Monday, January 09, 2006

Thavamai Thavamirunthu

[Published sooner than I expected in response to a comment here]
Cheran's last film, Autograph, got rave reviews. AV gave it a high-brow 49. I was not expecting anything great. When I saw the film, I was quite surprised to see him come out of his mould to make his first ever movie which did't carry a "social message". To be fair, Autograph had its moments, mostly in the first story with an earthly narration (I didn't get the Azhagi hang-over then, coz I had not watched the predecessor). Second story was a regular filler love story. The third part was plain boring. The Tamilnadu audience was able to identify itself with the ordinary man reminiscing his various love failures. The movie worked wonders in the B.O. and won the national award for the best popular film (which is dubbed as the "sirandha makkal thiraippadam" in the promos of the Thavamai Thavamirundhu).
Now, he comes up with his next venture structurally very similar to his previous film. And, critics are singing hosannas for this movie (AV gives it 53 this time), discussions on possibile national awards have started rolling...
But when I saw the film last week, I wasn't really surprised that I found it otherwise. Thavamai Thavamirundhu is plain mediocre. Cheran attempts to tell his audience the greatness of fathers. In the beginning, one of the lead characters, Ramalingam(Cheran) asks his car driver about his father. The driver, in a nutshell, says how great his father was (that it's because of his father, he and his siblings are well, blah blah). If you think the driver is taking the question a little too emotionally than required, wait for what Ramalingam (the other son in the car) has to say in the next 3 hours. As this review written by Balaji points out, Cheran leaves no stone unturned. Not a single one.
In the flashback, we see Muthiah(Rajkiran), Ramalingam's father; his efforts and sacrifices in bringing up his sons. It starts with a complete account of one day in the father's life. So far so good. Then, the story rambles on showing various incidents. It's the son reminiscing. But, it's the father in focus. After the sons grow up and attain good positions, they do not return the favour all that well. As against the general opinion that the film works as Muthiah's story, the one moment I found the storyline gripping (for a fleeting moment, that is) was when Ramalingam is helpless, when his brother chooses to leave the house, just after realising that he had committed a much bigger blunder.
Eventually, Ramalingam realises his folly and pays his due respects to his parents. It's really not a bad story, you say. But, it's stretched needlessly as more and more "emotions" are captured and put forth on screen; and the treatment is overtly sentimental and judgemental to the core. The most intriguing part in exploring real relationships across generations is the inherent contradiction in beliefs and interests. But here, the good samaritans don't (and shouldn't) question their fathers.
The actors were mostly adequate. Rajkiran's performance is restrained, but was nowhere near, say, his superb performance in Nandhaa. But the critics are already predicting a national award (Disclaimer: Since things like this do happen often, I am not ruling out the possibility). The woman who plays the first daughter-in-law is simply superb. We could see the director holding the I-show-real-people-in-real-life baton high while capturing her expressions, when she carefully examines her brother-in-law's new plush house. We chuckle, "been there, seen her". But, she had to be shown in bad light. So that you could see how good the second son's family is to the ageing parents.
The areas where Cheran's movies are really improving are in the technical departments. The camera captures the essence of rural life. The movie, at times, falters in reflecting the right period the story is set at different junctures. But, that's hardly a case of concern. Coming to music of the film, Cheran seems to be tone deaf. The lesser said about those elongated pieces of theme music, the better. Same for Cheran's acting skills. He is completely miscast as the college student ogling at "bad" wall-posters (and a strange out-of-place BGM is played when he looks at them, perhaps to suggest the evils of a hostel life).
Things are going so sour for Tamil cinema that we tend to call a movie great just because it doesn't have a hero carrying an aruvaal and heroine showing her navel; also perhaps, because it shows the "real human emotions". Sigh!

14 comments:

  1. Hey Zero,

    Thanks for your comment on NG; can you please email me at rohitkarnbatra@gmail.com when you get this?

    Can't find your email address here.

    Thanks, look forward to it!

    Rohit

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  2. The most intriguing part in exploring real relationships across generations is the inherent contradiction in beliefs and interests.

    Ofcourse it is. But the movie doesn't show you what is the reality. Instead it shows how it will be, if diff generations don't have contradictions in thoughts, how it will be if a son does what practically is impossible for others to follow. The happenings are not realistic in the movie but the emotions are.

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  3. Zero,
    En korikkaikku inanga, thangal vimarsanathai ezhudhiyadharkku nandri!

    Your comments reflect what i'd expected.

    "The movie, at times, falters in reflecting the right period the story is set at different junctures."
    As was the case with Autograph :)

    "Things are going so sour for Tamil cinema that we tend to call a movie great just because it doesn't have a hero carrying an aruvaal and heroine showing her navel; also perhaps, because it shows the 'real human emotions'. Sigh!"
    Not only do we call stuff like this great, we also reject the really great stuff!

    However, unlike the other crap-mongers in Kollywood, Cheran is at least passionate and his films are straight from the heart. I see him [his works] as a kind-hearted old man who is just plain boring :)

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  4. Zero: If you understand telugu (or) if you can watch a subtitled movie, try to get your hands on a DVD of this telugu movie called Anukokunda Oka Roju. Its a Telugu thriller. very original, very contemprory as well!
    Also you should check out this other telugu movie (which i havent myself seen, yet) called Aithe. Same director...

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  5. regarding the same line that suresh mentioned, dont u think we've had enough movies that focussed on the contradictions in beliefs and interests. thats all 7/G and all those 'teen movies' did. for once i was happy to c a guy who agreed with and respected his dad.

    and i agree with u that the movie was unabashedly sentimental. but as i said in my review, i liked the fact that the sentiments were quiet. no shouting or beating or melodrama. p.vasu is a director i hate in that respect but i loved what he's said about TT in his interview - "It is easy to shout, cry and laugh, but it is not easy to speak through silence. He(Cheran) achieved that successfully".

    anti, or u could check out this Tamil movie called 'naam' which i think is a remake of 'aithe'. review is on bbreviews :)

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  6. "we tend to call a movie great just because it doesn't have a hero carrying an aruvaal and heroine showing her navel" - rightly said.

    I wasn't impressed with Autograph, but it sure was fresh-breath compared to other crappy Kodambakam-creations. Surprisingly, Cheran's character definitions are most flawed, almost child-like. They have good/ bad (mutually) exclusively etched in them. Its no different from watching animated 'Amar Chitra Katha' characters, one's got to be either a monster or a monk.

    And Cheran is "judgemental to the core". It irks me to no end that he takes it upon himself to atone for all our sins (by forgetting 'a' father's significance in our lives.)

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  7. Very nice review.

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  8. I think you have missed the main point of the movie. The movie shows a father who is very understanding and anticipates his children's needs - hence there is no generation gap as such. Cheran clearly shows this in the scene where his father tells him to move to Madurai as he has got a job there. The point being conveyed by the movie is that children are often not caring even to such understanding parents and move away from them for petty reasons.

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  9. senthil from sholavandan madurai9/27/2010 05:27:00 AM

    that is one best movie ever seen in my life i love my mom & dada..

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  10. I love this movie because i like to that type of movie where family bond specified in well manner. I will be happy if you will share like this information in future also. Keep posting.

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  11. In principle, a good happen, support the views of the author

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  12. I, of course, a newcomer to this blog, but the author does not agree

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    ReplyDelete