Between Reviews: A Fish Called Shakuntala
A FISH CALLED SHAKUNTALA
JAN 6, 2008 - THE TYPICAL THAT-TIME-OF-THE-YEAR QUESTION roundabout now is an enquiry about resolutions made, and here’s my answer to those who care: I’ve resolved to write this column once a week. As resolutions go, it’s a good one, I think. It doesn’t involve the endless amount of agonising that comes along with trying to kick assorted bad habits. Neither does it require me to become a better person, a more worthwhile human being – the stress resulting from which is likely to result in the acquisition of more bad habits, a bigger list to work off of the next yearend. Besides, I get paid to do this. You can’t beat a resolution that results in revenue.
The time has come, I feel, to talk of many things: Of shoes, ships, cabbages, kings – and a fish named Shakuntala in Manorama Six Feet Under. This kind of touch usually comes across as unbearably precious – what next; a turtle named Tilottama? – and in another film, I’d have prayed for a plot device from the epic that the creature shares its name with: temporary amnesia. But Manorama is a whydunit about big fish and little fish coexisting in the sleaze of a nondescript desert town, and the touch sits very well in it. I wish I’d caught Manorama earlier, but it didn’t receive a wide theatrical release, and – of course – when you’re in Chennai, you resign yourself to the fact that such quirky little Hindi-indies will never see the light of a projection booth near you.
This is what I’ll try to talk about here – the kind of thing that slips between the cracks of the reviews I write weekly. It may be about a soundtrack. It may be about a star, a director. It may be about the brickbats I received for confessing that Taare Zameen Par didn’t work for me in its entirety. Or – like this time – it may be about a much-hyped film that, once the noise has died down, may well set the course for a new wave of Tamil cinema. I’m talking about Billa – and if you’re done scraping your jaw off the floor, let me say why.
When it comes to Tamil cinema, the yardstick almost always used to measure worthiness is intent, never execution – and that’s why, with the exception of the big-name directors, we get dumped with films that say all the right things (and sometimes even do all the right things) but end up looking like one of those mega-serials blown up to big-screen size. Billa, on the other hand, is the proverbial dumb blonde – not a single brain cell in its pretty little head, but oh, what a bod! The film nails down its look without a single warm, “Indian” colour in sight – the palette is all coldly alienating silvers and blues and blacks.
But the real story is this: there’s very little of the commodity referred to as “nativity” – that certain something, that Tamil-ness that will make a movie play in Anna Salai as well as Andipatti. Billa has characters known as CJ and Mark and Sasha, it has untranslated references to pen drives and corrupted files, and it wraps up in a crisp, glycerine-free two-and-a-quarter hours. And yet, we hear the film is a hit. So as we inch into 2008, dare we hope that, egged on by the success of this distinctly upscale entertainer, the Tamil film market will begin to accommodate movies catering to more niche, upscale sensibilities? Five years hence, perhaps, could the Kollywood sharks make room for a fish named Shakuntala?
Copyright ©2008 The New Sunday Express. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
The first installment of my new weekly column for the paper…
Ensoi thangamani :)) At least this way, we’ll get to know what’s happening at ur end.
Awesome !!! We now get to read some other interesting insights from you on a weekly basis….resolutions that do possess monetary strings are so worthwile indeed. Cant wait for the future columns…..btw is there review of Billa coming up by any chance.
Man, if I wanted to watch some hi-tech action film I will just put on a Hollywood DVD. I hope Tamil films don’t become merely a choice between frontbencher films and HW ripoffs.
Abrum: Like you needed a blog for that
karthik: About “interesting insights,” let’s see. This is my first stab at a weekly column, but I think there’s enough going on in the entertainment industry to warrant sounding off once in seven days. Plus, you guys can give me suggestions, can’t you?
Ravi K: The point wasn’t about the film so much as its style. For those of us who watch foreign films non-stop, this may be a “ripoff”, but I found it VERY interesting that it’s a huge commercial hit, which (theoretically) means even those from the other side of the spectrum have embraced it without getting alienated.
Baradwaj : Interesting, I had almost made up my mind that there was nothing that would make you like a remake (i’m not talking RGV’s Aag here, but Frahan Akhtar’s Don, one film where I completely disagree with your aseessment). Then one sees you rooting for Billa (a remake of a remake). Wonders never cease
Is there a posiibility of a detailed review of Manorama SFU?
Let me chime in on a demand for a detailed review for ‘Manorama’. Come on Bhardwaj, I’ve almost been begging you.
Aditya: Thanks for the mention on your blog.
Aditya and Bala; Thanks a ton for keeping the pressure on.
Will wait ‘n’ watch!
Wasn’t Vettaiyadu Vilayadu also a hit outside of the metros?
Seems a super concept! Looking forward to more vigenettes!
Baradwaj:
So, now’ve you actually started ‘blogging’ — that too on a newspaper! Will look forward to it every week.
Regarding Manorama, one place you could have caught it was rajshri.com. It was released online — $10 may be fine, if Indian Express paid for it…:-).
Aditya/Navdeep: There’s such a glut of new stuff that much as I’d like to, there’s little time to revisit films. But I’ll try to put up reviews for MSFU and Blue Umbrella, as they count among the releases I should have reviewed for the paper anyway. Yes, wonders never cease.
s: You do that.
sowmya: Thanks.
randramble: Yes, that’s one way to look at it. Now I’ll be the one doing the randrambling (if I’ve got the gist of your nick right)
Navdeep: Isn’t yours the same name as the director of Manorama ?Or am i missing something here
Bala: This Navdeep is actually the director of Manorama.
Bala: Aditya got it right. The name’s the same because the person’s the same.
Aha
I thought so . Btw , nice article in the PFC site .How about a video blog for your next movie (whenever that happens ) ? 
Funny your mention of a turtle brought to mind Ullaasam. That rather disastrous atempt at recapturing Agni Nakshathram already had a turtle in it, only it was named Imayavaramban not Tilottama. Obviously the writers did not share your alliterative tendencies :). However that animal was more a novelty than a plot device of any sort. And there is definitely an ounce nativity in “Billa” notably the “Seval Kodi” number. Note the lyrics ” Aadhi thamizhan aandavan aanaan, meedhi thamizhan adimaigal aanaan” and “Vetru mozhiyil archanai edhukku”. But the movie on the whole is definitely more mayonnaise than masala.
Bala: Link to PFC site article please…
Deepauk M: That’s why I said “there’s very little of the commodity referred to as nativity”… Seval Kodi comes under that “very little”
But speaking of spicy, western (and alliterative) condiments, wouldn’t ‘mustard’ go better with ‘masala’? 
Bhardwaj, thanks. Looking forward to the review. Truly, wonders never cease.
Bala: Whenever that happens
Baradwaj : http://passionforcinema.com/happy-diwali-chaudhary/
(perhaps I sgave the wrong impression ?It’s more about Navdeep talking about his experiences making Manorama. )
Navdeep : :)hoping that would be sooner rather than later
.Lips sealed on that “talented actor” ?Do tell 
oh, that “talented actor” would be such a misfit in the role (i’m sure everyone who read that article got who Navdeep was talking about :)). After having seen the film I can’t imagine anyone other than Abhay Deol paying that role.
You’ve also got to write about the responses you got on your CDI and TZP reviews….i hope have you learnt your lesson now…don’t mess with the Khans, their fan brigade is ready to pounce
You got to read this: http://sanjukta.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/taare-zameen-par-review-rip-off-ii/
I’m absolutely loving this charge of the fan brigade….I so want to be a part for it. What will it take for you to write something not so good about the works of Gulzar, Lata Mangeshkar, Madan Mohan, AB Sr,. and ARR?
And, did you see what else was common between CDI and TZP reviews? The byline. Now you should never ever put this combination of words in the byline for a Khan movie:
“Not Entirely S…”
I considered mustard,but dismissed it in favor of the slightly blander mayo :).
Thats a nice resolution…
How about another Gautham Menon interview? Whats happening with his latest film Varanam Aayiram?? Saw a trailer of sorts of it and looks extremely promising.