BEHINDWOODS CELEBRITY COLUMN

Dear ‘Behindwoods readers’

A huge Hiiiiiiii and a warm welcome back to my ‘rekhs ready reckoner’ corner!

I specially started this column to make viewers walk into the theater with at least 90% of what they read here ringing a bell in their heads when they feast on the film. ‘Word of mouth’ should be given a chance to spread especially for the producer to get back what he has invested, ’cos as I keep saying this ‘no bride walks into a family wanting to fight with her mother-in-law. Likewise no producer or director makes a film for it to flop.’

Put it down to this angst of mine that when someone is topping the charts, be it an actor, director, producer or singer, you can count the number of people in one hand who sincerely wish you well. The green eyed monster somehow rears its ugly head. Human nature…maybe?

The very first reel of Maan karate caught my interest and I don’t want to spoil your experience, but to choose ‘Ayudha pooja’ as a specific day for a specialized boon is a brainchild indeed. For benefit of non-Tamilians, Ayudha pooja is a day dedicated to worshipping implements used in any profession as an ode to Goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. So it is a Govt holiday.

The hero Peter’s (Siva Karthikeyan) 1 track mind only wants Yazhini (Hansika) and when his friends headed by Sandy (Satish) Vaishnavi, Jo, Gokul and Nikita ask him to be patient he comes up with this wise analogy, ‘If a crane waits for the sea to evaporate to catch dried fish, its intestine will shrink and it will die of hunger’. Satish, you can consider this as one more notch in your belt of ‘climbing up the ladder’

I liked ‘maanja pOttudhaan ‘cos being this die-hard fan of our dear maestro, all my ears heard was ‘pOttu vaiththa kaadhal dhittam’ from Singaravelan. Karky, you ‘dhool’ed it my dear friend, with your lyrics, you rock, especially, “Oru kaidha naan andha Peteru, nee maidha gondhu posteru” ‘I am the donkey dumbass Peter/you’re the flour-glued poster’.

Watch out for Hansika in this song, you name the vehicle, she rides it. I am bad at describing or identifying any vehicle except an Ambassador or Fiat but I ‘google’d it for you. She rides a bike, Avenger with a modified or no seat, scooty with a side car (Sholay kind) beach buggy (google calls it ATV!)

And look out for the 2 girls sitting in an overturned car. Looked damn cute. Kudos to the ingenious mind. My knack for identifying automobiles ends here!

In the scene where everyone is queuing to fuel their vehicles a definite pat on the back to the DoP for this shot of Hansika’s face when she talks to the hero, in his bike’s handlebar mirror. Of course the special tribute to our divine poet Valluvar brought a smile to my lips, especially the end line when Siva recites the couplets.

Nearing the interval the director lets the viewer know a kiss can be a soul stirring one or a mere peck on the palm! Besides helping me google different vehicles used in the film, Hansika in the film per se resorts to similar tactics to learn to whistle! Nice touch, Thirukumaran!

A special mention of Hansika’s gifts to Peter, they have the girlie touch, are ‘protective’ and so lovable!

The scene that follows the one in the church is kind of unexpected and antagonist’s  wife Nancy (Tejasvini) has done a neat job. I thought the coach (Shaji) too essayed his role to neat perfection and didn’t come across as preachy at all. It’s a fine line he treads and manages it with aplomb. Especially lend an attentive ear to his ‘fowl’ logic.

Hey Anirudh, my favorite is ‘un vizhigalil’ for the way it has been composed, sung and of course Karky’s magic. I’m a sucker for romantic mushy numbers.

Songs are well shot, choreographed and you can catch a ‘blink and miss’ appearance of A.R.Murugadoss. I like the way Thiru managed to rope in his mentor to do an a la Hitchcock. What a ‘thank you’ touch that is for having penned this film.

I must quote my friend whose work I admire immensely, Sreekar Prasad, editor of this film.

“Actually my job in the film was to maintain and balance the emotional streak and ensure that amidst the comic entertainment we still maintain an emotional connect with the audience through the hero’s trials and tribulations”

And indeed you’ve aced it, dear friend and 8 times national award winner!

My ‘take’ on Maan karate – ‘Endearing stunt’ if you’re a follower of Sivakarthikeyan’s career graph!

Back with you soon and thanks a punch for the patient read,

rekhs

04-04-2014