many film viewing public would consider
it acceptable. In a similar vein, in these
movies, you need not have characters that
relate to the theme of the movie. Hence,
you have the freedom to fit in as many comedians
you would like or have as many glamorous
heroines. The common response that you get
from the audience (who love these movies)
or the film makers when you question them
on these is “This is a commercial
movie”, “Our hero is an action
hero”, “These are aspects expected/
must be present in our hero’s movie”,
“These movies are meant only to entertain”,
“We go to a movie only to forget our
worries”. This article is meant to
only compare the differing expectations
from the audience and is not meant to take
a dig at commercial cinema. Pure entertainers
are also required as an essential alternative
and would satiate the preferences of various
audiences.
Compare this when you go and watch a Kamal
Haasan film – more than the appreciation
of the various nuances in film making exhibited
in the movie, there would be intense scrutiny
of every aspect in the movie. Hence, there
would be questions like “Why did Kamal
place the bag in the railway station when
it had no bombs at all (UPO)”, “Why
did the Commissioner and the Chief Secretary
converse in English in many scenes (UPO)”,
“Why were two or three characters
not given more space? (Dasavatharam)”,
“Why did Kamal show that Tsunami rescued
the people in the mosque while it killed
Boovaraagan (a Christian) - Dasavatharam”,
“Why did Kamal show the accountant
in Devar Magan (Madan Bob) as belonging
to a particular caste” (In fact the
director of this flick was Bharathan and
not Kamal). There might be perfect justification
as to why these scenes were enacted this
way. But, this goes to show the intense
scrutiny that the audience reserve for every
action of Kamal – even for his commercial
entertainers.
When people go and watch a Kamal movie,
these are the most common expectations
1. Every word spoken and every action on
screen should be perfect
2. The movie should be vastly different
from any other Indian movie previously seen
3. No scope for any cinematic liberties
associated with other heroes
In fact, these expectations have only enhanced
Kamal’s film making abilities. Rather
than settling for only commercial potboilers
that guarantee success, Kamal has chosen
a path less travelled (or rather not travelled)
by many. A strong belief in his vision of
taking Tamil cinema forward has given him
the conviction to deliver a movie without
any dialogues (Pushpak/ Pesum Padam), a
movie without any songs and having a shorter
running duration (Kuruthipunal), a movie
which discusses in depth on the suffering
during partition (Hey Ram), a movie where
he doesn’t have a name or identity
and which has no heroines or songs and deals
with terrorism without showing any violence
on screen (Unnaipol Oruvan, credits to Neeraj
Pandey-the creator), a movie which has capital
punishment as theme (Virumaandi), a movie
which stressed on love for human beings
and has a good take on Communism (Anbe Sivam)
and many more.
A creator delivering one or two movies like
this is possible. But, giving them over
a sustained period of four decades (if I
have to discount the roles played by him
as a child) is a tremendous achievement.
When Hey Ram wasn’t that successful
at the box office, this man had the courage
to deliver an Anbe Sivam. When movies as
great as these aren’t that successful,
he takes the blame on himself (and not blame
the film watching public) and strives to
deliver an even better movie.
The other aspect that makes him a real world
Howard Roark is the impact success has on
him. Everyone who is successful take their
time to savor their triumph. But not Kamal!
Just days after the stupendous success of
Dasavatharam (an all time Tamil cinema highest
grosser and one of the highest in Indian
cinema), he was working on the script for
Marmayogi. Even when it seemed Marmayogi
would take some time, he did not relax and
delivered a classic Unnaipol Oruvan. Delivering
box office success over a long period is
still possible but doing it by taking the
road less travelled makes the success even
more enjoyable. It is this hunger for success
and the drive for perfection that makes
him special. The other great aspect is his
views and contributions on a variety of
societal issues like organ donation and
converting his fan clubs as welfare associations.
His constancy of purpose and unwavering
thoughts is revealed in him confining himself
to the field that he is good at –Film
Making.
The seeds sown by him are reaping rich dividends
as we find a bunch of enthusiastic creative
directors making a mark in the Tamil film
industry like Ameer, Bala, Mysskin, Selvaraghavan
and Sasi Kumar. Just take a sample of the
list of successful Tamil movies last year
– Ayan, Naadodigal, Aadhavan, Padikadhavan,
Peranmai, Unnaipol Oruvan, Yaavarum Nalam,
Pasanga, Achchamundu Achchamundu, Vennila
Kabadi Kuzhu, Eeram, Pattalam, Renigunta
and Kanden Kadhalai. The heartening aspect
in this list is that most movies in this
list had an unconventional theme or screenplay
and were even made by non-established film
makers. Way to go!
The burden of being Kamal is enormous–but
nevertheless, it has been enjoyable not
only for him but also for Indian Cinema.
Thanks & regards,
Karthik
karthik.cit@gmail.com
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