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Mahabharata,
both the scenes and characters have shades
of Mahabharata.
To start with
Titles: Mani’s movies
never had titles in maroon color (they are
usually in white fonts in black background)
but in Thalapathy titles come in maroon
or brick red color since Rajini’s
character is compared to Karna in Mahabharata
who is the son of Sun, which is maroon or
brick red color. Needless to say Rajini’s
name in Thalapathy is Surya. This is the
reason, you would find Rajini in maroon
colored shirts in most scenes. Also, you
will find Sun’s rays joining Rajini
in many scenes. When Srividya and Rajini
unite you can see the Sun rising. Also the
whole movie would have a maroonish tone.
Characterization: See how
beautifully Mani portrays Shobana’s
character. She would always start from ‘Yamunai
aatrile eera kaatrile kannanodu thaan aada’
but once her love is broken she starts from
‘Aayarpaadiyil kannan illayo’.
Also during the break-up scene of Shobana–Rajini
you can see the Sun trying to set.
Songs: Now we shall look
into Mani’s magic in the songs. Picturizing
songs is an art which does not come to all
directors easily. But for Mani just a room
is enough, he will do wonders, (eg.Ninnukori
Varnam). Since Rajini’s characterization
is similar to a warrior who goes for frequent
fights, Mani had picturised the song in
the same fashion. Another important factor
he had considered is war coming to a close
around six in the evening basically to nurse
the injured soldiers. Here, Shobana lights
the lamps and Rajini will be seen with his
horses resting.
Ilayaraja aka BGM: I can’t
even imagine any other music director for
this classic. Whenever Srividya thinks of
Rajini, BGM would be train’s siren.
Amazing, isn’t it? In ‘Sundari
kannal oru sedi’, when Rajini goes
for war you can hear the police march fast
BGM. Some other amazing BGM portions in
Thalapathy are the Rajini–Shobana
break up scene, Rajini–Mammootty first
meeting and uniting scene and when Rajini
stands in a small hill just before Amrish
Puri enters the frame.
These are just few examples but each and
every frame's execution speaks Mani's caliber
and why he is the master. According to me,
Thalapathy is truly an under rated classic.
Thanks,
S.Mahesh.
smahesh1980@gmail.com
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