Sindhanai Selvar Dr.Kamal HaasaR - favourite movies,scenes 2

[P_R]

Nerdf, neenga SKV-yai dhaanE kEkkureeya? ennaiya illaiyE?

I am sonnadhu, Lalwani managed to forget that his South Indian friend was -when he last saw him - heading to Calcutta - which turned out to be the epicenter of violence.
I found that to have some resonance with how Saket - who had a good Muslim friend - went on to be influenced by Hindu-nationalism, because he could buy into a stereotype.

[Nerd]

Yes, to SKV Anyway I got that P_R.

The Marina beach dialock (which again is a stereotype if you think about it) does not equate with this. I mean here, the situation is entirely different. He says theriyin, only becuase he was directly involved and he does not want LalW to stop.

[equanimus]

Anyway to return to Mahanadhi...

But the inward-looking elegiac tone is very much there, no?

What he sees/goes through, is what it is about: காணாத சோகமெல்லாம் கண்கள் கண்டதடி
But there is a wistfulness in காவேரி தீரம் விட்டு கால்கள் வந்ததடி.

So I won't say 'big bad world out there' is a bad reading. A uber-simplistic version being Blessy/Mammootty's film paLunku.
Of course Mahanadhi is so much more. No denying that.

Yes, but I see it not as a larger perspective the film offers but as a reflection of Krishna's feelings, some sort of an inner consistency of the character to put it in even vaguer terms. Disregarding my limitations in articulating this, I do feel there are two arcs to the film in general, one of Krishna's inner journey, two of how the film views his life in some sort of a detached gaze. Having said that, I concede that 'big bad world out there' is not a bad reading but it's a very limiting one.

Very good point.

The interval shot...light...up on a platform with 'minion' heads in the foreground underlines this.
The very next frame is awesome. Old prisoner sawing, Thulukkanam exits the frame uncomfortably. A moment later, we see why. Krishna walks into the frame. The old man says: vaNakkam thalaivA @ the choice of voice.

..and then the cop literally says: nee dhaan thalaivan-nu mudivAnadhukku appuram, poRuppu eduththukkaama irundhA eppadi?

Yes, the interval scene best illustrates this point; also I suppose the primary reason why I thought of the word "headman."

[P_R]

I actually think the Marina line is unfair because TN is relatively more concerned about events in Mumbai/NorthIndies than the other way round. ippadi solradhum oru stereotype/prejudice dhaan. But I'll stick my neck out on this one. But I can see why he used it in the movie. He needed something to anchor the plot happening in Chennai. In 'A Wednesday', the story being placed in Mumbai was more 'natural'. UPO had to go the extra distance to justify the common man. Guwhati (Baruah - oru type-A overpronounce paNNuvaapla; lightA chippA irukkum ), Gujarat-nu extra-bit ellAm pOda vENdi vandhadhu.

[equanimus]

UPO was a bad choice for a Tamil remake. The realignment of the film to the kind of politics Kamal is sympathetic to, was also a non-starter i.e. failure. The only favourable point one can say for the film is that Kamal was a rather apt choice for such a vigilante film with his own history of Indian.

Guwhati (Baruah - oru type-A overpronounce paNNuvaapla; lightA chippA irukkum )

I don't think I even parsed the Guwahati reference, but I vividly recall the funny pronunciation of 'Baruah.' Ha ha ha!

[SoftSword]

UPO did not work with me cos, i never was able to buy the character as a common man, mainly havin kamal in that role.

idhu oru karutthu dhaan....

[P_R]

SS, same for me. But think about it for a moment. None of us had a problem accepting him as a common man in Mahanadhi.
idhu sindhikka vENdiya vishayam allavA

[jaiganes]

He mentions in HR
Lalwani: Road poorA bodies...unakku puriyAdhu nee South Indian
Saket: illai...puriyum

This is a friend who knows Saket was going to Calcutta and was there on Direct Action Day. Still he forgets and the only thing he remembers is the stereotype.

It is not just the "stereotype" - but the very basic knot of the film is how Saket keeps his demons locked up deep inside him.
Even his wife does not know about what happens with him - it is essentially how introvert the calcutta incidents have made him.
Though the graphic lizard gimmick conveys this to some extent, but nothing conveys it better than what you have highlighted.
In many ways it is different from the verbose Kamal thrusting dialogues that discuss such political stuff (similar to the napier bridge sequence in Mahanadhi).
Here it comes in the end when Saket meets Gandhiji - but Gandhiji does most of the talking in his own witty ways (wonderful turn by Naseer).

[SoftSword]

SS, same for me. But think about it for a moment. None of us had a problem accepting him as a common man in Mahanadhi.
idhu sindhikka vENdiya vishayam allavA

lol... idhu naama sindhikka vendiya visayam illa... avar sindhikka vendiya visayam...
there are many reasons why it works in mahanadhi and not here... here the movie expects ppl to take him as a common man, second, maybe if he did this during the mahanadhi time it could hav suited him, but now he has grown in stature as a star and a person...

[P_R]

maybe if he did this during the mahanadhi time it could hav suited him, but now he has grown in stature as a star and a person...

You really think so.
I think he was always a huge star.
ippollAm avar, padangaLil/pAthirangaLil thannOda parsnaalty-yai konjam adhigamAvE channel paNRadhA thONudhu.
VV, UPO, MMA, Govindo san, Nalla.

ivanga ellAraiyum vida enakku pudichcha near-Kamal character: Prof. Selvam
adhula oru idhu irunch.