Much of that responsibility lies with the director
Vijay, art director Selvakumar and cinematographer
Nirav Shah. There have been reports from shooting
locations about huge sets resembling Vannarapettai
and Old Mount Road that were erected. One also wonders
whether the Madras Central; one of the oldest and
most distinguished landmarks of Madras will be shown
in its old glory. All these factors will definitely
make Madarasapattinam a visual treat for all those
who have known only Chennai, not Madras. It might
also be a very nostalgic experience for old timers
who want to revisit their beloved Madras.
But, let us not get carried away with these technical
aspects. The most important part of any movie has
to be its story. And, for those who thought that any
film set in the pre-independence era has to be about
the freedom struggle; Madarasapattinam might come
as a surprise. This is basically a love story. But,
inevitably, with every film set before 1947, Madarasapattinam
will have the freedom struggle as the backdrop. The
amount of focus that will be given to the freedom
struggle is not known and we also don’t know
whether any prominent figures from the struggle are
depicted in the movie. The storyline is basically
this- an elite British lady visits colonized India
and comes to the Madras presidency. There she gets
acquainted to an ordinary dhobi who also happens to
be a wrestler. Slowly, she falls in love with this
simple Indian. But, it is about that same time that
the freedom struggle hits its peak and the end of
British rule seems to be nearing. The British will
soon have to leave the country and so will the young
lady. What happens to the love story?
Love stories set in the freedom struggle backdrop
have been made in Bollywood before.1942 A Love Story
and 1947 Earth are good examples.
For Arya, this might be the biggest ticket to the
major league. He proved his credentials as a committed
performer with Naan Kadavul. Now, he is on the verge
of real big stardom if Madarasapattinam, the biggest
movie so far in his career, is able to satisfy audiences.
It will not only be a boost to his career, it will
also be a tonic to Tamil cinema to go in for more
adventurous subjects. Amy Jackson plays the British
lady. The film also consists of Nasser, M.S.Bhaskar
and the Late VMC Haneefa in what is his last Tamil
movie.
Director Vijay looks to stamp his class as a film
maker after delivering two quality products in Kreedom
and Poi Solla Porom. G.V Prakash too gets a huge opportunity
and has delivered the right goods. The ‘Vaama
Duraiyamma’ song is already popular. Meanwhile,
one of the biggest factors in such a mammoth task
of recreating old Madras is the producer. AGS Entertainment
must be congratulated for taking up one unconventional
project after another; their previous release was
Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam.
With a subject that will attract almost anyone, promises
of transporting us to the Madras of yore and some
great visuals, Madarasapattinam has the potential
to make it big. Will it? Let’s wait for Friday.
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