the film, one feels that the clinching aspect of Vaagai
Sooda Vaa was its casting. The art of finding the
right person for the character is something that is
often undermined and underappreciated in Indian cinema.
Look at Vaagai Sooda Vaa. The number of new and unrecognized
faces outnumbers the familiar faces in the movie.
It is the casting of the children especially that
is the best part of the film. Being a film that emphasizes
the importance of educating children, it was of utmost
significance that the kids picked for the role fit
it to a T. And, the on screen results are good enough
to understand the kind of time and scrutiny that Sargunam
and his team would have given to get the right kid
for each and every character. Of course, lot of work
has been done after the casting to get each and every
chosen kid into the mould of a 1960s village child
who spent more time wading in muck than in a classroom.
While it was good to see Vaagai Sooda Vaa being accepted
and appreciated, it was a bit disappointing that an
important aspect of the film went under the radar.
There weren’t too many voices that appreciated
the extremely natural portrayal made by every child
that came on frame.
Sometimes, we focus so much on central characters
and plots that we lose sight of small nuances. The
entire media went gaga over the performance of the
little girl Sara in Deivathirumagal. Yes, she was
phenomenal for a 6 year old girl; but so were a lot
of children in Vaagai Sooda Vaa. It is difficult enough
for an adult experienced actor to get into a character
from the 60s and we are always are ready to appreciate
that. Think about the amount of talent that these
children must possess that none of us ever felt that
they have not adapted well to the period. Really,
credit was due to Sargunam for some absolutely delightful
casting and to the children for winning performances.
Coming back to casting; it is an unappreciated aspect
of film making in India, mostly because of the star
system that prevails. There are always select actors
for select roles and this is repeated over and over
again, taking casting out of the equation. How many
“naattamai” roles has Vijayakumar played,
or how many ‘understanding dads’ has Jayaprakash
played in such a short career. Finding the exactly
right actors/persons for the script is sometimes considered
an unnecessary strain, one feels, which is why we
have template actors for template roles. Sometimes,
one also feels that scripts are written after selecting
the actors; at least that is the way that star ventures
seem to work. There are many instances when he have
received news that a star has signed up to do a film
for a certain production banner and that further details
(which might include the story, screenplay and the
director) are yet to be worked out. This would not
happen in a story-character driven industry, where
the first things to be finalized would be the story
and screenplay, which would then decide the right
actor to fit the bill.
It is only rarely that film makers surprise us with
casting decisions. And, going by statistics, the surprise
casting has always worked. Remember how Bharathiraja
was hailed as a master at the craft of casting because
he used to pick people right out of the crowds in
villages and make them perform in front of camera.
Casting need not be that adventurous. But, at least
there can be best use of available resources. We all
still remember the delight with which we received
the Sevvazha character in Paruthiveeran which pleasantly
surprised us by bringing Saravanan practically out
from oblivion. Remember the casting decisions in Kadhal
that made it a wonderful experience. Yes, Kadhal Dhandapani
has now become a stereotype jukebox villain because
of redundant casting techniques, but his introduction
to cinema was a masterstroke in casting. Or try Aadukalam;
it would have been tempting for any director to try
a Prakash Raj or Nasser or Ponvannan for the character
of Pettaikaaran, but the director backed his instincts
and put Jayabalan in. Now, we cannot imagine anyone
except Jayabalan having done that role.
Casting, especially when it is with unknowns, is always
a tricky and risky business where the director backs
his instincts to give the best results. In Hollywood,
casting is considered one of the most important decisions
before a film begins shooting and there are independent
consulting agencies which recommend suitable actors
after going through the script. Every Hollywood movie’s
credits will have a place for the person who took
care of casting. It is a rarity in Indian cinema.
It is time we realized the significance of right casting
and give it a fitting place. And, it is also time
that we specifically applaud excellent casting like
the one done in Vaagai Sooda Vaa.
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