Review: Kireedam
LOST ACTION HERO
The new Ajith starrer flounders about, trying to make a masala movie out of material more suited to a character-driven drama.
JULY 28, 2007 - IT’S NOT EVERYDAY that a masala movie with an action-star hero leaves you with happy-faced memories of your classrooms from childhood, but here I was after Kireedam, filled with fond flashbacks about being in the fifth standard. This unexpected bolt of nostalgia was triggered by leading lady Trisha (playing Divya), who, in order to incapacitate the hero Shakti’s (Ajith) motorbike, employs the kind of stainless-steel razor blade that was once used as much by adults – seeking the smoothest of skin in an age where the words “disposable� and “shaving products� hadn’t quite been introduced to one another – as by children striving for the perfect pencil point that mere sharpeners could never provide. Too many turns in the sharpener and the pencil point would snap like a brittle twig; too few and the graphite rod would remain stubbornly blunt – and that’s where the razor blade would come in.
With the laser-sharp concentration that could draw hearty nods of approval from South African cutters shaping amorphous chunks of rock into diamonds, we’d sit there – one hand rotating the pencil at an incline, its tip resting against the desk, and the other hand wielding the razor blade in a filing motion that would leave behind the tiniest mound of shiny-black grains. That Trisha extracted this razor blade from a Natraj geometry box – the one with the familiar maroon and blue cover, and with an illustration of the eponymous deity in his dancing pose, as if in reassurance that the fluidity of His movements would translate to the fluidity with which we’d manoeuvre the compass and the divider – further aided this flashback, which, by now, I’m fairly sure has at least some of you wondering whether the many, many inane movies that a critic is forced to endure over the course of a career results in a gradual erosion of brain cells, which might explain why I’m babbling about razor blades and geometry boxes when I should be talking about the movie at hand.
But what does one do when the movie at hand doesn’t offer much else to remember it by? Unless, of course, you want to consider the decision to transform a story about dashed dreams into a masala entertainer – with one-versus-many fights, with dream songs (tuned quite nicely by GV Prakash), with an annoying romantic track that tries way too hard to be “cute� – calculated to please everyone (and, inevitably, ending up pleasing no one in particular). The only way Kireedam could have possibly worked is if it had been made into something like Mahanadhi. This is a similar account of a good man’s struggle to sidestep the below-the-belt punches that fate keeps throwing at him – a sentiment voiced by the battered Shakti as he cries out, “En vaazhkaiyile ellaame ennai meeri nadanthittirukku.� But then no one, today, wants to spend hard-earned money on a downer where the theatres would find it mandatory to throw in a couple of handkerchieves along with each ticket.
At least, that’s what filmmakers like to believe, and that’s why Kireedam begins with an action sequence where a number of convicts who’ve escaped from prison surround the lone cop (Shakti, naturally) who’s on their tail, and instead of pouncing on him when he stops to tie his shoelaces, they wait till he finishes – almost as if complying with an unspoken code of conduct during combat, that thou shalt not take on a defenseless enemy. (Or perhaps, thou shalt pay the Tamil Film Hero the respect He is due.) However, once the bad guys are overpowered, we get to one of first-time director Vijay’s nicer touches (though this may also be an element from the original, a Malayalam movie of the same name) – that all of this has been dreamed up by an upright policeman (a dependably solid Rajkiran, who plays Shakti’s father, and who’s cast opposite Saranya; the couple’s intensity and chemistry from Thavamai Thavamirundhu carry over here, helping their characters attain more heft than you’d otherwise expect from the script). It’s saying something about the culture we live in today that even the flights of fancy of a simple man, who drives a moped to work, are coloured by masala moments. And that, probably, is the whole point of masala cinema, a window to a dream world happily divorced from reality.
This wouldn’t be a problem if Kireedam were indeed just another masala movie – probably starring Vijay, who makes no bones about not wanting depth in his entertainers. And Vijay, the director, does show signs of at least trying to think his way through a genre of filmmaking that’s all too often tossed off in our faces without much thought – especially with the song sequences. There’s a longish scene where Shakti and Divya and their respective families go to a cinema hall (to watch a Rajini movie, what else?), and as they take their seats, Shakti and Divya are right beside each other. Then Divya’s mother, who’s sitting on the other side, complains that the man in front is too tall and she swaps seats with Divya. Soon, Divya’s father is asked to duck by the man behind him, so he exchanges places with Shakti. On and on this goes, till Shakti and Divya are practically at opposite ends of the row – and that’s when she launches into a dream song that goes, Akkam pakkam yaarum illaa boologam vendum. The words express exactly what she desires at that instant, a world with no one else coming between them. What an unexpected pleasure, a song situation that actually takes off from the preceding setup, the way it should be done but very rarely is!
But the director is less surefooted with the more overarching aspects of the story. It’s an enormous credit to Ajith that he’s undertaken this role – given the expectations of his legions of fans that he will live up to the heroism inherent in an “Ultimate Star,� and given the expectations from the title that this film will be a glittering kireedam for our thala. And Ajith does expend every ounce of his sincerity in delineating this hapless hero – but he’s not helped by a screenplay that simply does not detail Shakti’s emotional graph with any level of conviction. In deference to his father’s wishes, Shakti tries to join the police, but a chance encounter with a gang of rowdies throws up complications that keep thwarting his efforts – and a lot of the time, we’re asked to take his journey as a given. We’re never clear, for instance, why he goes from being a Nayakan-like savior of the oppressed masses – they hoist him on their shoulders and cheer – to someone that the very same masses contemptuously dismiss as a “rowdy.�
As his girlfriend, Trisha has one very funny bit while seated beside him, when a girl passing by eyes Shakti with half a hope, and Trisha wordlessly commands this girl to keep walking or else. But almost everywhere else, her scenes with Ajith are a major distraction, playing out at an uncomfortably lighter pitch when the film is trying to hit much heavier notes. (Vivek sticks out for the same reason, though he’s become so dependable a comedian, even his not-very-amusing shtick begins to crack you up.) I know, I know, these are what we’ve learned to live with as “commercial compromises,� but the time wasted on these supposedly crowd-pleasing moments could have been devoted to Shakti’s run-ins with the gangsters, with the townspeople around him, with his fiancée and his future in-laws, and with himself (considering the choices he’s faced with). But again, who, today, would want to watch that movie, one that tailored its style to the story instead of forcing the story to fit its style?
Copyright ©2007 Baradwaj Rangan
// who wants to spend for a downer//
Seems your words have reached the team along with the many. They have changed the climax to a positive one. Let it be a complete commercial movie since no MASS HERO who goes for roles like this will receive a PAT on his BACK for films like this
& btw, Thanks for the review Baradwaj
Just wondering on the Natraj geometry box. Paruthiveeran too had a childhood romance that is possible only during 80s.
not sure the criteria with which people will accept movies as CLASSICS 
// The only way Kireedam could have possibly worked is if it had been made into something like Mahanadhi. //
I thought otherwise. I don’t want *his* sister to be raped by the GANG, mom killed with dozens of sickles with blood oozing out of her > & brother being sent to the mental hospital to justify hero’s pain. Can’t it be something that happens in someone’s life ?
Baradwaj, honestly I am not even surprised that this movie has come a cropper. But what pains me is the fact that there was an original Malayalam movie which had the right script available and all that the director had to do was to faithfully copy it. But by not doing that, the director has once again undermined the ability of Tamil audience to appreciate good cinema.
I remember watching the Malayalam original a few years back and trust me, it did leave me disturbed and helpless. Wish that the director had just for once atleast stuck to the original script and done justice to it. In Malayalam, the movie was appreciated by both masses and critics alike and so when such a movie is reduced to a masala movie, it feels sad.
selva: That change of climax is so sad, and also indicative of why I said this should be made like Mahanadhi. Not that it needed to follow a similar series of events, but that it needed to be *treated* in a similar way - with commercial elements, yes, but used in a (relatively) realistic manner. Here, they clearly wanted to “entertain” the audience with this story, and I was trying to say that such a story, in order to work (i.e. be true to itself) cannot be “entertaining”. Oh - and the geometry box bit was just me having a self-indulgent LSD-induced trip
E Pradeep: But is this movie a “cropper”? From what I hear, it’s opened very well and is doing quite well. And about undermining the ability of Tamil audience to appreciate good cinema, that’s been happening for so long now, I think we’re inured to it by now.
I meant “cropper” in terms of cinematic ability and not commercial success. The climax in Malayalam involves the hero landing in jail and his record being tarnished permanently in the police records, thus shattering his father’s dream forever. Is it anything different here?
Incidentally, there was a sequel made to this movie in Malayalam (Chenkol)which was quite a letdown. Maybe the director would try that too incase Kireedam is a success.
Been reading for a very long time, but commenting for the first time. Enjoyed the small break you gave me when reading this review to go back to my 5th and 6th grade using the old geometry box as a pencil box. Lovely times indeed.
As for Kireedom, I have seen the malayalam version long ago and did it some 6 months back, and prefer to stick with it. Cannot watch ajith doing something with his accented tamil.
Great review as always
shit…shit…shit…ajith couldnt act like Lal…his way of expressing is bad…he has pockets under his eyes…i thot he is a young guy…all i can say is Lal proves dat he is god…malayalam industry has proved y its superior! is dis called realistic?? if yes..btr watch mega serial fr better family dramas with romance in da water tank..IMO dis ws typical soap opera stuff…nd over the top comedy to add to it!
Baddy, do you watch malayalam movies ? It’s a whole new world out there and incredibly entertaining for movie buffs like us. I was fortunate since I grew up in Kerala initially and so can appreciate the language and milieu of malayalam movies. Considering their shoestring budgets, their strengths lie in the fresh stories, tight screenplays and awesome acting.
// ajith couldnt act like Lal //
That is obvious since LaL is a natural actor and no one can imitate his style even.
Ajith has ensured that he will act like AJITH & not like LaL. I think that itself is a smart move.
baradwaj,
No probs reg the climax. IMO, I don’t expecta Mahanadhi in this movie and not sure whether it would have worked out. It might have worked out from a critics point of view. But this would have flopped badly at BO and the same level of appreciation wouldn’t have gone for ajith.
hehe…dis s funny..its an ajith film fr godsake! wat else do u expect?…a limited film with sum scope fr Ajith 2 perform..imo he is much better than other young ’stars’..he doesnt show dat he s da greatest in acting..he is trying 2 gain fans and known as “thala”..he does wat he is capable f doing..he has selected a role which doesnt make him luk bad IMO..so i think his acting ws decent..nd Kireedom is a commercial film with a decent storyline..its not a run of the mill..its not realistic lik Kamal or mohan lal films..so this comparison to original kireedom or Mahanadi is a joke IMHO…cum on..they are legends and those film r classics..dis s a decent which an average actor ajith has tried to giv a decent performance..
Vidya: Thanks. But Ajith has an “accent”? Never noticed it. He does have a stilted way of speaking though.
grrrr: Your comment lived up perfectly to your name
Shankar: Unfortunately, not too many Mal. movies come with subtitles, so the ones I’ve seen are mainly the ones that used to be telecast on DD’s Sunday afternoon slot. But from what I hear from friends, Mal. movies today have picked up a lot of “bad habits” from Tamil and Teugu cinema.
selva: I wasn’t referring to whether a Mahanadhi treatment would be successful at the box office, merely that the film would have worked better. For that matter, this is a film that did not need a big hero, but that’s the vicious cycle we’re in today.
d-day: “its an ajith film fr godsake! wat else do u expect?” That’s how these films are mostly viewed. It’s a film with this actor, so for *those* standards it’s good. That’s just too bad/sad.
Yes, I do agree that Mal movies today have picked up a few “bad habits” but they still don’t go overboard. Mostly the “bad habits” that you refer pertain to shooting songs in foreign locales, “punch” dialogues etc. Plus they are only a handful of such movies. In general, there are still many movies that have wonderful stories to tell. What’s interesting is that there are also new directors like Blessy (Thanmatra, Kazhcha), Jayaraj etc who are making great movies besides the old hands Kamal, Sibi Malayil, Sathyan Anthikad, Srinivasan, Priyadarsan etc.
As a movie fan, I’m sure you’ll enjoy even if you watch some of the path breaking movies from the 80s and 90s. I can help you by sending you a list of recommended films. To a certain extent, I feel the literacy rate in that state also helps the film makers to explore bold themes knowing that they don’t have to necessarily pander to the masses. But obviously movie habits are changing in Kerala too since it’s Tamil movies (Anniyan, Sivaji) and Hindi movies that are scoring big at the box office there. So, the Mal directors are having to play catch up assuming that that’s what people want.
On the other hand, technicians in Tamil cinema (with their bigger budgets) are way ahead. In music, Tamil cinema is fortunate to have giants like MSV, Ilaiyaraja, Rahman etc.
Anyways, I don’t intend to make this post a comparison between Mal and Tamil cinema nor would it be fair. Each is good in it’s own ways and perfectly acceptable depending on one’s mood. I’m equally fine with Annamalai as I would be with Bharatham!!
Oh yes, ajith does have an accent. If you watch closely, you can find out that he is nasal too at various places. I somehow cannot stand when people kill tamil. And these days they just do it left right and center.. Guess I am growing old. anyways, so much over ajith and the way he speaks
Ajith is a reasonable actor who has lost all his talent owing to repetitive failures. He lacks confidence in himself.
The other problem is that the movie has a yardstick to compare against. You’re comparing a wannabe with something that is original and perfect.
I agree with Vidya. Ajith does have an accent and his Tamil sucks.
I agree with Shankar,I don’t know how you can be a film buff, without watching mallu films of 80s and 90s.Eventhough, I,m a tamilian,I lost all respect for tamil movies ,after I started seeing malayalam films, on tv only.Start with padmarajan films, if you want to
except fr adoor…mallu films r overhyped!
Am going to stick with Mohanlal..thank you very much. Why should these directors assume that we tamilians cant watch sensible cinema and distort a good script to such extent??
MM: I think his problems are more due to consistently wrong choice of scripts, no? And is it an “accent” we’re talking about or that childish-singsong way he speaks?
abby: My point is simply that these films aren’t usually available with subtitles. So even if we want to see them - and manage to lay ahnds onn the DVDs - it’s a problem.
d-day: Whoa! I think you need to hash that contention out with Shankar and abby
Vidhya: Simple answer to your question: “heroism”. Cast a major hero, and you have to do all sorts of things to justify his presence.
baradwaj,
Ahhh, regarding Mahanadi (one of the very few movies where I cried for good 20-30 mins) :-), movies with that kind of emotional impact are rare ;-}
It’d be injustice to Mahanadi to compare it with Kireedom (with due credit to later ofcourse)
Yes the golden age of Malayalam movies from my experience is the 1980s, but starting from the 1990s and now they do appear to have been swamped by a poorer aesthetic.
A pity about the movies not being available with subtitled Baradwaj; here in the US a company called Surya (www.suryausa.com) puts out DVDs with subtitles (that’s how I saw ‘em). Email me if you want more details…
yes, the dream sequence of hero coming in a police uniform is from the original, ofcourse the hero doesn’t go about bashing so many guys
its a SIN to compare Lal and Ajith. But the main trouble here with the director who has lost the entire soul of the original. A better actor would have done some kinda justice to the movie or a more talented director would have retained the soul of the original - all the crap about tamil audience not accepting this kinda movies and hence climax change is funny. Paruthiveeran and Veyyil are proof to changing tamil audience taste. The movie lacked any kinda soul stirring moments and the screenplay supposedly changed to suit tamil over the course of one year is Messy to say the least. Though it was perhaps a relief for Ajith and the audience that he had only less dialogues to speak and hence less of that dialogue delivery from him, it is rather a very big bone for him to chew.
Best Film Critic Award - Baradwaj Rangan
Congrats
Baradwaj,
I agree - wrong choice of scripts. I meant, his choice of wrong scripts and consequently string of failures has caused him to lose confidence.
It is an accent. It is not childish. It is more of a northy-childish-tamil-born-but-want-to-have-stylish
accent :). It irks me a bit.
i have been a regular reader of this blog for about 2-3 months
and analysis of some of the films were mindblowing
congratz for the national award
but after reading this review and the comments by others,i thought to add a comment on it.
i thought that ,u have already seen some classic malayalam films,but ur reply put me down
if u had ever seen the original KIREEDOM u will not have dared to put this review
please watch all malayalam movies from 1970s-1995 they r real classics
ajith is very hot. he should do something differnt from other bollywood actors. he should act with vijay, which will be mindblowing