| "One
should never watch 'Naan Kadavul'
for the 1st time" |
|
| By
Behindwoods Visitor Umesh |
|
| The
views expressed in this column
is that of the visitor. Behindwoods.com
doesn't hold responsible for its
content. |
|
"One
should never watch "Naan
Kadavul" for the first
time"-A slightly altered
Nehru's view from USA.
"Naan Kadavul" is
not your ordinary film where
love blooms at first sight or
the hero has to beat 10 persons
up with a single punch or whatever.
Right from the "Scene 1
Take 1" block, the viewer
is transported to an offbeat
world full of weird Godmen and
beggars, the predicament made
more haunting by ‘The
King's’ music. Though
the film does not have a proper
storyline, it keeps the audience
in thrall.
Arya (The long beard, the fiery
eyes, the paan chewing |
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|
 |
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| mouth,
the frightening voice- he lives as Rudran)
does deliver his best but it is surprising
to see that his character is almost a cameo.
His character is not properly etched and
after a point, his refrains of "Aham
brahmasmi" and other incantations become
a chore.
Pooja is the soul of the film. In the prelude
to the climax, her acting reaches such exalted
heights that there was a big gasp from the
audience-"OMG". Surely she deserves
a national award.
The brave attempt by Bala to take a peek
into the ugly world of beggars will be despised
by many. I personally appreciate the director's
pains in taking us into an altogether unexplored
world full of handicapped beggars (Legs
twisted, hands twisted, abnormal stomach,
midgets, eunuchs, whatnot). Unsettling stuff.
Ladies will abhor this part too badly.
Dialogues are sharp and philosophical (One
scene where all contemporary Tamil heroes
are made fun of is very good).There is an
atheistic point of view in the dialogues.("God
is watching all from above" says a
character. Comes a sharp repartee, "Never
mind that Bastard").Brave! The movie
has enjoyable one-liners. That midget boy
is impressive and humorous giving us some
relief amidst all the heavy stuff. Arthur
C Wilson's camera work is first class turning
rough prose into poetry.
Saving the best for the last, each and every
scene of the movie comes alive with fantastic
BGM by Ilayaraja. He comes up with one of
his best scores to brighten this dark movie.
With this movie, Ilayaraja delivers a strong
statement to his competitors-"Naan
Kadavul"!
A quick reminder of the minuses of the movie:
1. The wafer-thin storyline.
2. Ambiguous screenplay. Unconnected scenes.
No proper reason for why Rudran comes from
Kasi and why he goes back again to Kasi.
3. Too gory and morbid. 8 women left the
theatre after 25 minutes into the film.
4. The ideology behind the film-"Mercy
Killing"- is very lightly touched upon
in the end and one wonders if it is the
central theme of the film at all.
5. Will not cater to any class audience.
Everyone will call it as "World class"
but no one will watch it the second time!
UMESH
rating: * * * (3 stars)
Personal Note: If Cinema is involvement,
then Bala can proudly proclaim, "Naan
Kadavul". I bought popcorn in the intermission
and never touched it till the climax!
By
Umesh.
umesh.psg@gmail.com
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