Here is the structural framework (three act structure) of the movie Petta that tries to elaborate the form used to tell the story. It tries to determine the key conflict by defining the main characters while including briefly the setting and the events. The below account does not explore character backgrounds and personalities, neither registers the duration of each ACT; and the Resolution is kept low key in order not to expose the cinematic experience – ‘watch the feature in theaters’.
Inciting Event: Goons equipped heavily with sharp weapons assemble on the aisle before the huge wooden door shutting them from accessing the altar room of the Great Church. Hearing noises from inside, the goons excitedly discuss that their comrades have pulled the line of life of The Warden, who is their assigned target. But the picture through the painted glass windows portrays a different account of happenings. Looking at the men landing hard on the classical organ and shattering the instruments into pieces just like their bones being crushed by the fall, they panic. After discovering that their target is taking their associates for a ride of their lives, they hurriedly use a pew to break the wooden door open.
A silhouette passes by behind them extinguishing the burning candles. A mysterious man stands holding a candelabrum and moves swiftly towards the new pilgrims of the church. While efficiently handling the violent group by hitting them hard with broken objects, the mysterious man is taken by surprise when he is hit hard with a metal object on the head. Before he could react, another blow to his head throws him to the ground. The proud vanqueror calls his boss to inform him that their target is down. He repeatedly confirms the Fall of The Warden, when ... (watch the feature in theaters).
Keywords : Naan veezhven endru ninaithayo
The opening event of the film does not initiate the main conflict, but is used to move the characters into a normal world. However, it is the turning point of the First Act, which briefly opens the main character.
First Plot Point: Through an angel's eye view, we see Kalli arriving at the shelter house of the Great Church. With a slap of his palm on the wooden table, he quickly takes the role of The Warden, and turns chaos into peace. When the civilization resumes to normal, he positions himself on top of the floor as an overlord and orders the students to assemble in front of him. While the young men shuffle, The Warden scrutinizes the gathering next moment his eyes start to float over tears.
Keyword : Nalla miratra kuzhandha
The first plot point has nothing to do with the conflict either. It is about the strange relationship between The Warden and a student. But, once again, it turns around to move the other characters into the normal world.
First Pinch Point: The protagonist (the mysterious man who does by two names Kalli and The Warden) encounters a conflict. He becomes a nightmare for an influential man in the estate. This minor conflict does not expose the main character yet. The character arc of Kalli/The Warden is redrawn keeping intact the mystery behind the personage. Three men observe Kalli/The Warden discretely, when one of them predicts him to be completely dangerous pointing at his seating posture. He bids that the mysterious man knows being watched and will turn around to surprise his watchers. They continue their watch, and … (watch the feature in theaters). To eliminate their nemesis they attack the shelter house of the Great Church at night. When the Warden realizes the assault, he confronts the bushwhackers trapped in the corridor, when ... (watch the feature in theaters).
Keyword : Ullay Poo Daa
Again, this dispute is not the main conflict but is used to introduce the main conflict. It opens the Inciting Event and brings a closure to the Act One by triggering the Act Two. In native language, at the interval, the main conflict has not yet been established.
Second Plot Point (Midpoint): We get a nice moment, in which the mystery surrounding the main character that made the audience to gravitate for Kalli/The Warden is revealed. The main character’s background is exposed with indications to deduce the personality which is an extreme opposite to the initial introduction. Petta’s past and his relationship with other new characters who build up the conflict are elaborated. Several characters enact with the main character to cook up the main conflict that eventually lands them all at a funeral.
Keyword : Yennakum thaan kovam varuthu
Second Pinch Point : Murder at the Moaning (watch the feature in theaters). What seems to be a disaccord between two families, turns into social disunity, and ends up creating a friction leading to vengeance. The witness to the cold blooded murder vows revenge orchestrating a distressful incident.
Keyword : Ottu Ketiyada Nathari
It’s during the Act Two various characters are brought into action that are key to the main conflict, while the characters from the first third of the film have nothing to do with the main conflict.
Third Plot Point: After the revelation, Petta fixes his objective – to find and kill his long time nemesis. He picks up a five men crew and sails to the City of Doom to confront his opponent. The Act 3 is primarily driven by few newer characters who were absent until now in the story or have made a brief appearance during Act One. Analyzing his enemy’s strength and evaluating the risk on attacking him at his own fort, Petta charts a strike plan.
Keyword : Sweet Sapadaporom!
The ACT 3 begins with a songs sequence illustrating the moves taken by Petta. The Third Plot Point is a classic narrative where we get proximity of a low moment (mostly conveyed in the score) but the whole event is a small spot of light (just as the green optical presentation pointer used by one of the character) for the spectacular climax. Even though it may look like a character development happening during the ACT THREE (mainly between three characters (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)), it sets up a stage to resolve the conflict.
Third Pinch Point : Petta decides to divert the security around his enemy’s fort by initiation blasts around and inside his house. Petta and his men enter and take the strong hold into their control and ... (watch the further sequence in theatres).
Keyword : Petta Parrak
Climax: Petta makes yet another revelation (watch the feature in theaters).
Keyword : Kambili Siddhar
Climactic Moment: Petta pulls out his revolver.
Keyword :
Resolution: Choice is yours! (after the interactive climactic moment).
The crow couple, Kaaka and Kaaki, had their nest built on a tree near a river outside the palace. Their happiness doubled when Kaaki laid eggs and Kaaka waited for them to hatch to take his kids for a fly around the palace area. Usually one parent stayed to gaurd the nest, while the other went to pick up food. That evening Kaaka invited Kaaki to have a meal together. When they returned all the eggs were gone. Kaaka flew away to wither his pain, while Kaaki wept at the foot of tree when she saw pieces of egg shells near a hole at the bottom of the tree. The crow couple monitored the burrow and one night they saw a serpent crawling out. The serpent silently climbed the neighbouting tree and stole the eggs. The next morning the crow couple watched the parents moaning over their lost babies with soreness in their eyes.
"My sufferings have transformed into weakness", Kaaki said, "We sit helpless while seeing the serpent destroying our family".
"We shall move far far away, my dear", Kaaka consoled, "Where there will be no one to disturb our harmony".
"There will always be a serpent crawling beneath our feet", saying so Kaaki flew away unable to control her grief.
Kaaka sat and watched the palace, thinking about ways to fortify his home. He knew he cannot win the serpent at war. With tears of vengence enveloping his eyes, he saw the queen walking from the palace to the river surrounded by heavily armed bodygaurds. She took her bath in the river and left back to the palace. This routine happened daily - the couple crow watched a new family crying on top of the tree - unable to support the tragedy, Kaaki flew away and Kaaka watched the queen taking her bath in the river.
One day Kaaka realised the pattern. The princess walked with jewels decorating her body. Her maids gently removed them and placed them near the river. Once the queen had taken her bath, the maids helped her to wear the jewels back. Kaaka smiled.
The next morning, Kaaka stopped Kaaki from flying away and asked her to stay back.
"For what my dear, to see yet another family shattered", she spoke dejected.
"Sirapana, tharamana sambavangala inemel dhaan paaka pora (Wait here my love, to witness the glorious end of the serpent)", saying so Kaaka cirlced around the area where the maids placed the queen's jewels. Men with spears gaurded the jewels, and between their safety circle, Kaaka dived in with full force cutting the wind with his chest and picked up the queen's prestigious ring. Kaaka soar high up, but started to fly lathargically allowing the king's men to chase him. When he reached his home tree, he dropped the ring in the serpent's hole.
One of the gaurd let his hand inside the burrow to look for the ring. He fell back crying loudly and the moment later, he laid dead. Shocked, the others saw a serpent's head peeping out of the hole licking the deadly air with its split tongue.
From the top of the tree, Kaaka and Kaaki saw the serpent receiving devastating wounds, its body punctured by the sparp spears of the king's men.
Por thozhillukku pazhaganam kozhandhai
Last edited by mappi; 20th January 2019 at 09:45 PM.
Man with a gun : I am a religious person. Yes, I pray.
Man without a gun : What is the favourite part that you like in your religion ?
Man with a gun : Resurrection.
Man without a gun : After you pull that trigger, pray for me not to return.
Bang!
[extracts from 'Sivaji, That's What They Say', A Curry Western by mappi (2015)]
Petta - Flourish to Fall
The violent night turns chaotic when sirened vehicles approach the hostel building and the man in charge briskly walks onto the corridor, which was scattered with scared students. Without waiting to take his breath he asks to a ramdom student, "Where is he ?" Learning that the Mysterious Man is lying wounded on the floor above him, the man in charge collapses on the bench that hugged the wall. It was the turn of the replier to shoot the question, "Who is he?" The man in charge takes his time and what begins as a chuckle turns into a chortle as the reply.
Another man, miles away from where the Mysterious Man laid bleeding, utters a name inbetween his maniacal laughter.
Yet another bearded man, miles away in distance and time from where the Mysterious Man laid bleeding, calls out the same name.
The nameless unify to name the Mysterious Man. And Petta Parrak it is.
***---***
"How do you intend to kill him ?" he asked his son Jithu.
"With explosives. He may have escaped last time. If I don't succeed this time, you may bury me", Jithu replied.
"Bury you is what I shall do if you fail this time", he smiled at Jithu.
***---***
"Have you known your mother", he asked Jithu.
"She died while giving birth to me", Jithu replied
"Jithu, I am your father", he declared to Jithu.
***---***
"Am I your son ?", Jithu asked his father seated on the floor by his feet.
"Of course you are, my child", late came the reply. "Did you meet him", he asked Jithu.
"Yes", affirmed Jithu.
"Lies is what he is. If lie wants to lie, it shall callout his name. Beware of him, the one who alleges himself to be your father", he tapped Jithu on his shoulders.
***---***
"Beleive in what you want. Truth and lie speak in the same manner, very hard to distinguish, but lie is always a step ahead of truth to prove itself superior", he warned Jithu. He looked at Jithu with compassion filled in his eyes and said, "Tonight, don't sleep tight".
***---***
"To reach the belly of the beast, you should get through its mouth", Jithu told his father. He walks into the mouth of the beast with explosives and plants one right inside the belly of the beast.
***---***
"'Yen kooda sernthu koothaadum nezhalum'", Petta laughed derisively. "The Dancing Shadows. Have you ever noticed your shadow dancing under the street lamplight", he asked him. Singaram looked around as though the words to coin his reply were hanging all around the room. Before him to his left was Anwar. Before him to his right stood Jithu. Right in front of him Petta stood looking straight into his eyes without a blink.
Seeing Singaram having no words, Petta charged to exhibit the energy of words, "Right under the light, the shadow is the densest, but also the tiniest. When you start to move, the shadow slowly grows infront of you. It becomes bigger and bigger, but also, thinner and thinner. As the shadow grows longer and thinner in front of you, another shadow emerges behind you that grows bigger and bigger behind you. When the shadow in the front thins out, the shadow behind gets closer and closer to you as you reach the the light of the next lamppost. Let's say that the man standing underneath the first lamppost is you when you murdered my family. You felt strong and content. You started to flourish as the shadow in front of you grew bigger just like your pleasure in killing, but at the same time pain was on its way, represented by me as the shadow behind you growing bigger and stronger as the shadow of fame in front of you gets thinner and shorter. We are now at the midpoint between the lampposts. The pain is so great it outweighs your delight. And with every step forward your pleasure dissolves and I intensify behind you. Finally, the pain is so unbearably intense that I have to act, so when you reach the point with the next lamp in zenith, I kill you. In between the lampposts, you flourish to fall, just like the dancing shadows."
Singaram looked bewilderedly at Jithu and then at Petta.
Bang!
***---***
"What you said is point Jithu. But before entering the mouth of the beast, one has to face the beast first. Being alive after facing the beast is like rebirth", Petta lectured Jithu. Looking at the confusion on Jithu's face, Petta continued, "An unknown saint once told - A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, and there ain't no running from it". He pulled Jithu gently and thrusted his shoulders with both his hand to make him sit on the sofa. He pulled a flipped chair nearer to Jithu and sat on the blade of the seat and held to the legs of the chair as a support. Seated over his new throne, Petta looked down straight into the soul of Jithu and said, "A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies."
Bang!
Petta - Icon
Last edited by mappi; 27th January 2019 at 08:29 AM.
Good to see your "relentless" posts for years .. your thoughts on Darbaar ?
Om Namaste astu Bhagavan Vishveshvaraya Mahadevaya Triambakaya Tripurantakaya Trikalagni kalaya kalagnirudraya Neelakanthaya Mrutyunjayaya Sarveshvaraya Sadashivaya Shriman Mahadevaya Namah Om Namah Shivaye Om Om Namah Shivaye Om Om Namah Shivaye
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