Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan - Part 5

[Murali Srinivas]

Rakesh,

Excellent. I know that something is cooking when you said that you had been writing the review. But when it got delayed, I thought that you were getting into the nuances. But this angle is different.

Now coming to the film, at the very outset it had a unique thing. An actor playing two different roles but not blood related ones. Though this was earlier tried by Chandrababu, this was the first time it was tried in a mythological film and that too by a Hero.

Rakesh, as you rightly said, the film is out and out based on an argument and if you care to check, the events that unfold on the screen would be so fast paced that you would start to feel that the story is happening on a single day.

I would say APN as a dialogue writer was brilliant. The arguments he advanced on behalf of all the three were interesting and the special attraction was he used them to highlight the situations that were prevailing at that point of time. While talking about Veeram, APN pinpointed the Chinese and the Pakistani aggression that happened a year before the release of SS. [1965 Sep - Pak War and 1966 Sep 3rd - SS release]. The dialogue would be something like this வீரம் மட்டும் இல்லையென்றால் அந்நிய நாட்டான் நமது நாட்டின் மீது படை எடுக்கிறான், நமது பகுதியை வசமாக்கி கொள்ளப் பார்க்கிறான்.

Kannadasan's pen had a field day for this movie. The lyrics were extraordinary. The one you left out, Kalviyaa Selvamaa Veeramaa, had seperate charanams for all the three. Especially the lines

படித்தவன் கருத்தெல்லாம் சபை ஏறுமா; பொருள்
படைத்தவன் கருத்தானால் சபை மீறுமா;
படித்தவன் படைத்தவன் யாராயினும்
பலம் படைத்து விட்டால் அவனுக்கு இணையாகுமா

summarised the happenings of the world.

அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் was a class on its own. Kannadasan had once said that it was a challenge thrown by APN at him when he asked him to start every line with a உயிரெழுத்து. Mama tuned the lyrics after it was written. TMS was at his very best. But of course that one man simply beat all of them hands down.

Regarding Rani Maharani, it was included for the common man (like பார்த்தா பசு மரம்) and that proved a great hit.

Vidyapathi was created out and out for NT. The transformation from a dumb to the man with a gift of the gab was superbly done by NT. The make up and the costume and the hair do all added up. Especailly the blue silk costume. The entire theatre would be waiting for that moment. When KRV asks the pulavar to be brought in, the question GG asks and KRV replies would add pep.

யாரந்த புலவர்?

வருவார் பாருங்கள்.

காமிரா திரும்ப, நடையிலே நூறு வகை காட்டியவன் ராஜ நடை நடந்து உள்ளே நுழைந்து, ராகேஷ் சொன்னது போல எனக்கு முன் நீங்கள் எல்லாம் எம்மாத்திரம் என்ற பார்வையை முகத்திலே தவழ விட்டு அங்கே வீசப்படும் கேள்விகளையெல்லாம் அலட்சியமாக எதிர் கொண்டு இறுதியில் சிறை தண்டனை பெற்று போகும் வரை அங்கே அரங்கேறும் ஸ்டைல் யாராலும் வெல்ல முடியாத ஒன்று.

ஆலய தரிசனத்தின் போது ராணியின் கண்கள் அலை பாய்வதை கண்டு ஒரு விஷம புன்னகையுடன் "அங்கொரு கண்ணும் இங்கொரு கண்ணும் ஆலய வழிப்பாடில்லை" என்று பாடுவது. இப்படி சொல்லிக் கொண்டே போகலாம்.

One interesting info was in the climax, when the elephant comes for beheading Vidyapathi, NT acted without dupe. You could see him lying down when the elephant lifts his leg. Ganesha was aware of Ganesan and no harm came.

Rakesh, never thought that I am going to write down so much when I opened the PC. Your post made me to.

Regards

PS: Rakesh, saw beautiful Devika and majestic NT recently.

PS 2: Senthil, sorry. Work pressure. Would try to contibute as much as I could.