Here are a few more reviews of Unnaipol Oruvan that are worth mentioning.

Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu was pleased with the effort overall.

Knowing the taste of the Tamil audience, the actor hasn’t stuck to the completely underplayed performance of Naseeruddin Shah. Kamal’s is original and it is appealing.

S. Shivakumar made a few comments in the Bangalore edition of the same newspaper.

What works is the fact that Kamal has not changed anything drastically. I thought a lesser known actor like Nasser would have suited the protagonist’s role better but if the crowds are thronging, it’s because of Kamal and Lal. Was Naseer better in the original? This role is a cakewalk for Kamal though he could have cut down on the use of English with the fake accent. Mohanlal definitely walks away with the acting honours. People who accuse Kamal of being narcissistic should watch the film just to appreciate the way Lal’s role has been lengthened and the fact that he gets the better lines. It’s a chance to watch two of our most consummate performers, not sparring but complementing each other.

The last review is from a magazine in Canada. The reviewer was thrilled to see a meaningful Tamil movie for a change! Below is the scanned version (click to see full-size image).

The first set of reviews of Unnaipol Oruvan is out, all of them giving a positive opinion (which even Dasavathaaram didn’t manage). Featured below are a couple of good ones, along with highlights.

Rediff.com:

Unnai Pol Oruvan is a must-watch

..what really makes Unnai Pol Oruvan a great movie are these things: the lack of songs (or unnecessary fight sequences) anywhere in the narrative except for soaring background bits; the way secondary characters, especially Sethuraman, Natasha and Arif Khan are handled; showing various aspects of the very real battle the police force faces on a day to day basis, instead of having one hero demolish all…

Era Murugan’s (and Kamal’s) dialogues are brilliant (even if they get wordy at some places). The duo does keep in mind the common man’s perspectives, and the little nuggets of humour are a definite delight.

Mohanlal is a delight…

The surprise package (in more ways than one) is Ganesh Venkatram.

Sify.com:

Kamal Hassan’s Chakri-Toleti directed Unnaipol Oruvan is new age Tamil cinema, which we can say proudly, is a must-watch.

…outstanding performances from the lead actors, mainly Kamal and Mohanlal, who simply rock.

…almost equal screen time is given to Mohanlal.

Kamal’s emotional outburst at the end, is heart rending and perhaps one of the finest piece of acting seen in Tamil cinema.

Ganesh Venkatram has a tailor-made role, and this film is going to be his big ticket to stardom.

Go for it and encourage good meaningful cinema.

[With inputs from Ananth]

Kamal Haasan, as we know, is versatility on his own credit — whatever the role or genre, he excels to our great delight. Comedy is a hallmark of Kamal and he proves that apart from drama and action, he can be a superb comedian. Mumbai Xpress is a great example of his innovative talent. Although the film has relatively sunk into obscurity, since it box-office-bombed back in 2005, it is nevertheless a hilarious movie. If you feel that the storyline is a bit incoherent, it is still worthwhile viewing, since our star is in the leading role.

Mumbai Xpress starts off with a master plan conceived by three amateur criminals, who plan to kidnap a wealthy man’s son for ransom. However, one of the thieves falls seriously ill, and it is left to the rest to scout for a replacement. That replacement comes in the form of a deaf stuntman named Avinasi aka “Mumbai Xpress”, played by Kamal Haasan. The master plan that was ingenious in its nature turns horribly wrong when two of the criminals get injured, and a third person (an insurance agent), is roped into the crime by a unfortunate accident. When the thieves capture the wrong boy, it is left to Avinasi to rescue him from his accomplices and restore him to his mother, played by Manisha Koirala. What happens next is what forms the rest of the story, with many twists and turns occurring here and there, that makes the story all the more complicated and comical.

A few examples of where the plan goes terribly wrong are very original and brilliant — when one of the criminals tries to explain to Avinasi the master plan, it seems like he has listened to the entire discourse, only for all to find out later on that he forgot to put on his hearing aid, and also when the gang-leader endeavours to show Avinasi the car gear mechanism, he accidently switches to ‘drive’ immediately and the vehicle speeds up and hits an insurance agent! Mix-ups and goof-ups like these make the film an absolute entertainer, and it’s a pity that the film didn’t do well at the box-Office, when such films like Rajnikanth’s Chandramukhi and Vikram’s Anniyan were garnering the limelight. Mumbai Xpress definitely goes on the shelf as one of the great comedies that Kamal has ever done, and one should seriously view the film on its own merits.

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

Looking back at the past gives us a different and often wholesome perspective of events. It helps one derive confidence from accomplishments, learn from mistakes and recharge for a fresh new year. In our case, of course, we’re looking at Kamal’s 2008. To call this year eventful would probably be an understatement.

Dasavathaaram

The biggest event of the year was, obviously, the release of Dasavathaaram. In preparation for over 2 years, the movie released on June 13 to a overwhelming response, after many announced and rumoured dates (April 10, April 17, June 6).

The publicity build-up was slow and steady, unlike the bombardment of Aalavandhaan. In fact, many were wary of the hype being reminiscent of the 2001 failure. However, the reality matched or surpassed the expectations. Stills and the trailer were put out in a carefully phased manner to create excitement while not revealing too much about the movie. Here’s the progression: Avtar Singh in mid-air -> muscular Nambi in action -> Govind in lab -> miscellaneous ones before the audio release -> more stills along with the trailer -> miscellaneous ones shortly before the release. Actually, the buzz hit top gear with the release of the fast-paced trailer. Both the trailer and the public analysis that followed had a taste of things to come. The trailer had literally-blink-and-miss flashes of the ten roles and fans caught it.

In between all these came the high-profile audio release function featuring Jackie Chan and Amitabh Bachchan among others. After a painful gap (that was worth the wait ultimately), the movie arrived to a rousing reception. The media coverage was unprecedented. After the movie quickly reached blockbuster proportions, the ten characters were officially revealed.

The movie generated unparalleled reactions in the real and online worlds. Whether it was movie folks or bloggers, the excitement was infectious. The vibrations even rocked Google. But ultimately, the box-office spoke loudly and records were shattered all around.

Marmayogi & More

Even as Dasavathaaram was on the way, we heard of Marmayogi. Everything seemed to be proceeding well like a typical Kamal movie while problems with Pyramid Saimira, the co-producer, were rumoured. Again, things seemed back on track and news about cast and crew resumed flowing. Finally, the movie hit a roadblock citing the global economic meltdown as the reason. With no confirmation yet, along with a mention of Thalaivan Irukkindraan, the fate of the movie hangs in balance, even as there is revelation of Pyramid Saimira running into all kinds of trouble.

Interviews

Kamal’s interviews are always a delight to watch or read. He always manages to make each one interesting, while also revealing something new about himself. This year was loaded with many of them, especially as a by-product of Dasavathaaram’s promotion. Check out the top quotes below before diving into the year’s best for S (Sathyam Cinemas magazine), Hindustan Times / The Times of India, DNA / BusinessOfCinema.com, Mumbai Mirror and The Times of India.

The best part is that the producer was smiling at the start of the film and he still is smiling when it’s complete - which is very rare.

Just making Dasavathaaram alone would not have been sufficient; a release pattern like this combined with the product is what is making it work so well…Never before has a Tamil film been released on this scale.

I don’t know what I did right, but I hope I can do it again.

Both the times when you separated from your wives, there was another woman involved. Sarika led to your split with Vani and Simran caused a rift between Sarika and you.
Unless it’s a gay marriage, there’s always another woman involved.

Ten roles, isn’t he increasingly becoming self-indulgent in his films? “Who isn’t,” asked Kamal defensively. “Aren’t great actors like Yusuf saab and Amitabh self-indulgent? Who else should I love more than me? Brad Pitt?”

I have spent 500 hours doing make up itself and it takes a lot of perseverance and belief in what you are doing to keep doing it. If I spent that much time inside a cockpit I would be a successful commercial pilot.

“…There is a downside to everything. If we take ourselves too seriously, we actors will definitely need a psychiatrist.”

From the perspective of international standards, money and talent is being invested in the right direction and I feel that in two years from now nothing called Bollywood will exist.

To me the ascent of man in itself is a mind-boggling thing. And Darwin’s theory is something I believe to an extent. In fact, if somebody asks me what gothram I am, I always joke and say Darwin gothram. What I do try is to keep fit. For ultimately it is the survival of the fittest.

“…I am deeply hurt by what is happening around in the name of religion. I personally feel, whenever there is a crisis, God becomes a mere witness. I am happy with my decision,” he explains.

“…Spirituality makes you rest, makes you content. I will only settle down when I am in a coffin, under the earth or inside the fire. Till then I will keep myself active and alive…”

The other unusual interview was on books in the Tamil magazine Puthagam Peshudhu.

Social Service

Kamal is known for promoting social service through his fans’ association (Narpani Iyakkam). This year too, he kept the ball rolling with donation of exam kits to needy students in March and ceiling fans to orphanages in July. But the bigger involvement was as brand ambassador of Hridaya Ragam, the effort of the World Malayalee Council to conduct free paediatric heart surgeries.

Fans

Speaking of fans, there was quite a bit of activity on that front too. Kamal held a photo session for fans in February, like the previous year , and also felicitated some on the occasion. For his birthday, he discouraged celebrations on account of the Srilankan Tamils’ problem.

On the association front, there was some strong action. Key officials including the chief, R Gunaseelan, were sacked in August, for apparent misconduct.

At a smaller level, Arif, a fan from Kerala, declared his love for Kamal through a music video titled Avatharam.

Death of Colleagues

This year was, unfortunately, also big in terms of the passing away of many of his colleagues, one of them really close. That was Sujatha Rangarajan the writer. Kamal sent out a touching condolence message. Others were CV Sridhar, the director and MN Nambiar, the veteran actor.

Honouring Seniors

KM Aadimoolam, the famous artist, too passed away this year. Kamal released a biography of his and paid homage.

While paying respects to the departed was essential, Kamal did not miss honouring the living too. Manorama celebrated her 50 years in the movie field and Kamal was there to felicitate her.

Events

There were two protests held by the Tamil film industry this year, in the form of fasts. In April, it was for the Cauvery-Hogenakkal problem and then we had the one in November for the sake of Srilankan Tamils. At both places, Kamal shined as one of the sanest voices.

Towards the end of the year, Kamal participated in quite a few events related to film appreciation and production. In addition to being the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, he took part in a seminar on UK-India collaboration and the Indian Screenwriters Conference.

Audio release functions have become major launch pads for movies these days. Kamal graced quite a few in 2008 including Kodaikanal, Jayamkondaan and A Aa E Ee.

There were the customary wedding functions too. We had a whole lot of them in fact — Sibiraj, Prabhu’s daughter, Sarathkumar’s niece, Vairamuthu’s son, Senthil’s son, Professor Ku. Gnanasambandhan’s daughter, Mohan Natarjan’s daughter, Ahathian’s daughter and Arvind Krishna / Shreya Reddy.

Controversies

Controversies have been hounding Kamal, especially for the past few years. This year, we had the anti-Hindu allegations against Dasavathaaram, which was ultimately quashed in court.

Then there were the insiders, former associates, in fact. Bharathiraja, the great director of the past and the blabber-mouth of the present, attacked Dasavathaaram first and later Kamal’s acting skills. The grapes turned sour for Saran, another director coincidentally. After losing out on the opportunity to work with Kamal, Saran accused him of not returning advance money. Kamal watched in typical silence as both controversies died out.

Personal Life

There were no significant developments on the personal front. But we got to know a bit more of him this year, first as a father in Shruti’s music performance at the Rolling Stones India launch and then as a companion through an interview of Gautami.

Blasts from the Past

This year, we had quite a few interesting peeks into Kamal’s past. The long-kept secrets of Kamal’s dwarf act in Apoorva Sagodharargal (Appu Raja) were mostly let out by its director, Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao. As for the long-pending Marudhanayagam, after the trailer on the Internet in late 2006, came a few fantastic stills featuring Kamal. Also, we had a blog post on Kamal’s days in drama.

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

K Balachander was delighted by Dasavathaaram and we already heard about it. But here are his exact thoughts.

I liked the film immensely for the wonderful dialogues and the way it has been mounted. I saw the film again. Being a student of cinema I’ll watch it a third time because he’s achieved so many things in one film. I have a few things to learn.

I have a lot to learn from him as far as technique is concerned. He’s outgrown everyone in Indian cinema.

He’s a man who revels in freshness. The effort he puts in is phenomenal. Others are only making money. This man has taken two years to complete this film. He could have amassed four times the wealth if he’d worked in more films.

…Kamal teaches everyone and fine tunes every other artiste’s performance on the set. He’s selfish to the extent that he wants the product to be good.

I told him I didn’t know what to make after watching the film and he said, “You made me.” I was touched.

This interview is brought to you by S Shivakumar in The Hindu. Regular readers of this blog would have seen other stuff from him earlier — Vishnuvardhan on Kamal and interview with Kamal. As seen in the above article, Shivakumar himself has not made up his mind about the movie. Here goes his review, reproduced with his permission.

The opening scene is riveting. Set in the 12th century it shows a lone Vaishnavite taking on the Shaivite ruler attempting to replace Vishnu with Shiva in a temple. His resistance and eventual submergence in the sea tied to the idol of his lord is brilliantly shot. Cut to the present where an Indian scientist is being honoured for saving the country from a biological weapon he’s developed. Rewind to the recent past. Our scientist helps in developing a weapon of in a vial which has the potential for mass destruction. He gets wind of the fact that his boss is trying to sell it off. The vial is mistakenly shipped to India and now scientist and an ex-CIA agent turned mercenary are in hot pursuit of it for different reasons.

A simple enough story but Kamal decides to pack in his beliefs, thoughts and philosophy about life into the three hours. The film talks about the chaos theory, the butterfly effect, atheism, the ecological imbalance that the mindless sand mafia is wreaking and the fact that ultimately nature is the greatest leveler. What sets Kamal apart as a filmmaker and actor is that he doesn’t believe in mindless entertainment. He tries to make people think though he doesn’t thrust his radical views on the paying public. With the failure of masterpieces like ‘Mahanadhi’ and ‘Anbe Sivam’ he tries to pack in humour, action and the sizzling Mallika Sherawat. So does the film work? Only in parts.

The fact is that Kamal has nothing to prove as an actor. He’s undeniably the most gifted actor on-screen. His body of work is unparalleled and is the only actor who’s got success on his terms. So the essaying of ten roles is only of academic interest. The discordant note is that some of the characters he plays have nothing to do with the plot. Mainly the seven foot tall Muslim and the Sardarji pop superstar. The plot thankfully does away with lengthy fights, duets and romance. Kamal the script writer, you feel has bitten off more than he can chew. He’s a gifted screenplay writer with classics like ‘Thevar Magan’, ‘Mahanadhi’ and that cult classic, ‘Micheal Madana Kamarajan’. Here he fails to sew the scenes seamlessly. The narration is jerky in the pursuit of giving importance to all the characters. The ten characters jostle for screen space.

Surprisingly the film is technically tacky. The computer graphics leaves a lot to be desired and the ruthless fury of the tsunami leaves you cold. The photography is brilliant though, especially a chase shot in the night.

Kamal’s acting is flawless. The prosthetics is over done but the way he changes his body language, voice and accent to suit the various characters is breath taking. There’s a brief shot of the Japanese Kung Fu master walking in silhouette. His gait in that brief shot encapsulates his dedication as an actor. Asin’s incessant chatter even in the face of adversity is irritating.

Don’t miss ‘Dashavatharam’. Kamal’s failure as a script writer is more than made up for by Kamal the master of masquerade.

S.Shiva Kumar

Producer: Aaskar Ravichandran

Director: KS Ravi Kumar

Photography: Ravi Varman

Music: Himesh Reshamiya

Cast: Kamalhassan Asin

Rating****

First, let’s get my disclaimer out. I do not think I can do justice to a review of Dasavathaaram without watching it 2-3 times. Anyway, I decided to put out my thoughts, bowing to reader requests and to counter the slew of negative feedback that has been flowing all over the information superhighway.

The movie moves at break-neck speed most of the time. This is the fastest I’ve ever seen in any movie — in any language, from any country. While I was bit disappointed to not catch everything in one viewing, I was immersed in the entertainment value. (I’m amazed by some of the analyses by fans around the world — maybe, they watched it more than once.)

The really impressive aspect of the movie for me was the screenplay, the same role that Kamal himself admitted to have enjoyed the most. As a person learning screen-writing, I see what a great job it is to beautifully blend so many complex concepts like Chaos Theory and atheism into the script. For an audience wanting pure entertainment, it doesn’t burden them with any sermons that they don’t want to hear. From the days of Michael Madana Kama Rajan, I always believed that Kamal was one of the masters of screenplay in India and this movie probably put him right at the top. Sadly, Kamal has always been viewed as an actor and hence underrated in such areas. (Another digression: it’s amusing to hear people heap Bhagyaraj with such praise, just for making successful and never-boring movies.)

Yes, a couple of characters were probably not required for the story. But with the movie being called what it is, why would we assume that it’s not about the actor? Here, conveniently, some people look beyond the actor. When you go to see a man perform 10 roles in a movie, don’t you need to appreciate his effort in that aspect first? I agree that some of the make-up was overdone and prevented facial expressions. But what about body language and voice-acting? Wasn’t it terrific? Even as the protagonist Govind, did we notice Kamal drop his usual mannerisms?

Special effects were suprisingly tacky in some key scenes. As Brian Jennings admitted, they probably ran out of time and money. Nevertheless, the many scenes involving multiple Kamal characters were wonderfully done.

Rangaraja Nambi showed some difference, Vincent Poovaragan was amazing, Fletcher was uber-cool, Avtaar was goody-goody, Kalifullah was amusing and endearing, Balaram Naidu had us in splits, Krishnaveni Paatti was amusing, George Bush was caricaturish fun and Narahashi quietly made a mark. The supporting cast was adequate, with Asin topping effortlessly as Andaal.

The comedy was mostly refreshing, but fell flat in a couple of places where Kamal attempted slapstick and wordplay like his long-time associate Crazy Mohan.

Songs were quite average, maybe even below that — something we knew several weeks ago. But the screenplay hardly halted for them. The background score was strictly okay; atleast, it wasn’t jarring.

Finally, I am really disappointed with people who claim to be real Kamal fans and compare Dasavathaaram to Nayagan or Mahanadhi or Anbe Sivam. What were they expecting with Aascar Ravichandran as producer and KS Ravikumar as director? Let me clarify that I’m not shifting the blame to these two individuals even one bit. As Kamal fans, we should have understood what we were in for. We should be happy that Kamal was able to put forth great ideas in a commercial format, something which has potential to become a big success, instead of making a movie like Hey Ram (which I worship, by the way) that made its way out of theatres and into university curriculum in no time.

I will write more after watching the movie more times and in other languages. I would love to hear from you in the Comments section.

The music of Dasavathaaram is now out and reportedly making waves. But the reviews have been mixed. Check out opinions from Rediff.com, Behindwoods. and KollywoodToday.com.

Meanwhile, we have reports on the audio release function still pouring in. How about getting first-hand accounts? Jackie Chan and Amitabh Bachchan have blogged about the function and the portions of the movie they got to watch! Here are excerpts:

The movie, Dasavatharam, is truly a sight to behold. The story, directing, acting, camera work, special effects, everything about it is amazing. It really opened my eyes to modern Indian cinema. Of course I had seen Indian films before; I admire many of the actors, and really like the music and dancing. But this movie is really something else. Every element was amazing to me; and all the elements together just made a perfect and incredible movie! I won’t spoil anyone’s surprise by revealing the story now, since I think everyone should watch this movie. But I will say two things: watch for the environmental message, and all you directors in Hong Kong and China, watch this movie and start working harder than ever, because very soon now, Indian cinema will overtake us in the eyes of the international audience!

Its Kamal Hassan’s film ‘Dasavataram’ and its music release and he has asked me over to attend the function to commemorate the occasion. There’s Jackie Chan, and the Chief Minister of TamilNadu and several colleagues of Kamal. Its a warm friendly event. The few minutes of the promo seen looks awesome. He has played 10 different roles in the film, and all seem so difficult t identify !! Marvelous !!

Finally, here are some video reports.

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

In February of 2006, I went to Delhi for the first time, and within two days of arrival found myself at the Rajghat. Amidst the carefully manicured gardens and general tranquility (broken only by the large number of visitors who come to Rajghat with the same idea as I had), and the mediocre monuments dedicated to the memory of some of independent India’s notable political figures, titanic (like Jawaharlal Nehru), ambiguous (like Indira Gandhi), disturbing (like Sanjay Gandhi), and forgotten and ignored (like Charan Singh), the austere black marble of Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi orients the view (I won’t say “stands out” because it does nothing so vulgar) and draws one inexorably toward it. Once there I felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to do: does one (as per Muslim tradition) pray for the soul of the departed? Did I even believe in one? What could possibly qualify me to pray for the soul of the nearest thing the Indian Republic has had to a conscience? Ultimately I felt somewhat guilty: it is perhaps fitting that India’s conscience was slain within a few months of independent India’s birth, rendering concrete the guilt that all of us perhaps should bear, and that lent some genuine pathos to Main Ne Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara — Anupam Kher’s character is of course right that he hasn’t killed Gandhi, but in the sense that he alone hasn’t killed the Mahatma; all of us do it every day. Mahatma Gandhi knew that guilt could be a powerful weapon: (satyagraha is nothing if not the insistent presentation of a mirror to one’s adversary. If one’s adversary does not like the image of himself or herself reflected as cruel, unjust, or tyrannical, all he need do is change (either his reality or his image of himself). It was thus entirely appropriate that after feeling guilty, I did what I thought the Mahatma would have wanted me to: I read the Fatiha. And gazed at the lettering on the front of the simple marble monument (so much more impressive in its way than a palace): “Hay Ram” it read in Hindi, supposedly the Mahatma’s last words after he was shot by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu militant and onetime RSS member who (like many of his cohorts) blamed Gandhi for the horrors of partition. There is surely much to ponder in the face of these words, but my mind was taken to where I generally need little prompting to go: cinema. And in particular, a film called Hey Ram by Kamal Haasan.

You really have to be a masochist to make a film that touches upon Hindu-Muslim relations in any serious way in India. For leaving aside all the commercial issues and risks, various political outfits can be relied upon to inject themselves in the debate in the shrillest possible manner, with one of three aims: (i) to get the film banned; or to have you denounced as (ii) anti-Hindu; or (iii) as anti-Muslim. Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram, one of the most outstanding Indian films I have seen this decade, has the dubious distinction of being tagged on all three grounds. Which is to the film’s credit, and testimony to its multilayered complexity that yet retains its accessibility. One might love or loathe this film, be disturbed by it or be utterly seduced by Kamal’s vision, but such is the access it affords the viewer to what is above all a mindset, and that in turn accesses us, rendering the viewer vulnerable to Kamal’s directorial gaze, that it is impossible to remain unmoved in the face of this film. For me, in fact, over time this film became an itch in my cinematic consciousness, one I didn’t want to go back to view, but one I couldn’t stop dwelling over (so much so that the film threatened to spill over into some of my writing on other films, such as on Govind Nihalani’s Dev).

A year later, it was time for me to re-visit this film; and the first thing that struck me about it was that it was as wrenching, as effective, as I had remembered. At its core is a powerful story: Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan) is dying as a communal riot rages in the city, and the old man’s memories return to the 1940s, when Saket, his friend Amjad Ali Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) and others were part of an archaeological dig at an Indus Valley civilization site. Hundreds of miles to the east, in Calcutta, is Saket’s lovely wife Aparna (Rani Mukherjee), whom the Tamilian Brahmin Saket has married against the wishes of his family. Tragedy is in store for this couple in what was at the time one of India’s most violent and communally volatile cities, and Aparna is brutally raped and murdered by Muslims in the violence that engulfs Calcutta on 16th August, 1946 — the Muslim League’s “Direct Action Day”. Aparna’s murder is one of the most unsettling I have ever seen on celluloid, and makes Saket’s subsequent descent into violence all the more plausible: he wanders through the streets of Calcutta killing Muslims indiscriminately, ultimately falling in with Abhayankar (Atul Kulkarni), a Hindu militant determined to cleanse India of Islam’s polluting presence, not to mention of Gandhian ideology. Family pressures force Saket to marry Mythili (played with almost inflammatory passivity by Vasundhara Das), but something is twisted and broken in Saket, and he is moved by the plight of Hindu refugees (including an old Sindhi friend of his) from what is by now Pakistan to focus on Mahatma Gandhi (Naseeruddin Shah, in his most memorable turn in years) as the cause of Hindu troubles. The solution is clear: Saket Ram must slay the Ravana of Muslim appeasement in the figure of Gandhi, and goes to Delhi to this end. But the impossibility of a violent “solution” is brought home to him by a chance encounter with Amjad, as is the impossibility of simple redemption: before Mahatma Gandhi can pay attention to or engage with Saket’s apology, he is killed by Nathuram Godse. The books have not been balanced, and Saket must continue with a permanent deficit.

Watching Hey Ram is a singular experience indeed, from Kamal’s painstaking recreation of the 1940s (never better than in his evocation of an orthodox Tamil Brahmin milieu) to Ilaiyaraja’s outstanding musical score to the film’s sheer dynamism: from Aparna’s rape and murder to the ensuing scenes of nocturnal communal carnage; to Saket Ram’s violent and hypnotically compelling visions of strength and eros-laced violence; to the haveli of the one-time Maharajah now dedicated to the cause of Hindu rashtra as represented by Abhayankar and Saket; and the claustrophobia of Old Delhi towards the film’s end, this film crackles with nervous, psychotic energy. Above all this is the unsettling energy of a film with something important to say, that is not simply reducible to a platitude. Kamal’s film is not about “Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai”; instead it offers a vision of the madness that seems like sanity when the whole world is mad. In doing so Kamal stages the seduction of the viewer to parallel the seduction of Saket Ram by Hindu militancy: the viewer can empathize with Saket’s blind bloodlust in the aftermath of Aparna’s grisly death, until he realizes with a start that he might himself be complicit in an ethic of justificatory violence. That is, conceding that Saket has more reason than most to use violence to get even, conceding that he is, inasmuch as anyone can be, “justified”, what then? The film doesn’t purport to answer this question in the abstract, but does present Saket’s answer: by film’s end the solution remains madness, but not Abhayankar’s dispensation, only Gandhi’s. “Madness” because in its solicitude for the other Gandhi’s way so exceeds the demands and the expectations of the everyday, so irreducible is it to a merely utilitarian calculus, that it is perhaps no less psychotic than Abhayankar’s vision (and far more “impossible” to boot). Yet this impossible madness of loving “the other” is the only way forward if the fever dreams of Saket Ram are to not come to pass.

I am more impressed by Kamal’s performance here than in almost any other film in recent years. In the film’s initial reels one sees nothing out-of-the-ordinary relative to other films featuring the Ulaganayagan — but all that changes come Direct Action Day and the butchering of Saket Ram’s wife. Subsequently we see Saket wandering through the Calcutta streets, bewildered, numb, enraged, and Kamal registers all these emotions with barely a dialogue. I have often criticized the actor for a certain lack of subtlety of late, but this sort of situation fits the expressivity of the later Kamal Haasan to a “T”. And yet even Kamal’s Calcutta riot sequences cannot prepare us for the Saket of the movie’s second half, transformed into a Hindu militant and determined to kill Mahatma Gandhi: in his evocation of masculinity sexually humiliated and the link between the latter and the politics of revenge, this “second” Saket as it were is the finest Kamal performance I have seen (if it is lesser than Nayakan because the role is more limited in range, then it is greater in visceral impact and more psychologically demanding than that of Velu Naicker). Of course it helps that Kamal-the-actor is well served by Kamal-the-director: a more obvious director would tell us what Saket’s problem is (as Nihalani has Om Puri do in Dev); Kamal, on the other hand, shows the viewer the nightmares and fantasies that haunt Saket, enabling us to both experience (and empathise with) those dreams, as well as exposing us to their disturbing violence and power. Nowhere is this more memorably done than in Saket’s and Mythili’s marital bed: her animated transformation into a machine gun that Saket clutches is stunning, and so forceful as to render all purely psychoanalytic explanations somewhat reductive. This is visionary filmmaking, and serves as a reminder that it is very difficult to craft memorable performances divorced from the context of memorable films and memorable directors.

Hey Ram has no shortage of superb supporting performances, beginning with Naseeruddin Shah as Mahatma Gandhi. Shah’s Gandhi is very far from Ben Kingsley’s Mahatma, and is in fact a rather slippery fellow. But this is no exercise in mere revisionism, and this Gandhi is all but inaccessible to us, his ways inscrutable, his personality at once frustrating and charismatic. This Mahatma is no saint, but at a minimum he evades our understanding, and hence our judgment. His refusal to engage with Saket’s remorse at film’s end — he has no time for the apology — might well be the only “flaw” to be represented in the film: one might say Bapu has never had time for the Sakets (or better yet, the Abhayankars) of the world, and one isn’t sure he has ever understood them. But Saket’s remorse is not simply a conversion on the road to Damascus. Rather, Kamal uses it to illustrate a dark ambiguity: Gandhi’s India is broken, and yet Gandhi is the only way to make broken India livable, at least if the cleansing fantasies of so many twentieth century ideologies are to be avoided.

Abhayankar (Atul Kulkarni) is Gandhi’s twin, an ideologue of the night Saket finds himself at the mercy of. Abhayankar remains Kulkarni’s most effective performance in my view, and although the character is relatively one-dimensional, Abhayankar plays him with restraint, dignity, and charisma, preventing him from becoming mere caricature. Rani Mukherjee leaves an impression in a brief role as Saket’s first wife Aparna, but her role is not comparable to the fraught nature of Vasundhara Das’ Mythili, whose sexual pliancy is precisely the antidote the emasculated Saket needs, but simultaneously her womanhood signifies the fount of Hindu honour that was violated with Aparna. Mythili is ultimately both jealously guarded treasure and gun, and it is no mere chance that Saket decides to kill Gandhi only after he marries her.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Amjad Ali Khan is a true puzzle: it’s unclear what sort of country club in British India would have allowed in a man dressed in full Pathan regalia (as we see early on in Saket’s flashback), or what sort of Raj-era archaeologist would be dressed in this manner. Even more incongruous is the appearance of this refugee from the Frontier in the heart of Old Delhi towards the end. Surely Kamal knows full well the difference between a Delhi Muslim and a Pashtun, which leads me to believe that Amjad must be a stand-in of sorts for Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Frontier “Redshirt” and one of the most famous Muslim anti-partition political figures. That Ghaffar Khan was known as the “Frontier Gandhi” is no coincidence, for Amjad too is a “double” of Gandhi’s: he is no ideologue, but like the satyagrahi Mahatma refuses to recognize an enemy in a onetime friend, and by refusing to do so, presents Saket with an ethical claim that cannot be evaded. (The background score makes this Hindu-Muslim “doubling” of Gandhi quite explicit by means of the chant “Hey hey Ram; As-Salaam Ram Ram”). If Gandhi is India’s conscience, his incarnation in and as Amjad demonstrates that there can be no tenable partition of the spirit.

I do not read the above as an optimistic ending, but as a deeply ambiguous one: for the partition has in fact happened, and Saket knows that it is irremediably thus (in the present, he dies as a communal riot wracks the city around him), that is, that the India bequeathed by the partition is, in a sense, untenable (at least from a Gandhian perspective). Heroism, then, lies in persisting in the face of impossibility, in asserting the impossibility of spiritual partition even when it has already happened (and is in the process of happening) as a political matter. One might even say that true love is precisely that which is offered to “the Other” in conditions of impossibility. To let impossibility deter one is to accept the horror, which Saket cannot do once he has met the two Gandhis. Not for nothing is he called Ram.

[Cross-posted at Qalandar]

Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu is really two films: the first of these (roughly the first half) is a taut detective story, seamlessly merging the script and director Gautam Menon’s technically slick vision, while also doing justice to a parallel budding friendship and romance between DCP Raghavan (Kamal Haasan) and Maya (Jyotika), neighbors at a New York hotel where Raghavan has landed up to continue a murder investigation begun back in India; it is rare indeed to find such an “adult” representation of a man-woman relationship in a mainstream Indian film. And if the masala fan in me was none too thrilled at seeing a film so very Hollywood (and hence, broadly, derivative), I was nevertheless enthralled by Menon’s control, and by Kamal Haasan’s excellent articulation of a middle-aged, low key cop (low key, that is, barring the somewhat incongruous opening sequence, wherein Raghavan beats the crap out of an entire gang all by his lonesome), one tormented by his failure to save his late wife from criminals eight years ago, and anguished by the brutal rape and murder of his best friend’s daughter.

Unfortunately, the second film, which begins when the killers are introduced, is a crude, lurid crapfest of a movie, involving much yelling, pointless plot developments, and rather lurid violence against women. The result is that Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu is one confused movie, its two halves never quite gelling into anything coherent. I couldn’t shake the impression (confirmed by Menon’s recent interview with Baradwaj Rangan) that Menon felt he had to compromise on his vision in order to make a commercially safe film; one wonders if he went too far: certainly Menon’s previous film — Kaaka Kaaka — was very successful, and that “episode in a police officer’s life” did not have the acrid smell of blatant compromise so thick about it.

Overall, I would say that the film is worth watching more for Kamal’s performance than anything else, and Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu confirms my impression that he is best in relatively understated roles; within the parameters of mainstream cinema he certainly has one here, and he handles it with authority laced with the odd vulnerable moment, the latter highlighting the fact that although the film may have begun on an “overman” note, DCP Raghavan is no larger-than-life mangod. More pity, then, that Menon did not stay true to his vision: either an out-and-out masala film, or a relatively realistic policier, would have been preferable to this mish-mash, which cannot but impinge on Raghavan’s characterization in all sorts of unfortunate ways.

Kamal and Jyotika make for a good pair, and are that rarest of things, namely a mature couple playing characters close to their real ages. In the film’s first half their interludes highlight the grey nature of the world Raghavan and Maya inhabit; in the second half one is relieved to get some reprieve from the baddies.

A word on the songs: Harris Jayaraj’s music is better than some of his recent (disappointing) fare, though the videos are uniformly disappointing (it is especially difficult to forgive Menon his lame conceptualization of Paartha Mudhal).

All in all, this is a disappointing outing for Menon as far as I am concerned, and only Kamal fans (that is to say, all cinephiles who wish to see a compelling actor turn in a performance that holds a mediocre film together) will be sad to miss this one.

[A note on the DVD: Ayngharan (the version I’ve reviewed) is by far the best Tamil film DVD company on the market, and the transfer for Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu is no exception, doing justice to the crispness of Menon’s images (in the film’s first half in particular). Ayngharan DVDs also have the best subtitles by far — by which I mean that, although I do not know Tamil, the subtitles are generally grammatically correct, and it is obvious that most dialogues are “accounted for”, unlike for instance Pyramid DVDs (as to which it is really a shame that Mani Ratnam’s masterpiece Iruvar, and one of my favorite Indian films, is only available on a substandard Pyramid DVD version). And while I’m at it, the same mercifully holds true of Kamal’s own directorial masterpiece Virumaandi, which is also available on an Ayngharan DVD that brings the vibrant, violent rural Madurai district of Kamal’s imagination to life.]

Came across a new perspective on Aalavandhaan (Abhay in Hindi and Telugu). You could skip through the first half of the post, if you’re tired of reading the author’s travails of getting to watch the movie; but it gives you a peek into his mind.

Excerpts:

…completely mind-blowing, thoroughly bonkers, and immensely enjoyable mind trip of a film…

…”Abhay” is destined to become an adjective, a descriptive term for a movie so completely nutso that even over-the-top film shake their head in admiring disbelief.

Hassan has a reputation as one of Indian cinema’s bolder and more unconventional risk-takers…and Abhay was certainly a risky movie. It’s equal parts psychological horror, Hong Kong action film, fantasy effects film, and musical comedy — even Indian audiences accustomed to seeing every genre imaginable crammed into a single film didn’t really know what to make of Abhay’s gloriously madcap combination of ingredients.

Although it’s a financial failure, as a piece of mind-blowing phantasmagorical entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to find a film more enthusiastic and strange than Hassan’s big-budget ode to schizophrenic kungfu insanity. It’s a bit bloated, definitely way over-the-top, wildly imaginative, and as a result, an absolute joy to watch — if you get to watch it at all.

Suddenly, I was greeted by a cover featuring a screaming bald man, covered in tattoos and brandishing a huge knife, flying down the side of a skyscraper. At the top of the box, an employee of this particular video store had slapped a white label then scrawled a simple message in black Sharpie: “Completely Bonkers!!!”

…for a variety of reasons at which analysts can only guess, audiences shied away from the film, and it wasn’t long before the biggest film in Indian history became one of the biggest flops in Indian history.

Still, box office failure and critical and audience puzzlement at just what the hell Hassan was trying to do doesn’t mean the film isn’t spectacular, especially from the viewpoint of a cult film fan. It packs in a ton of breakneck action, some quality acting, and some absolutely inspired freak-out scenes.

…there’s no denying that Hassan and Suresh Krishna were calling in some visual effects big guns, putting forth a vision that far exceeded anything ever attempted in Indian cinema, where effects work is often crude.

The bulk of the effects are up to the standards of Hollywood productions of the time (2001), and they set a new benchmark for the quality of effects work in Indian films in much the same way Star Wars did in the United States…

…Kamal Hassan is wonderful in his dual role, creating two chracters so individualistic and unique that you never once even realize you’re watching the same actor in dual roles.

…you never have any doubt in your mind that this guy could kick your ass while downing half a dozen beers without spilling a drop. He’s not buff, but he’ssolid, and you know he’s tough. That he’s an engaging performer only sweetens the deal.

Hassan’s script wastes no time, and even at three hours, he keeps the film skipping effortlessly from one crazy moment to the next.

Check out the whole write-up.

Image courtesy: Philip Lutgendorf, University of Iowa.