| KAMAL,
VIKRAM AND NOW VISHAL |
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| By
Meera |
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| When
words fail, a mere glance can convey a
thousand words. Such is power of eyes
and Tamil cinema has no dearth in maximizing
their potential.
Most actors experiment with their physique.
Topping the pack is Kamal(ofcourse) who
has played roles that is worthy only of
legends. A dwarf (Aboorva Sagotharargal),
limp (16 vayathinile), Nanny (Avvai Shanmughi)
and everything pot-lucked in Dasavatharam.
Suriya following his footsteps excelled
as a hunchback in Perazhagan and six pack
in Ghajini. Vikram leaps into the list
for altering his calories for Sethu, Saami,
Anniyan and Pitha magan. While we struggle
to lose a few pounds, these actors spend
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days dedicated to the gym and consume diets worthy
of only sages. Their dedication to the task at hand
is truly noteworthy.
Some of the iconic roles in Tamil cinema have been
when one of the vital senses go mute. Sridevi in Moondram
Pirai stole the show right from under Kamal, Vikram
has many accolades in his kitty but Pitha Magan where
he hardly spoke 2 lines gained him irrefutable applause.
Mozhi is credited as Jothika’s best performance.
Although Kamal’s deaf man act bombed in Mumbai
express, being a born actor he carried Pesum Padam
to dizzying heights.(Pesum Padam is a silent movie,
but from my perspective it experimented on muting
all senses except the eyes).
We have seen how Prithviraj tried to live Jothika’s
deafness by tying his ears in Mozhi. While that evoked
a few laughs, any actor attempting to play such roles
is treading a less travelled path. While many of them
try to learn from real lives, some attend workshops
to learn the sign language. Acting in front of the
mirror to gauge your performance is a time tested
learning mantra.
An actor with a zest for perfection and zeal for experimentation,
would accept how arduous playing a blind man would
be. Vishal takes it a step further by playing a squint
in Avan Ivan. If you are not in agreement try squinting
for a minute. Now continue to do that for a whole
duration of a film shoot(not just 3 hours). While
Bala known for straying away from the herd, will give
us a movie to remember, one has to appreciate Vishal
for having accepted the role, eyes wide open. Tamil
cinema has one more to be proud off.
Many can still recollect Kamal’s ease of playing
a blind violinist in Raja Paarvai, Vikram scaled heights
to perch high as a blind singer in Kasi. Pooja’s
performance in Naan Kadavul was laudable, Jothika
in Perazhagan scored, Revathy(Kai Kodukum Kai), Simran(Thullatha
Manamum Thullum) have all played blind. However, this
is the first time somebody is trying the squint act.
Daring to go beyond his action hero image, Vishal
has done what many leading heroes have failed to attempt.
His quest to don a different hat is worthy of appreciation.
Coming from Bala’s camp one can be assured that
this would be Vishal’s best. Avan Ivan is eagerly
awaited.
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