Between Reviews: In the Name of the Father
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
NOV 23, 2008 – I’VE SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS attempting to explain to people what I mean by the confession, “I quite liked Vaaranam Aayiram.” I’ve been told that it’s too long. I’ve replied that I’ve seen longer films. I’ve been told that the characters in the film converse in English and listen to Hindi songs, the way Tamil families most certainly do not, and that the parents are permissive in ways Tamil parents most certainly aren’t. I’ve pointed to my family, my parents to counter this.
I’ve been told that there’s no dramatic tension in the film. I’ve argued that dramatic tension isn’t necessarily a quality every film has to aspire to, in the way that every book doesn’t have to revolve around a crackling plot at its centre, especially since Vaaranam Aayiram is the equivalent of a picaresque novel, telling the story of a lovable rogue (Suriya, played by Suriya) in a loosely episodic fashion. Not everyone has to be a fan of the picaresque tradition – I understand that. I understand, also, that Tamil cinema is more likely to focus on the punchy highlights of a hero’s life, rather than stopping to stare at a boy strumming a guitar in front of his parents in a scene that serves no purpose other than to highlight a lilting moment of domestic grace.
But Vaaranam Aayiram worked for me for precisely these reasons. You know that a film (or a television show, or a novel) is working for you when you fall for the characters and decide to let them take you wherever they go – and that’s what happened to me with this latest presentation from Gautham Vasudev Menon. It did, however, take me a while to get into the proceedings, as the film got going with an episode involving Krishnan (Suriya’s father, again played by Suriya). There’s something about seeing a young hero self-consciously play an older man that almost always pulls me out of a film.
This happened with the opening scenes of Swathi Muthyam (Sippikkul Muthu) as well, where Kamal Hassan fussed about mightily, trying to portray an old man by affecting a gruff vocal manner and a shuffling gait. This isn’t acting, but “acting” – the entire effort is shrouded in quotes. It wasn’t till the flashback began and the younger Kamal took over did I begin to ease into the film – and that’s the exact thing that happened with me here. Once Krishnan receded to the far corners of the screen – though he never really disappears, this being his story as well – and once Suriya occupies centrestage, I had litttle problem handing myself over.
“Oh, but what about the flaws?” I’ve been asked. And I’ve responded with what I said after being questioned about my admission of enjoying Aaja Nachle, which is that when you find yourself liking a film, the flaws recede into the background and when you don’t, those very same flaws stand up in front of you and slap you senseless till your cheeks sting and your eyes water. Of course there are a lot of things in Vaaranam Aayiram I wish had been better (or different) – the choreography of Harris Jayaraj’s smashing songs, for instance, which comes across as stagy in the worst possible way. I hated the fact that the significance of the elegant title was laid out so inelegantly at the very end, as if hastily summarising a high-school essay with a recap of the main theme.
But these occasional (or, at times, frequent) missteps are a small price to pay for an ambitious film with so many affecting moments. Suriya’s breakdown inside a telephone booth is the surest sign yet that this actor, when he’s not trying to “act,” is the genuine article. His pain leaps off the screen and sears itself onto you, just as his smile in the romantic portions wheedles a smile out of you. Suriya may not yet be the kind of performer who can play anything – case in point: the senior Krishnan – but he’s the only young actor today whose conviction alone can shepherd you through the ups and downs of a film.
I loved that Vaaranam Aayiram is a story about how a father has influenced his son’s life – even an action segment, which comes off at first as perfunctory heroics, culminates with the reunion of a father and his young son – and yet this father is himself no dazzling overachiever. Krishnan is an amiable loser, heavily in debt, heavily into bad habits, but also heavily in love with his family. He’s the kind of character who invites you to love him not because he’s flawless, but despite his flaws. When he drops his son off at college for the first time, there’s no stentorian fatherly instruction to study well or be a good boy. Krishnan merely remarks that they’re both grown ups now, and implicit in this observation is that Suriya will have to make his own mistakes.
And that Suriya certainly does. This isn’t the kind of story that casually slaps a happy ending on anyone. Every aspect of life – love, family, professional distinction, personal development – is earned through extended ordeals by fire. And that’s perhaps why the fade-to-black and the close-up are the recurrent cinematic techniques on display here – the former because of the gradual manner in which the protagonist’s life is shaped, and the latter because this is an intensely personal (and intensely introspective) story in a way few stories in Tamil cinema are.
It’s also urban in a way few stories in Tamil cinema are. I always cringe at our depiction of people from the cities – especially women from upper classes, who are typically reduced to outlandish caricatures painted in grotesque colours as the “other.” In Kattradhu Thamizh, a city girl (who, at the office, wears a T-shirt that says, “Touch me here if you dare”) orders burgers for lunch, and in Kalloori, the heroine is identified as a girl from the city because her tiffin box contains white-bread sandwiches. In Mudhal Mudhal Mudhal Varai, the city-girl heroine drives a motorbike and, when teased about it, proclaims that she likes something hard and throbbing between her legs.
The bad habits from the days of Sakalakalavallavan (where city girl Ambika existed solely so that she could be put in place by village boy Kamal Hassan, her pants giving way to saris in accordance with his desire of admiring her behind as she bent down to make dung patties) are still so prevalent – in other words, city girls are brainless sluts and/or headstrong bitches unless they can be tamed by the hero in a timely fashion – that when the city girl Suriya is after says that she’s off to study in Berkeley (despite his love for her, like Kiran Vairale at the end of Mani Ratnam’s Pallavi Anupallavi), I wanted to get up and cheer. The tiny detail that she expected to score 99% in her final exams, while he wasn’t even sure if he’d clear all his subjects, was simply gravy.
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.
This came to my e-mail, titled “A letter to Gautham Vasudev Menon…”
Message: I want u to publish this letter, so that Gautham may get, what we feel about his talk in a recent interview.
A Letter to Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Dear Gautham,
This is the letter on behalf of, all Harris Jayaraj’s fans on this globe. We first thought that your so-called interview in Chennai Times (dated 20/11/2008) was just an imagination by the daily. But, when we learnt that all those words that were presented, has been uttered by you, we decided to give it a shot.
Gautham, you may be happy, or may be even proud for making Vaaranam Aayiram, but its really unfortunate to know that you weren’t aware of the concept, feeling, and understanding of friendship.
Firstly,
“Harris tries to dominate” – are you there on your seat when you said this..?? How come you made Vaaranam Aayiram without knowing that, there is nothing called ‘domination’ in friendship..??
Could anyone say that his/her friend is trying to dominated them..?? Can’t you see that the moment when u felt this u lost your friendship with Harris Jayaraj..?? Man.. its not Harris who had ego.. but its you ..!!! How can a friend like Harris , who likes you to be on top , would dominate you..?? Can’t you think that..?? Even a school kid knows the diff between Domination and friendship..!! Ask your Sons..!!
Secondly,
Harris said “ stop thinking small, think Big”- Yeah..!! Even I would have said this..!! How on earth could you plan to do a ‘just go jolly’ type, when crating VA..?? You may think you’re hosting a great show.. but Gautham.. that seems to be childish..!! I believe you would have noticed your sons by now trying a game when they have a free time in between studies..!! Exactly.. are you playing..?? How could you play Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam while preparing for Vaaranam Aayiram…?? Can you explain, how could you involve you in other project jus in 2 to 3 months..?? No director on earth would dare to do this..!! And if someone like of Harris stature points this out… you’ll ask them to shut up..!! You may get a spark and you would immediately want to make it as a film…. ok..!! But wait.!! first complete the project on hand with full concentration and then move on to your next.
Every successful director in any industry, focusses on one at a time and completes that 100% .The greatest examples for this theory are all over the world, taking Manirathnam, Shankar and Selvaraghavan as one of them If you think that your creating a new path to excel…. we tell you… ur in the wrong path.
Thirdly,
You want Harris to do everything you say, and..he shouldn’t suggest you anything…!!
Ha!… If this is the meaning of friendship in your dictionary, I hope that in the future nobody relates you in that role. Harris may not give a reply to your so- called interview ,even his letter to media depicts how heavy is his heart….!!
As our master, we do hope and wish you for your future success..
One of Harris’ Die-hard Fans,
Chris.
brangan: I am going into itemized list mode, much like Vinay Pathak from Dasvidanya.
1. Thanks for posting the comment above. It is good to know that there is a section of the audience that classifies itself as Harris’ Die-Hard fans.
2. You have quite eloquently summed up the best parts of the movie. The only things you left out I thought were the good performances by Divya Spandana and Simran (for the most part).
3. I had all sorts of problems with the structure of this movie. I just couldn’t come to terms with its flow which is full of fits and starts. I think we never get into Suriya’s psyche because the initial portions make such an effort to present everything in a chronological fashion (to start with Malini and Krishnan’s romance). Loosely episodic is being very gracious to this film I think. And I do not say this from the standpoint of the film being too long, just from the fact that I couldn’t comprehend the film’s grammar.
4. Glaring chronological inconsistencies in terms of the Berkeley Campus (A campus I know decently well)/automobiles/SF settings because Gowtham decides that something that happened in 1995 will be his Forrest Gump moment.
I’ll stop with this for now because I am sure others. I loved the running tributes to Raja and Kamal too actually.
VA was a watchable movie to me and thats it. The father taking the son’s life forward through various incident didn’t work well. To be even more specific, beyond two-third of the movie, the father and son’s life are two different tracks and you do not feel sad for the son when the father passes away. I felt the movie failed precisely due to the loosely written second half. The priya-suriya episode didn’t touch at all. The son doing too many things that are unrealistic (without any pointers) in his life and focus on those made me yawn. I actually could start hearing disinterested voices and smart comments from fellow audiences from the portions where he becomes a drug addict and goes to delhi etc and thereafter. It went to the point that one asked “eppapa ivan saavan?”.
I felt you could ignore the vikraman type solutions to problems through a song and still enjoy the first half but second half was so-so at best.
Vaaranam Ainooru
Couldn’t agree more abt Surya acting Krishnan and Surya in the film.
Somehow the whole father thing was sticking out for me as if it had been included as an afterthought. I felt an otherwise quite enjoyable film was getting bogged down by this half-baked father son relationship portrayal. Guess I missed the film’s point totally!!
The less said abt the songs, the better. The way they turned out on screen didn’t at all match HJs surprisingly bright effort after long time.(Dying flame?!)
I mean no offense here (not to you, nor to the director), but am quite eager to know if your dad called you kiddo/sonna too?
kusilk: Where’s the offence in your question? And no — not “kiddo”
Baddy, loved reading your piece, as usual. I had a tough time convincing people that I liked the film too:)
DO you have a link to gautham’s interview mentioned in the first comment?
Oh that excessive guarding arose out of personal experience. This particular comment made someone defending the film really very angry, I don’t still understand why!!
MW, its really heartening to learn that your father is not one among those ‘poor, unsuspecting’ Tamil fathers, “fainting in shock upon receiving bear hugs from sons with whom they converse roughly twelve times a year”.
Seriously, it was this odd post that came to my mind while I was watching VA and ever since I’ve been waiting for this review to find out how typical a “Tamil son” you are!
Ha finally!
Thank you BR, I have gone tired of fighting with idiots who come to me and mock my review. People have been nitpicking at the visa thing, or heroine going to berkely, 99%, length and a whole lot of avoidable shit.
It’s his film and his wish! Wonder why people have a problem in accepting cinematic license! Atleast he didn’t send someone flying with the twirl of his moustache!
I’m redirecting all who disagreed with my review to this space!
thnx
Inspite of the several flaws and the kiddo stuff, liked the movie. And liked this piece of yours as well.
Spoler ahead
Any idea why Suriya does not go and talk to Meghana’s dad in the hospital?
First of all the picturisation of songs – I am sorry guys, I beg to disagree. Mundhinam Parthene was a sore thumb not because of the picturisation bUt becase of the song itself, the song was way too modern for its setting. All the other songa were fantastic, be it the Anjalai song or Anal mele panithuli. I loved the fact Suriya and Priya give in to temptations and make love, not on their first night together but after spending a couple of days, and after the feeling of “togetherness” sink in. And the remix version of ‘Om Shanti’ in the US was lovely. And the pick of the lot was obviously ‘Adiye Kolludhe’. The picturisation in VA was way superior to that of Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu and Pachaikili.
Whats so wrong about the Kashmir – Delhi segment? I mean, when Forrest Gump starts running across America without any motive or purpose, we accept is as a masterpiece. When the same happens in a Tamil film, we start complaining?
And I do not think that the film is about father-son relationship at all. The film is a coming-of-age film; boy becoming man. And the film is about reflection and nostalgia. Do we actually sit and think about what happened in our lives? It happens may be once-in-a-lifetime. And the father’s death when the son is in mid-air and has nothing else to do bt wait presents a great and logical opportunity for him to sit back and think about his life. Since his thoughts range from his life and how his father shaped his life, the father-son relationship gets some attention. But basically this film is not about father-son relationship. And to set the mood right about the film, the title sequence shows a record player with a group of guys singing and talking about old songs!
Are there no flaws? There are. But as BR rightly said, they fade away into the background, when one realises the amount of effort that has gone behind the writing and execution. Vaaranam Aayiram is auguably the best film of 2008 in Tamil and Hindi Cinema.(I have not watched other regional language films this year). It is better than Dasvidaniya, Subramaniyapuram, A Wednesday, Rock On, Aamir, Dasavatharam.
Anand: Bingo. This is NOT a film about father and son, and I think GVM did his film a disservice by projecting the film that way — in the sense that the father’s shadow hangs over everything the son does, yes, but I think people went in looking for actual scenes of father interacting with the son throughout the film.
a letter to the paper
Dear baradwaj
I cant understand how u say that the movie is good. Its a big bore, there is nothing in it. If you are a good friend of Gautham menon,fine please dont write this kind of stuff about a movie which is a real nonsense.
We are also surpurised that Gautham Menon can come out with this kind of movies after all the good films he had taken.
Educate yourself properly on movie making before making your comments or write geniune comments on movies.
Thanks and Regards
raji
And another…
Bang on. Glad to know some one who shared my exact same views. I have had a tough time convincing people that this was indeed a spectacular effort.
Most of the positive reviews including yours truly ,does not however seem to point out ,that this was one of the best examples of movie making. Didn’t you think so,the direction,the slick dialogues,the casting,the voice modulations of each character was fantastic .
The tribute to the army in a way( a chapter close to my heart) was awesome as well.Not many people really appreciate the beauty of the army in our country but Gautham Menon has brought even that out well.
Having said all that your positive review gladdened my hearts in many ways, Thanks for that ,
padhi: I don’t have a link to that interview, but a google search should lead you to it. The GVM-HJ split was all over the local papers.
kusilk: By the way, what’s a “Tamil son” exactly?
Is there anyone any more whose first exposure to the alphabet is “aram seyya virumbu” instead of “A for apple”? 
Can we expect the director to respond on these pages …as he did not too long ago ?
I did like the movie too , despite the slowness and the badly shot songs…though sometimes (esp when someone is professing their love to someone else ) you wish they would be less comatose.
:D )
Oh and congrats on the movie .(kadhal 2 kalyaanam was it ? Can we expect guest appearances ?
I don’t understand how that die-hard Harris fan can write such a letter. What does he know about the relationship between Gautam Menon and Harris Jayaraj? All we know of any director-composer relationship is the music produced. For all we know, Shankar and ARR regularly get into fistfights
What’s with the heroes of the coming-of-age movies ending up in the army-ala Lakshya & VA!!!
How do you compare VA & Thavamai Thavamirundhu as movies-ignoring whether they were about father-son relationship or coming-of-age??
Bala: thanks
Ravi K: LoL at “For all we know, Shankar and ARR regularly get into fistfights.” Thanks.
Prasanna: They’re really apple and orange, not just in terms of content but also in the way the stories have been told. (or instance, TT left me with a lump in my throat whereas with VA, there was greater distance, less emotional manipulation.) I don’t know that I would even begin to compare them. F
The movie is quiet good though a not great one. you absolutley nailed it about the father charecter, but felt the transformation that suriya made for the school kid was amazing. Like all gautham movies the heroines get a decent charecterization. IMO Leaving out Munthindam paarthene, i felt the songs were decently picturised. As usual i feel Harris BGMs comes as big big let down. HE can never give a decent back gound score for a movie.
Balaji
hari ohm: I thought he was just letting the man have a private moment. But more importantly, IMO, he’s lived in with her and it’s quite an icky situation at the hospital. (There are a couple of dialogues indicating this, though I can’t recall them offhand.) I liked this “imperfect” Suriya a lot, as he’s a far cry from all-so-righteous Tamil Film Heroes.
BR: Some of the comments that I have been seeing in your site and PFC over the last year left me wondering – how much does prejudice play in role in our judgment about a movie or musical score? To be honest, when I look back at some of my own comments, I find that my opinions have changed/modified. Do you think it is an interesting idea for a post?
i also itemised list:
1.”Suriya’s breakdown inside a telephone booth is the surest sign yet that this actor, when he’s not trying to “act,” is the genuine article.”
you mean “act” as in Ghajini. if yes, agree. I have been looking for an excuse to link this excellent piece of prose by this blogger Karthik on Surya’s Ghajini performance – I will take this one. BR, I suggest you read this – it is exquisite writing.
QUOTE
A conversation between Surya and his Dad:
“Dad, I have this role in this new movie and I am supposed to be an amnesiac for good two hours. Any advice?”
“Drink coconut water, don’t smoke, don’t drink, do Yoga and get out of your relationship with Jothika.”
“Dad, I asked for acting tips, not this crap.”
“Oh, ok. Have you seen me act angry in movies?”
“You mean where you keep your body erect, roll your eyes and shake your head robotically back and forth?”
“Yes. Exactly. Do that.”
For once, Surya listened to his dad.
UNQUOTE
2. Why is it “Suriya”? Is that how the name is spelt in the movie? Or is he Suriya to highlight his tamilness differentiate himself from ‘Surya’kiran from chilaklurpeta?
3. What about the ‘writing’? Was it good? There is a log of negative review on the “dialogues” – how did you find the conversational style of the characters in this one – could you relate to it? The same debate that Gautam menon’ movie sparked off last time about “freeze” etc?
Anand: I wrote an entire post (or two) sometime back about bias and stuff.
raj: On the one hand, we want Tamil cinema to grow up. But on the other hand, we want it grow up only in the ways we want and specify? I don’t think that’s fair, and I don’t have a problem with GVM’s writing or his dialogues. It isn’t unnatural to me, because I have friends who call their fathers “daddy” and so on. Tamil boys, I’m talking about. But as always, since we always have opposite reactions to films and acting and pretty much everything under the sun, let’s agree to disagree
Baradwaj, I dont think that Tamil characters conversing in English(and artifically so, according to a sizeable number of ppl who watched those films) should be construed as a sign of Tamil cinema growing up, if thats what you meant in your reply to Raj. In fact that’s a sign of a director who wants to make a Thamizh film but cant think in Thamizh, which might be considered a flaw(I am reminded of Mani Rathnams earlier films). If I remember right you somewhat criticized Jaane tu ya Jaane Na’s(or some other film?) writing for the same reason. That the dialogue felt like as if the thinking was done in English and not HINDI or something along those lines and thus it felt awkward to you. So why should Gautam get preferential treatment? Subjectivity may play a big part here.
Personally I dont think Gautam has done anything to take Thamizh cinema to the next level, even leaving his Thanglish dialogues aside. He has re-defined mediocrity much like his musical counterpart- Harris Jayaraj. Urbane and slick version of mediocrity maybe, but mediocrity nevertheless.
Iam happy if it worked for you or if you made a personal connection to the film, but I wont agree that Vaaranam aayiram or Vettaiyaadu has taken Thamizh cinema to the next level.
Vijay: This isn’t about taking Tamil cinema to a next level, but letting it “grow up” — allow for the fact that it can be different things to different people, instead of the homogenised crap we usually get. You like it? Good. You don’t like it. Good. But let’s not get tangled up in how to define a Tamil movie just because the feel isn’t like, say, Subramaniyapuram (which, for my money, is this year’s film to beat).
My problem with JTYJN was that the film appeared to have been thought out in English and THEN translated to Hindi, which lent the dialogues a bit of artifice. Here there’s no such issue at all, as the English parts are in English and not hideously translated into Tamil.
“Urbane and slick” isn’t bad IMO. How many filmmakers have even this talent? Otherwise, all we’ll be stuck with is mediocrity like Mozhi, which we’ll go ga-ga celebrating.
“allow for the fact that it can be different things to different people, instead of the homogenised crap we usually get”
yeah, we ARE allowing Gautam to make movies isnt it?
He has been commercially successful too, mostly. I am not trying to set rules here as to how it should be or how it shouldnt be. All I am saying is that his dialogue writing is unnatural and even downright absurd at times. We can criticize Surya for “acting” but we cant criticize Menon for “writing”? And usage of English is not my problem, how he uses it is.
““Urbane and slick” isn’t bad IMO. How many filmmakers have even this talent?”
I never said it was bad, but Why is this a “talent”? Vishnuvardhan, the maker of mediocre movies like Billa and Arindhum ariyaamalum has been described as slick too to give you an example. And way back in the late 80s, someone named Mani Rathnam
made a slick movie called Agni Natchatiram.(without the need to use Hollywood dialogues in his films, though)
” Here there’s no such issue at all, as the English parts are in English and not hideously translated into Tamil.
”
Agree ,but did Gautam put himself in the character’s shoes as a writer or is it Gautam the Hollywood movie/novel lover writing the same way for all his characters, be it a serial killer or a cop from Madras or a middle class housewife or even a regular Police constable? Is’nt that a writing flaw? Or is that a “talent” too?
I take the liberty of quoting Balaji(bbthots blog) review here, as he has summarized all my complaints very well:
Gautham really needs to delegate the script-writing to someone who is more in tune with the characters in his movie. Considering that its Gautham who shaped those characters, that may sound a little strange but the problem is that he employs dialogs that he is familiar with and probably uses but they don’t fit the characters or settings. While its the characters saying all those things on the screen, its Gautham we hear talking. So it sounds rather incongruent when we hear a middle-class man in the 70s address his son as “kiddo” or the same man’s wife speak spontaneously in English when her husband has just coughed up blood in the bathroom. This was a problem in Gautham’s older movies too but its more pronounced here since the story is more emotional. There are some genuinely effective lines that are heartfelt(like a father’s desire to mend his son’s fate), funny(like Surya’s question to Sameera about her confidence in taking the next step in her career) and natural(like Divya revealing her feelings to Surya) but these are the exceptions rather than the rules.
GVM’s all were just trials. Trials for a better film. He keeps on tuning till he gets it right. That’s what I always felt.
He seems to be a director not in control of the movie. His hero will change the story. His producer will shoot a song. His hero will add some stunts. His music composer will score some songs without his knowledge. His hero will act in a double role even though he himself doesn’t like it.
I wish he directs a film as he plans. I like parts of his films which, I think, are his contributions.
Just to add/clarify, urbane and slick is good if it fits the milieu of the movie and if the movie has solid writing/screenplay besides the slickness. It could be like an icing on the cake. But slickness alone cannot be considered a great talent. Like I said earlier, Billa has been described as “slick” too by the media, but overall as a movie it was more sick than slick.
Another “slick” movie in recent times-Bheema and you know its fate
BR, totally off the mark. I was just seeking your opinion on this – I dont have one(opinion) on Gautam Menon really. I would go with Vijay on this one – GVM is so mediocre to merit a strong opinion. The connection with Harris Jayaraj was spot on. And thats where I agree with you,too,that being ‘urbane, and slick” is not worse than being “low quality and massy” or even “urabne and not so slick”. In other words, being Srikanth Deva though there is no Mozhi equivalent I can think of in the music stakes.
I can atleast lend my ears to Harris Jayaraj for a few moments sometimes – but Srikanth Deva, strict no no. One can make the same comparison between Gautam Menon and Perarasu or even Radhamohan.
I dont think we disagree on everything either – to start with the two letters IR might ring a bell to you
Lastly, I dont think subramanyapuram is all it is hyped to be unless your take on the movie is that “the rootedness of the movie to the milieu” wasnt a significant aspect of the movie and that it is some other aspect that attracts you – because that is precisely where I have the problem – it is as artificial as Mozhi in being faithful to the mileu – I mean that in the sense of not recreating the filmy myth of its mileu but the real mileu itself.
Ironically, if you argue for other aspects of the movie, it would be anotehr case of merit being in your eyes only because the makers seem to have promoted the mileu as its unique aspect.
(I know I have spelt mileu wrong consistently but am too lazy to change it now – yeah thats how lazy I am!)
And the Ghajini bit was a random digression which is something you must be used to now – that has no relation to how I perceive Surya in VA
Continuing to be naughty, do you also know Police officers who shout “freeze” at washermenpet?
Something tells me you havent done that BGM post that we discussed some time back? Is that lost forever or the draft is still there in the mind?
BRANGAN: Please dont curse us to a future where films like Mozhi are celebrated. Nalla critics saabam vittA balikkum-nu solluvainga.
You make a good point about not defining the thamizh feel of a movie, for that is tantamount to claiming an understanding of what it means to be thamizh which, by my own warped process of induction, leads to troublesome questions such as “Who am I?”. To quote Lal from Aaraam Thamburaan – “It is a question for which even Buddha and Sankara had few answers as they ascended to heaven.”
I see your point about growing pains for Thamizh Cinema as a whole. It might come down to Adam Smith vs. John Nash Jr. and all that, but there is no concerted industry growth per se’, is there? We can just look at the growth of a director/writer. Do you think Gowtham has improved upon his earlier efforts?
I haven’t seen VA, so can’t comment on the film itself. But one phrase caught my eye..”Harris’s smashing music”…I beg to differ. The only song I liked was “Mundhinam”, especially the first couple of lines. All the other songs were standard HJ synth-driven fare. C’mon, why can’t this guy use a real guitar, for instance in “Adiyae Kolluthe” etc? I thought the album on the whole was mediocre. Besides, the less said about HJ’s BGM, the better…
Of the recent albums, the only ones worth a listen, in my opinion, were Selvaganesh’s “Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu” and S.S.Kumaran’s “Poo”.
Guys, was the Krshnan family Tamil? i thought this was a kanji family in TN. So was not much bothered abt the English, though it was a bit funny.
BR, Anand: Thanks for assuring VA was not father-son relationship. After all, I was not off the mark then.
BR: You’re spot-on abt allowing Tamil cinema to grow up. and, I wont attempt defining a tamil son, as I can’t get anywhere near your tamil father. But I do think your take on ASV vs AfA might not stand statistical scrutiny.
BR, I too left the theatre liking the movie overall but also with a feeling of being letdown. I thought Surya did a decent job in the role of the father and I wished for more scenes between the father and son. Something along the lines of Mohanlal’s Thanmatra. I thought the interactions between the middle age father (Mohanlal) and his teenage son was written and filmed nicely. Also a child actor playing a younger Surya would have really helped cement the father-son relationship. IMO, a kid’s views about the father are formed at a much younger and impressionable age than that depicted in this movie. I guess, I wanted a completely different movie
Vijay: The point I was making about GVM’s films and “growing up” is that we’re at least moving away from least-common-denominator filmmaking, which is a very necessary first step if we need to make niche films (like, say, Mithya)at some point. But otherwise, I think you’re saying certain people DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, speak this way, and I’m saying that perhaps they do and that isn’t going to cloud my vision over the good parts of the film.
It’s like Sowcar Janaki pretending to be a widow in Bhagyalakshmi, as Gemini and EV saroja look on, in the ultra-phenomenal Maalai pozhudhin song. Close-ups show that, despite her white sari, she’s heavily made up, and the light literally glances off her shiny lipstick. But do I let this gross “inauthenticity” affect my enjoyment of the song or the situation? No.
I know this isn’t a precise example, but just wanted to convey how I felt about these things. GVM is one of the few “directors” we have. He has a sense of where to put the camera, how to capture an emotion, how to stage a scene for impact (that goes beyond dialogue) – and even if I were bothered by the occasional English usage, I wouldn’t let that override what works for me otherwise. Perhaps the fact that I am surrounded by similarly English-and-Tamil (and even indhi) speaking family helps.
“urbane and slick is good if it fits the milieu of the movie” – and I don’t buy this at all. City of God is about slums, but have you seen how insanely slick it is? If we begin to say such-and-such types of films ONLY HAVE TO BE treated in such-and-such way, why do we need directors? No one is saying GVM is already an all-time-great, but if he continues what he’s doing, he’ll certainly make a contribution towards Tamil cinema that’s not just about being Tamil simply in language or sensibility.
By the way, I do not know why this happens, every single time, but if I point out positives about a film that’s generally not well received, it always creates a you-are-wrong-I-am-right debate
Do we really want (or expect) everyone to chime in with the same opinions about everything? (Oscar-baiting dialogue alert) Why can’t we live and let live?
raj: I think S.Puram is a fantastically “directed” film. The way he handled the routine plot blew my mind.
Deepauk M: Oh, I’m so happy at having found another soul who thinks the same way about Mozhi. Someday, we must work together in an adaptation of Kagemusha
Shankar: I really liked the album. A good mix of songs, very catchy. By the way, it’s not just HJ who’s gone back to standard synth-driven fare? Heard the disconcerteningly ordinary synth backdrop in Guzarish?
I remember KB had a similar problem. My father’s generation felt that most of the characters in KB’s films were intelligent. I remember my father pointing a review in one of old Vikatan or Kalki of a KB film mentioning about this. Do we see any similarities? 9 strictly in terms of dialogues, I am not comparing GVM with the great KB).
City of God – slick, yes, but urbane?
Anyways, I didnt say only movies set in a city have to be slick. But “urbane” might not work well for something like Paruthiveeran or subramanyapuram. Maybe I would stand corrected if Menon did something like Paruthiveeran. It would be interesting to see how the characters in his village adapt themselves to Hollywood dialogue.
All I am saying is that being “urbane” or “slick” is mostly a cosmetic attribute these days and not an unique one that only GVM possesses. And it is debatable whether Menon’s movies can be considered slick throughout. Maybe slick in parts.Because slick includes crisp writing as well.
There are dime a dozen directors in Tamil and Hindi who possess the ability to impart that sopisticated look in their films these days(minus the Hollywoodized dialogue), but otherwise their films arent worth discussing. Billa is a good recent example in Tamil and I am sure in Hindi you would have many more. This is not the 80s where Mani Rathnam was the lone director trying his hand at slickness or being urbane and most of the stuff GVM is trying to do, Mani has already been there and done that better. Agni Natchathiram is not any less slick/urbane than any of Menon’s recent films and that was 20 yrs back. If that was the route to niche films then Mani has already traversed that route. GVM is merely trying to find his way
thru the same path and getting lost.
I havent seen Mithya yet, but I dont think the direction Menon is taking us is towards any niche films. Crisp screenplay, placement of songs if songs are to be included at all, dialogue, structure all go towards making such films and I think GVM is way behind in all these areas. He is as far away from making niche films as Thangar Bachchan is -the difference between them being just the milieu.
Thats why I said that it is a different kind of medicority. Harris Jayaraj’s stuff has that urban feel but ultimately mediocre and not merit-worthy. GVM falls in the same category with his films. They are mediocre not because they are urban or slick, but besides that there is nothing much to discuss there.
And regarding Mozhi – It was’nt a great movie by any means, but I would watch it another time anyday before I attempt to watch Pachaikili muthucharam or Vettaiyaadu vilayaadu.
I read some of the comments above and people seem to miss the point again. This is not about being Thamizh or protecting Thamizh integrity by having dialogues only in Tamil. No, thats not my complaint. This is just a complaint about being gimmicky and artificial, knd of like Surya’s acting in Ghajini. There is a difference in how desis speak English vs Hollywood English. GVM fails to grasp the difference. He probably thinks if his characters speak Americanized English his movies would be considered more sohisticated or something like that.
Just watch Monsoon wedding. Half of the movie is in English and the director could have easily gone overboard and could have written typical american usages like “sucks” “FUBYAR” “what’s up dude” and so on, for her characters most of whom are NRIs. The director herself grew up abroad if I am not mistaken. But it is a joy to watch Naseeruddin shah blend desi English and Hindi seamlessly in his dialogue that you almost buy into his world and family. No “kiddo” or “dude” here for Naseer. And this for a sophisticated upmarket Delhi family.
Same with Irfan Khan in Namesake.
Thats what cinema is all about-make believe.
.
“By the way, I do not know why this happens, every single time, but if I point out positives about a film that’s generally not well received, it always creates a you-are-wrong-I-am-right debate ”
VA has been well received, critically and commercially. Reviews have been positive overall atleast for Surya’s performance
““Oh, but what about the flaws?” I’ve been asked. And I’ve responded with what I said after being questioned about my admission of enjoying Aaja Nachle, which is that when you find yourself liking a film, the flaws recede into the background and when you don’t, those very same flaws stand up in front of you and slap you senseless till your cheeks sting and your eyes water.”
Hail subjectivity!
Vijay: I am only responding to your trail of comments because it may have seemed to you that my comment was one that misunderstood yours.
I understand that your issue is not one of language. But it does suppose that there is an identity associated with it. That there exists such a thing as “thamizhness” (or “desiness” in the case of monsoon wedding to use your own example) and that speaking in americanized english is outside the parameters of this “thamizhness”/”desiness”. Is it fair to say that not all up-market Delhi families would speak the Hinglish that Naseer’s character does in Monsoon wedding? Or are you sure, on the strength of having met every single up-market Delhi dad, that everyone speaks that way? Actually you are doing Naseer’s fine performance a disservice if you say that he is an accurate representation of everyone, because you are reducing him to a stereotype. And “sucks” is american?
Please bear in mind I say all the above as a person who did not enjoy VA. And I am easy to please – a few redeeming original scenes is all I need. Surya Sr.’s performance didn’t work for me either. But to blame it squarely on the delivery/phrasing would be penny wise but pound foolish. I’ve said my piece and I’m out.
brangan: Forgot to put this in the parting shot. Don’t tempt me with promises you wont keep man. I cant afford to have my heart broken. It’s pretty fragile as it is.
Vijay:
Hail subjectivity?
Hail subjectivity?
Who wants subjectivity? I want to know what is going on inside BR’s head. I want to know which points he picks from the film to write about.
BTW, Do we even one reviewer who is subjective consistently? If one such utopian reviewer exist, I am sure his reviews will be a boring read.
I’ve said my piece and I’m waiting
Vijay: Where has BR said that City of Gods is urbane? You are seeing what you are wanting to see. Thats the problem when we get into argumentative minset.
Baddy, ok…mediocre was probably a bit harsh. But again, I wasn’t bowled over by the album. And you are right…it’s not HJ alone that is stuck in the synth-driven fare. Infact, I cringe everytime I listen to Raja’s newer releases which invariably have inane synth background when we have all seen the magnificent scores he has weaved in the past.
Even though GVP started promisingly (Oram Po), I feel he is getting stuck in a rut. The problem I see is one that influences every young composer…trying to do too much. Thee are just way too many tracks mixed in for the song to be coherent. I’m sure he will get better at it with some experience.
Coming to HJ, even though I have enjoyed some of the things that HJ does in his songs (chord proogressions, vocal harmonies, guitar plucks etc), I feel he takes the easy route out by relying on the synth background when real instruments could have created a richer sound and feel. Especially when this comes from composers who have a healthy standing in the industry and who can (and should) put out their best effort, considering their output is limited to a few films per year.
Otherwise this would be akin to what we do in our studio, while composing, trying to work within self funded budgets by relying on technology than live instrumentalists.
gimmicky and artificial is a standpoint I would concur with Vijay on w.r.t GVM.
Gimmicky and artificial like Surya in Ghajini is also a very good point.
I think conceding that any given style of speaking COULD, in theory, be spoken by any person in any part of the world – that cannot be ruled out as Deepak says because where have we met ALL living specimen of a particular type – it is still a flaw if all your characters speak the same language. That is a point to be conceded to Vijay – else those who accuse him of the argumentative mindset would be a victim of the same. On the balance, I think Vijay is onto something when he says that GVM’s characters all speak the same language irrespective of their background. Even the Kakka Kakka criminals, for instance – they do not speak the local language – even the adiyals? I dont know if that would fall under certain category of filmmaking – like surreal, or magical realism or whatever it is jolna pais spout randomly – but it jars for me. I am willing to still watch Kakka Kakka with a different mindset and enjoy the good parts – but I reserve the right to call that part where everyone speaks the same language a flaw.
‘Kiddo’ was bloody cute. One may reconcile to the fact that grown men call their fathers ‘daddy’, but the ‘darling’! I couldn’t help but think of vamps in skintight brocade short skirt, being called ‘darling’ by the ‘baas’. Thats how unnatural it sounded to me.
Apart from that, the writing seemed qutie natural, but to my ears, Surya didn’t seem comfortable with the delivery at all points, the English parts, that is. No complaints wrt his performance though. Or his body. *Sigh*
Movie not about daddy and son relationship, as much as about the role daddy plays in son’s life. But no matter how much you tell yourself that a film does not really need dramatic tension, I think we are spoilt that way. We expect a conventional plot in the entire story, and not just in the episodes: a build up, a conflict and a resolution. I would probably have liked the movie had the son, you know, rushed back home to meet a father who was dying, not someone dead already, and in his anxiety, recalling all that his dad had done fro him types. I dunno.
Maybe I am the one who needs to grow up.
Anand, no BR didn’t say that it was urbane.
And I wasn’t quoting him as saying that, like you assumed.
It is rather a question I was posing to him. So City of Gods is slick fine, but can it be classified as urbane too? That was the question I was posing.
Because my earlier comment was about being both slick and urbane(as is supposedly the case with GVM films).
As for your comment on subjectivity I don’t get it. Did you mean objectivity is boring but typed subjectivity instead? Because subjectivity is what makes reviews interesting and different from each other. Not sure if that was a slip on your part
Deepauk I am not reducing Naseer to a stereotype. In contrast I am commending his performance for being so natural, gimmick-less that you believe in him and his family and his world. The English phrases that pop in don’t seem awkward and out of place like it is in GVM’s films. No, Naseer and his family doesn’t speak like anyone that I personally know of but they do a good job of making me believe that such a family could exist somewhere. And that make-believe part is crucial.
“Or are you sure, on the strength of having met every single up-market Delhi dad, that everyone speaks that way? ”
so going by this logic can I write Americanized English dialogue for a rickshaw puller character in a film and then argue that I actually know a rickshaw puller living in the next street, whom you don’t know of, who actually speaks that stylishly? I’ll even argue that unless you have gone around the city meeting every rickshaw puller, you cannot say that the dialogues that I wrote for my rickshaw puller character was awkward. How would you feel if I argued like that? This is of course a slightly extreme example but you get my drift.
There is no end to this kind of argument.
This only comes across as a very weak excuse for not having done your research on the character before writing. Or a failure as a writer, to put yourself in the character’s shoes which I believe is GVM’s problem.
It is all about matching the perception, man. Isnt that how you gauge acting as well? Otherwise any acting is good acting. who do we criticize Sivaji for melodramatic overacting in Paasa malar or other films? Maybe there are people like that in real world that cry and talk the way Sivaji does in his films. How would you know?
I do agree that some of it is about matching YOUR perception and is subjective. Although,in this case a lot of ppl have felt that the dialogues were awkward, gimmicky and inappropriate and that it diluted the emotional impact of certain scenes. It is not my lone dissenting voice here.
And “sucks”(meaning something is bad) is of American origin and predominantly used there in the US. It might have by now trickled across continents and also entered the vocabulary of the desi media(especially e-magazines like rediff) but I believe it is an Americanism.
1) A Madhavan mouthing Daddy and Kiddo would have more easier on his tongue and our ears. Again, I don’t know if he could have done it as well as Surya did.
2) does a character by itself ever throw you off in a movie? Surya was reminded me more of a Masala movie vijay when falling in love with Sameera Reddy. In general that rogue like character prevented me from ever liking him.
Vijay: Slip indeed!
Vijay: Of course my reviews and thoughts (in the other columns) are subjective. You’ve been reading me for so long and this comes as a surprise? Why?
BTW, these are just musings and you don’t have to answer this (I know what you think about this, in any case, from your comments above). But it’s curious that you say a word being of American origin (or Italian or Chinese origin, for that matter) is some sort of disqualification. I’d understand if, as you say, VA was indeed the story of a rickshaw puller, but if the son of a middle-class father uses “sucks” or “dude”, why is it still a problem. I use those words all the time, and I think I grew up around the same time that the Suriya of the film did, if the IR songs time-base is any indication. Even Simran saying “What happened” at the beginning, didn’t jar for me, though, as is the case with my mother, I’d have liked a little more of a pronounced Tamil accent in the phrasing
Anand: That’s the best way to approach reviews IMO, and that’s what I do while reading other reviewers. After exiting the film or not, I ALREADY KNOW if the film worked for me or not, so when I read reviews, I’m not looking for a validation of my opinion. I couldn’t care less if the best critics in the world agreed or disagreed with what I thought (though I confess that agreement does make me feel happier).
Priti: The day ” build up, a conflict and a resolution” vanishes from Indian cinema will really be an exciting one, believe me. For that’s when a true non-commercial (i.e. not audience oriented) line of filmmaking can take flight.
What I’m really interested in is seeing which aspects of the film stood out for them, what caught their eyes. Like you say, I want to know what went on in their heads while watching the film. That’s the primary function of a good reviewer, IMO, though I’m sure a lot of people will disagree
BR, no surprise man. For that matter, ANY review is subjective. I just stopped for a moment and hailed subjectivity in general as that’s what keeps things interesting around here.
“Even the Kakka Kakka criminals, for instance – they do not speak the local language – even the adiyals? ”
Raj, but then the argument is have you met all adiyals in Keeranur and Madras in your life? Maybe there are actually some adiyals who speak that way, how would you know?
Gautam Menon in his life seems to have come across some very unique individuals from ALL walks of life who can converse in Americanized English. Either that, Or maybe his is the kind of family/upbringing where as soon as a baby is born, they thrust a Harry Potter novel right into its hands
and he has been unable to shake those American influences off ever since then.
But seriously speaking, i’ll have to give a little more allowance for this aspect in the future. After all I myself had some friends like that in Madras who are Tamilians yet Tamil illiterates who grew up on American novels /movies exclusively. They could’nt read the signboard off a bus if it was in Tamil.
I’ll just consider it as a minor stylistic flaw on Gautam’s part from hereon and learn to live with it.
This is something akin to Mani Rathnam’s telegraphic dialogues in his earlier films which eventually came to be known as his ishtyle. I was bothered by it for a long time(Vikatan even used to mock those dialogues) but eventually it stopped bothering me. Maybe GVM’s dialogues would eventually start feeling that way.
But here is an amusing thing I just remembered. In Vettaiyaadu vilayaadu, there is a scene where Kamal is having a chat with Jothika and being very grief in his answers, Jothika teases him” enna mani rathnam padathula vara maari pesareenga”
So that is GVM taking a lighthearted dig at Mani, his idol.
Maybe someday someone else will be doing the same to GVM in their films. Or Vivek could do it alot sooner. He has already slaughtered Harris Jayaraj in a lot of his programs and films.
“I use those words all the time, and I think I grew up around the same time that the Suriya of the film did”
Baradwaj, you use “sucks” all the time? ! I am really surprised. Because even in the US it caught on only in the late 70s/80s if I am not mistaken. And it is not about the word being of American origin. It is an Americanism, a slang, not even a proper word, and it is not until the late 90s that I saw the word being used in desi media. How can you expect an average middle class Tamilian to get used to an American slang? Sucks might not even have an entry in the dictionary besides the literal meaning unless they added it now since its usage is getting more prevalent. You may have picked it up during your stay in the US.I am pretty sure tha a lot of midle and even upper middle classguys in Madras are clueless as to what sucks means, despite the word gaining popularity.
With regards to these kind of words in GVM films, you are right the accent is bothersome too. Anyways all this is stemming from my pereption. I had a couple of Christian friends from Don Bosco who used to talk like this in college. Maybe from their POV it might not seem awkward at all. Or for someone who was exposed to American books/culture from a young age this might not seem all that awkward.But for the rest of us(and that includes someone like even me, who has lived in the US for a dozen years) it seems slightly showy. I almost feel that GVM incorporates this as a gimmick just so that he can convince everybody that he is Hollywood material. Easy way out. Or writing that way maybe comes naturally for him, he also maybe realizes it might not sound natural for everybody else(as even his own assistants have pointed it out to him by GVM’s own admission, so even they didnt buy into this style completely) but yet he leaves it as it is in his films.
Vijay, br would probably use “sucks”, except that he hardly ever seems to think anything, well, “sucks”. He seems to live on a higher plane altogether where somehow he identifies the little or big merits in everything he sees – whereas we seem to be pouncing on the flaws at the first given opportunity
Yeah, I guess one would be better off being him than me
I havent met many criminals, let alone specifically from keeranur and chennai. I hope I dont meet too many – I dont know how my life will pan out from now on but I sure dont want to be making movies on criminals’ psyche .
Somewhat related to the conversation here on ‘English’ usage in GVM’s movies, Adding to POVs of Vijay, I think Gautam does feel that speaking English is a criterion for being ‘class’. When he talks about Sarathkumar in the last interview in this blog, GVM goes soemthing to the effect that Sarath, in real life is very ’suave’, ‘comfortable in English’ as though shedding light on the ‘positive’ points about Sarath. So ‘Comfortable in English’ does play a major role in shaping GVM’s opinion about people and movies I guess.
That’s the very reason he again went talking condescendingly on direct in-your-face Masala films like ‘Pokkiri’, in actuality when he himself is just making more or less the same masala – just urbanised and engleepeesed.
I think we are being rather pedantic about the use of English words in the dialogues, rather than pure Tamil. I did not find the use of the words “kiddo” odd in the least. Perhaps because I had grown up around an uncle who was in the Navy and use to call all of us, including his own son, “kiddo” – and this is in the early 80s.
But I concede, the Senior Surya’s character was not built up in any manner to demonstrate how/why he was so anglicised i.e. his background, upbringing, job, societal interactions – none of it revealed how/why he was so post-modern. And that to me was the greatest flaw in the movie – nothing at all in Surya Senior’s non-descript character that revealed why he was so adored by his son, bar his love for his family. Nothing that remotely marked him out as any different from any other father. And no reason why Surya should not hero-worship his dad like any other teenager, but move on to other hero role-model figures like most other young lads do.
More thoughts later.
Footydoc: My father used to sail too. Maybe there’s a pattern here
But why does any filmmaker have to “explain” the reason for why somebody behaves a certain way — in this case, the father speaking English? I can understand, if like Vijay, you didn’t buy the whole thing, but having bought it, I don’t see the need for a reason. It’s not a court case, where all evidence and facts have to be presented to us before we reach a verdict about a character’s authenticity. It’s life, and sometimes, things just are.
As for your other point, the reason I liked the father-son bond was precisely that it was understated, and that the father was nothing more than an amiable loser. “Nothing that remotely marked him out as any different from any other father.” And that’s reason enough. He loved his family. That’s all there is to it.
VelMurugan, what you are talking about is a classic Thamizh disease – The English speaking superiority/inferiority complex that we have.
Raj, I think we are all forgiving of flaws to a certain extent and focus on the positives as long as the product as a whole works for us. For instance I loved Namesake and Irfan Khan’s performance recently despite the movie’s flaws and there were quite a few.I think BR is no different. When the product doesnt work for him, case in point-Dasavatharam, he focusses more on the negatives.
“I think we are being rather pedantic about the use of English words in the dialogues, rather than pure Tamil”
Footydoc, vidiya vidiya ramayanam kettuttu…:-)
Priti & BR,
//We expect a conventional plot in the entire story, and not just in the episodes: a build up, a conflict and a resolution. //
Terming VA non-convetional is pretty far fetched. The movie was very conventional, mundane and very much a streamlined plot.
Buildup – love with sameera
Conflict – Death of sameera and suriya’s Drug addiction
resolution – coming to terms with life and joining the army.
A neat conventional plot which seemd to fade away in you people’s biased minds pre-occupied by the grandeur of the visuals.
there is nothing in this movie to rave about this much.
[url=http://pulikesi.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/%e0%ae%b5%e0%ae%be%e0%ae%a9%e0%ae%b0%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d-%e0%ae%9a%e0%af%87-%e0%ae%b5%e0%ae%be%e0%ae%b0%e0%ae%a3%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d-%e0%ae%86%e0%ae%af%e0%ae%bf%e0%ae%b0%e0%ae%ae%e0%af%8d/]My Review[/url]
More feedback to the paper:
Sir,
The review of the Movie, “Vaaranam Aayiram” by Bharadwaj Rangan, (I.E., Section 2, November 23) highlights the plus points of the picture in a dispassionate manner. Yesterday Lions Club of Nungambakkam of which I am the founder member arranged for seeing the film at Santham Theatre, Satyam Complex.
The film impressed me and other members to a great extent. The whole theme is contrary to the formula films which we see where the hero and heroine dancing quite often in citizens artificially created and not in the natural course of events.
Surya in his double role has done an excellent job in the film, especially in the role of Krishnan the father of the hero, who gives all liberties to the hero without imposing any condition and encouraging him to decide by himself including the love with the heroine Sameera Reddy, who also dons different role of a girl not falling in love at the first sight but assessing her lover and finally deciding to go to Berkeley USA for further studies.
Surya pursuing her to USA and both loving each other and deciding to marry until she dies in a bomb blast and his subsequent life becoming a drug addict. Surya has excelled as an actor in such situation.
What is more impressing is his parents giving him all support and encouragement to make him come out of the trauma and allowing him to love another girl and marry.
The film seen by us after the ghastly 26/11 incident at Mumbai where Terrorists killed about 120 persons and wounded several people and how the security forces led by Major Surya dealt with the Terrorists and rescued the hostages including a small boy.
Several scenes brought tears in my eyes. Gautham Vasudev Menon the Director of the film, has done a great job in spite of some critics who always indulge in such criticism to keep their role as film critics.
We enjoyed the movie instead of listening to some Chief guest who address the Lions Club meetings followed by dinner.