Why Kamal, why?

Okay, I’m a big fan of Kamal Haasan. He’s an incredibly talented actor, plus he’s got all that charisma and charm going for himself. Let’s face it – he is THE MAN.

However, let us set aside the dashing masculine charm that he continues to ooze, and get back to the point about talent. Throughout his career, he has proved his worth as an actor over and over, with movies like Thevar Magan, Nayakan, Thenali, Avvai Shanmugi, Pancha Thantram and Hey Ram (to name a few). He’s already tested his limits by playing four parts in a single movie (Micheal Madan Kamarajan). I think its safe to say that THAT movie was a runaway hit.

Now, 17 years after the release of MMKR, Kamal has come out with movie called “Dasavatharam” in which he plays 10 characters. I think he wanted to prove to the world that he really CAN act. (I assure you sir, we were convinced a long time ago. We really didn’t need this.)

To call the various incidents in this movie a “Plot” or “Storyline” would be a stretch. It supposedly carries “messages encompassing such concerns as the environment, science and faith”. To this, i can only say “It really doesn’t, sorry.”

From the beginning of the film, a series of events begin to unfold out of nowhere. All of a sudden 10 different Kamalahaasans living in various parts of the world start chasing each other with guns, cars, helicopters and fists (kung-fu style). One Kamalahaasan IS George Bush (He doesn’t chase anyone, of course. He merely sends out other Kamalahaasans, who are in the FBI, to chase Kamalahaasan). Meanwhile, there are some Kamalahaasans who are included in the movie merely because they were parked on the side of the road while 2 other Kamalahaasans were chasing each other. Then theres 12th Century Kamalahaasan who was chained to an Idol of Vishnu and then plopped into the ocean. This Kamalahasan appears to have nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the “story”. Other Kamalahaasans worth mentioning are the Safari-suited-Telgu-speaking Kamalahaasan, Singing-dancing-Sikh Kamalahaasan and Social Worker Kamalahaasan. The most important props in the movie are a small metal box containing a vial of a deadly biohazard of some sort (none of the 10 Kamalahaasans has explained what EXACTLY the vial contains) and then theres also the idol of Balaji aka Perumal (not the same idol that 12th century Kamalahaasan was strapped to). There’s also the Tsunami (I’m not going to bother explaining that one).

After pointing out all the ridiculous points of the “plot”, i shall tell you the one thing that saves this movie. KAMALAHAASAN. He’s pulled off the acting bit. He’s captured 10 different characters bueatifully, with prefect voices, accents and various other character nuances. Too bad the plot was non-existent though.

Verdict:
-10/10 for Plot (thats NEGATIVE 10, for all mathematically challenged folks)
9/10 for Makeup
8/10 for Animation etc.
10/10 for Acting (note – this is called a pun)

Thanks to media hype, everyone is going to watch this movie. Thats the sad part. Even though the movie is a completely unnessecary showcase of Kamal’s talent and has the world’s most ridiculous non-plot, everyone is going to watch it.

As a fan of the actor, i can only say that i will forgive Kamalahaasan when he comes out with his next movie (in which, hopefully, he will restrict himself to playing fewer than 10 parts).

Filed under: movies, review

talking about poland

malayalam is a language tailor made for sarcasm and satire. storytellers and movie makers have made use of this particular aspect of the language to create some of the most interesting, quirky, heart-wrenching, hilarious and unforgettable narratives.

while people like MT, Padmarajan and an army of others have created a slew of classics, one man stands apart – as the king of malayalam satire, a living legend. his name is sreenivasan. a man who flexes his pen, twists malayalam to his hearts conent – and ultimately exposes the true essence what it is to be a malayali.

allow me to elaborate my point with an example….. it is very easy to understand why shobhana’s “vidamattey?…” and “yaarathu?….” bits from the wonderful Manichithrathazhu are so memorable and so often repeated. but only in malayalam, would you find a line like “Polandine kurichu nee oraksharam mindaruthu, athu enikkishtam alla” (delivered by a very frustrated sreenivasan over his first proper meal in days) receive such undeniable cult status.

[if you haven't heard this line, you haven't seen the
amazing and scathingly satirical gem of a
film called Sandesham. so, SHAME ON YOU!!]

Now, if you ask me exactly what the “essence of being a mallu” is…… i’d find it hard to explain. i guess its a mix of acid sarcasm, good humour, strong political views, unbridled cynicism, gossip and boundless wit. Or as a friend pointed out – all things mallu have one trait in common: they thrive on self-criticism. That is exactly what sreenivasan has learnt to capture, time and again, in his work.

They say that the best way to learn a language is to watch movies made in it.
So, If you want to learn malayalam…. watch the classics.
But, if you want to learn to be a malayali…. watch sreenivasan.

Filed under: books, movies