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fact that Indians were there in the film
and AR was there, and despite a neat screenplay
and an innovative story, the film may have
appeared pretty ordinary to the audience.
Perhaps we are used to this kind of a set
pattern of screenplay or may be we have
seen better movies? I feel that Slum dog
is pretty ordinary comparing the previous
benchmarks set by Tom Hanks and Al Pacino.
Now, comes the question. Doesn't Ilayaraja
deserve the Oscar or at least the Lifetime
Achievement Oscar? He may not be known all
over the world or all over India for that
matter. But whoever listens to the BGM of
Naan Kadavul or the songs will definitely
vouch that he deserves one. It is not just
this but a lot of other films. Why it is
always that Hindi films have to be India's
entry to the Oscars? We all know that Taare
Zameen Par was a good film. But there were
other films much better and equally good
to TZP. There was Chak De and many from
the south. Why is the committee so miserable
partial that, they overlook south Indian
Films and prefer films from the North.
AIn terms of quality we all know that there
can never be a Kamal Haasan or a Vikram
or a Suriya in the North. Suriya's portrayal
in Gajini was ten times better because he
emoted better than Amir (I am not degrading
Amir because I am a very big fan of him,
but still that's the truth). These small
things have to be noticed. So was Suriya's
portrayal in Nanda, and Vikram's portrayal
in Pithamagan. These films were never the
Indian entry to the Oscars and eventually
the world never got to see them. Isn't it
pathetic to see such great films being sidelined
and then blaming that we don’t produce
quality films and that we never win the
Oscars.
I remember showing Pithamagan to a foreigner
when I was out of India. He was astounded
and was awestruck. He said he had never
seen such an authentic portrayal ever before
and was surprised why did not the film make
it to the Oscars. That is when I replied,
"That's India". Coming back to
Naan Kadavul, never before and never again
can Indian cinema witness such a spell binding
film. That is the strength of its maker
Bala.
If people here rave about the fact that
Saroja (a remake), Vaaranam Aayiram and
Subramaniyapuram were the best films in
terms of quality in the year 2008, Naan
Kadavul stands ten times above. In terms
of directors I really feel that very few
really stand tall. They include Mani Rathnam,
Gautham Menon, A.R. Murgadoss, Ameer, Shankar,
Bala, Selvaragavan, Ram, Mysskin and Sasikumar.
I never know if any one watched the film
"Tamizh M.A". Despite the fact
the film had a few faults and reviewers
found it to be very depressing it was one
of the best films that explored the terrain
as to why a normal guy becomes a psychopath.
And if slum dog received an award for the
background score, I don’t know what
award does Ilayaraja deserve for Naan Kadavul.
There may be Britney spears, Pink Floyd,
Enrique Isgelsias, Guns and Roses, Michael
Jackson, Amy Lee, Avril Lavigne, Shigere
Umeyabashi, Alan Silvestri and A R Rahman
and many more... All of them are the best
and stand tall but, in terms of music reaching
the depth of your heart and soul, its Ilayaraja
any day. Coming to Naan Kadavul, it is well
known that Bala shot two climaxes and held
one for the awards. Despite the film having
no romance angle, it stands tall for the
portrayal of the travails of beggars, the
differently abled people. Pooja's portrayal
as the blind beggar can never be surpassed
by any actress in the north or even Hollywood
for that matter. So was Arya's portrayal.
Though many say Arya's role was cut short
and that his role was not well defined,
I would say his portrayal was the best.
He just came as the deliverer of justice
and showcased the concept of Aghoris. That
is the concept. This was brilliantly executed
by Bala. Ilayaraja's music brings the feel
so well and makes you empathize. You begin
to see the lives of beggars through their
eyes. The film also speaks about a lot of
hidden meanings like - how gifted we are
all and that we got to celebrate life. The
magician Bala waved his wand very well by
interlacing a lot of humor into the film
and playing down the portrayal of the Aghori
as there are bound to be comparisons with
his previous protagonists in terms of body
language. Call it morbid or morose or gross
or say yuck! You all know that there can
never be a film again like this. The art
direction was brilliant- right from the
burning pyres to the world of agoris and
beggars, the camera of Arthur Wilson has
rolled wonderfully. Name the mood and the
feel and you have it on screen. Art direction
in this film has taken cinema to dimensions
never explored before. So was the camera
work. Ilayaraja's background music gels
much better than many of the films that
are being raved about.
It is a very sincere attempt. I request
all the members of the committee to give
Naan Kadavul the ticket for India's entry
to the Oscars next time and we can really
look forward to an Indian film winning the
coveted award for the best actress and the
best director and the best bgm and song
award. This is not an attempt to criticize
or degrade A R Rahman or the film "Slum
Dog Millionaire". I am a very big fan
of Rahman and Danny Boyle and I was praying
for Rahman to get the Oscars. But my question
is why South Indian Films are being avoided
by the selectors and why such great films
by makers like Bala are never showcased
to the world.
Thanks
and regards,
Gautham
gautham.daamodhar@gmail.com
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