Madharaasapattinam - a poetic ride

The sun reverberated off the buildings with the brilliance of a handful of diamonds cast against an iceberg, the shimmering white was blinding as we took off for the hr drive in the July heat of NJ to watch the latest flash, Madharaasapattinam. On hitting the theatres, we were welcomed by the empty chairs and an operator who was debating whether to call his girl friend or just hang around due to an assumed no-show. At that exact moment the 3 of us (read Jay, V and me) were clear intruders to his big picture.

I was ecstatic as it would be the first time I would have had an entire show screened only for myself. Clearly my family didn’t share my feelings - Jay was terribly upset not to see his partners in crime and V was annoyed for having played the chauffer for a worthless movie. He is a strong believer in the adage if there is no crowd the movie can be no good.

An exquisite love story that spans across an era with a graceful narration of happenings over the generation is Madharaasapattinam. Its like an unfinished puzzle that almost turns the lead pair into Romeo and Juliet escaping the Montagues and Capulets, in this case Amy's folks, which the lead lady tries to finish during the last phase of her life time. What she discovers when hunting around for the missing pieces is disclosed with what leaves behind a "titanic" effect.

Arya - has he mastered the art of choosing the right scripts or is it time to thank his lucky stars? Whatever it is this dude is a paragon of a good output. With not much of a costume and not many dialogues which actually is a blessing, he has done his part just fine. There is nothing critical to report on Arya as he is heavily overshadowed by the lead lady. To quote Jay, Arya is the masculine "pull-up uncle" in his shortie short dhoti!

Amy Jackson - the true essence of the movie. The charming ingénue with the body of an eighteen-year-old, spirited and self sufficient was casting a magic spell on the audience. You can just watch her because of the way she looked, the way she moved and the enormous presence she had about herself. Everything about Amy is beautifully done - even the simplest of all accessories, a hat looked so elegant on her.

I have never had a great regard for the hats as an accessory. Unless it really sits on you well, it will make a spectacle of yourself. The hats this lady wore were pulled low over her face, just low enough to give her an aura of unbearable mystery enhancing her innate sexiness.

I have recently come to believe that the tinsel world has nothing to offer the lead ladies in terms of acting and all the latest movies testified my theory. After watching Madharaasapattinam I have a revised theory - tinsel world has nothing to offer the home grown lead ladies. Everyone else will be given a great role with a good scope that earn them a name, big enough in the country for exclusively their acting skills!

Directors who cast comedians in the movie with the believed abstraction that they will do any good should take some serious lessons from Vijay. There are no such unwanted elements in the movie yet there is good enough humor which make people really laugh.

One movie that I genuinely liked, enjoyed every bit and part right from the story line to the picturisation, cast, screenplay and even the music / BGM is Madharaasapattinam. In my opinion this kid GVP's talks are inversely proportional to his professional output. To my own disbelief he has finally proven his worth in this movie. Well tuned, sweet sounding songs coupled with a very appropriate intense picturisation is a value add to the odic journey.

Madharaasapattinam - it’s dramatic, tough and brilliant. It’s not mealy mouthed or funny, there's nothing halfway about it. A slow nevertheless a steady product. A once-in-lifetime movie with a pleasing rhythm and beauty!

Raavanan - Maniratnam at his unerring worst

With an assemblage of my personal favorite stars - Maniratnam, ARR, Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj, Karthik I had made up my mind eons ago to watch this movie come hell or high water. Little did I know then that all the faces were only pleasant on the posters and would not even come close to an acceptable package when brought together under the leadership of a reputably able captain.

A plot from the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana entwined with the tale of Indian Robin Hood, notorious dacoit Veerappan makes Raavanan aka Raavan.

Though Aishwarya Rai traces her ancestry back to a small village in the South India, it feels like she is the Alice in Wonderland in Raavanan.A square peg on a round hole. Adding insult to injury is the missing chemistry of this beauty with Ram and Raavan. All the director needed was a girl next door head turner but by casting Aishwarya he ended up with a supreme cosmopolitan edition that just didn’t gel well.

She is too sophisticated for the Ragini/Kuruvamma that the director has tried to showcase through her with an incredible amount of over action. She is no longer a delight to watch on the silver screen - the awkward wrinkles on the still flawless creamy face add to the distress. The only solace is her ability to move her feet and body effortlessly to the mesmerizing tunes of the Mozart of Madras!!

Why is Mani obsessed with the Bachchan family? He seems to be hibernating for ever and once in 3 years when he wakes up and decides to grace his audience, he gets stuck with the B's. Hasn't he learnt his lessons from the earlier stunts?

Vikram has finally got a break after his series of box office fiascos. But for the familiar animal sounds which reminded me of Ko Ko Ko Ko kandhaaa, Raavanan is a character neatly crafted and written for Vikram. I am mentally paralyzed to imagine a different soul performing this role, let alone the junior B.

The rule of thumb is if the hero is an agitated dude, he HAS to have a flashback and if you happen to see a second heroine name on the title card who hasn't made her appearance until intermission, she HAS to be a sexually harassed sister whose death episode will explain the hero's psychotic actions.

Every director plants this masterpiece in their venture with the idea that they are exploring a virginal territory. What they fail to see or choose to ignore is how much they have tired the audience out becoming easily predictable with an overall accomplishment of losing their credibility. Mani has also fallen a prey to this atrociously moronic meat scheme. Priyamani with her little over 15 minute appearance leaves a better impression that most of the other characters.

Karthik - Prabu, the once popular duo who created a sensation with the same director nearly 2 decades ago in Agni Natchathiram have come together in this movie only to paint a downright sorry picture. Karthik who plays the Hanuman and Prabu the Kumbakarnan equivalents could have easily been avoided as neither the actors nor their roles were pivotal.

Raavan's saving grace is ARR and the cinematographer. Both have made a significant contribution which is probably the only accolade for the movie. The picturisation of the whole movie aided with an exceptionally accurate music is truly an audio-visual enchantment.

Sketching a story line based on excerpt from already popular mythological stories or political happenings seems to be the trademark of the director. Its time to bid farewell to this formula or at least park it aside for a few years and hit the spot with a romantic feast.

Raavanan is creative yet simply a wander over the conceptual landscape.