment in labeling Mani a "morbid film maker" who would give a lease of life to cancer patients and heart patients (In Idhayaththai thirudaadhe) but deny the same to poor little angel Anjali. So as a Rajini fan I went in with prayers and hope that Mani does not do that to my leading man - super star - though the previous star he handled - ended up with a bullet to his chest (remember velu nayakar?).
Then the movie started - not with a good samaritan hero flying in to prevent a attempted rape or something like that we Rajini fans have been used to - but a young girl sending off a baby on a goods train - could hear catcalls of "Karnan padathai copy adichuttaan" by some wise a** movie goers - disregarding that the movie drew me in with all the techniques that was at its disposal.
First and foremost - santosh sivan with his sepia tinged cinematography that created a fictional town with Devarajan and Soorya ruling the roost. his camera would recreate Mani's kurosawa dream on a spectacular scale while magnifying a little jasmine bud to equally spectacular splendour.
Ilaiyaraaja - needless to say - songs or BeeGeeEm - this was Raaja's fantastic parting gift to Mani. The BGM pieces had a character of their own - be it the menacing slithering sound for Kalivaradhan or triumphant clarion call for Devaraj- Soorya friendship or the silken touch of "sundari" played in various combinations. But Chinnathaayaval's haunting flute and train sound took the cake as far as maximum effect is concerned.
Actors - Rajini - mammootty - srividya -Jaishankar- shobana in that order they responded to mani's camera angles with controlled expressions - just the right amount. It was particularly refreshing to see Rajini play a character with some complex, some guilt - yet with a lot of fire - the character we all well know as "karna" - a hero marked by gigantic failures rather than successes. Rajini gave us all the glimpse of his "johnny days" in 90s. His simple small town fighter represented a common man up against the senseless system - more a thematic reprisal of who Velu nayakar was - but none of the similarities were felt by the viewer and that rendering showed what a professional he was.
But towering above everything else was director Mani ratnam - who showed how he can give one scene to fans and one to himself - sure it irritated to see a baby faced "pilaka" Arvind swamy say "Kaththi mudichaachaa" to that wonderful monologue of Rajini beginning with "eppavaavadhu soathukku vazhi illaama kashtapatrukeengaLA" but one has to admire that guts in a director to cut his hero short when needed to - particularly if he is the avatar of "Karna" - a man who was cut and insulted all his life..
Wish to write more on this flawed masterpiece...
arumai, jai, arumai :clap:
Mammotty and others proved how.... line vittu pOcha? :roll:
Great post, jaiganes!
Expecting more on your next post :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by jaiganes
: padthae padthae love ho jai :
i had typed up something in a notepad after tenali vs thalabadhi - ellaam delete aachu - so this is a quick writeup from memory minus the vitriolic repartees at tenali comparison.Quote:
Originally Posted by KV
Threads of ThaLabadhi:
ThaLabadhi takes the theme of mahabaratha and unearths his plot of individuals rebelling against establishment.
Establishment here refers not only to the administrative and "law-Order" machinery - but against social and familial establishments.
Like the mother - father power symbols within family - Surya finds his family - but when it asks him to forego his chosen path against his friend, he rejects.
While his lover is shown unable to break free of her father - who represents establishment at that level.
Devaraj - the don is also a symbol of 'establishment' - but when he accepts Surya as a change agent, the law & order machinery that was hitherto comfortable
with his power position becomes uncomfortable and comes down heavy - even if it means taking the help of Kalivaradhan..
The real villain is the faceless establishment that provides no accountability but demands ultimate adherence to order from the public. ThaLabadhi is Mani's attempt to insert this in the template of an 'action-drama' - It is clever because Rajini image of late 80s has been always a 'pro-establishment' do gooder - a image and mantle he borrowed from MGR and Mani - subverts to provide his 'anarchist' message into the movie..
The climax is a messed-up communion of all forces..
Imagine a subverted version where the abandoned child passes civil services and becomes the collector, while the child the mother raised becomes a second in chief to a corrupt man. I'd not make a overblown violent purgent film about it though, I'd make it more like Secrets and Lies.. Where they kiss and make up in the end. I'd call it an adaptation, why not.