Dear Friends,
In my college days, v some ppl were discussing ’’why nobody takes a film with ONE subject but with 3 or more perspective. ie: One situation... How 3 ppl take the same situation’’ Now thru Virumaandi (a.k.a Sandiyar, I dont want to be a politician!!), my dream comes true. I think all of u know the story of the film. Is DEATH SENTENCE Right or Wrong? Kamal says nobody other than NATURE have the right to kill anybody(thing).
Since I went to the film on 3rd day, lot of noices disturbed me n didnt allow me to see a gud movie. Kamal uses synchronized sound in this film (ie: No re-reco. All directly spoke in the set itself). Due to this, the first 40 min(or so) interview with Kothaala Thevar(Pasupathi) was not clear tat much (The theatre might be a reason)
In the starting title card also kamal shows difference. Its like DDs interuption time title card with 7 colors. ie: Kamal might hav in mind ’’I am interupting urself now’’. Then all over u can c Kamal’s grtest DIRECTION PIECES. Kamal himself admitted tat ’’In my films, I may hav K. Balachander’s, James Cameron’s or Stephen Spielberg’s inspiration, or somebody else’s. I am proud of having them. Only if I dont put those scenes in my films, then only pbm. ’coz I hav been affected by their works. I am ready to show them the film’’. So all over the film, at some point some scenes may remember u one another scene in another dir’s work. A best eg: The climax.... All trying to break the jail gate using a bench. It remembered me Titanic.
Kamal here also proves tat he is a student of KB. Even a single, small char even if it came only for few sec, it lasts long in our memory. 2 best eg:
Tat barber’s char.
Tat mentally disordered woman.
In many KB’s film, anything other than human being plays an imp role. Here also Kamal proves again, a BULL plays a gud role in this film.
Dialogues did the major part in the film. Esp. when Virumaandi talks with Anna Lakshmi (Abirami), abt love, marriage, children, etc. And used verymuch carefully in some situations like ’TIT FOR TAT’.
In b/w the song KOMBULA POOVA SUTHI, one person calls Kamal as Sandiyar.
Kamal says ’’Why dont u call me as Virumaandi. It was the name, my AMMA named me’’
Tat person replies ’’Whoever named u is not at all a matter. V our hometown ppl know u as Sandiyar only’’
Kamal not only brilliantly focused on Madurai Slang in the movie, but some words also. ie: The word ’Nagaru’ is mostly used only in south TamilNadu. Other parts, ’Thallu’ is used. In this film, U can find only ’Nagaru’. This is one eg. only.
The scrnplay also very crisp. Kamal didnt do the same mistake, wat he did in Anbe Sivam (Tat ’Theru koothu kalaignar’ song abt 10 min long). Here he avoids tat ’Villu Paattu’, which came along with audio cassette. If he included it, it wud slow down the scrnplay speed.
The film is technically sound. Camera man’s work....!!! Wow... !! U can realise it from one scene, where Virumaandi is lying down n the bull jumps over him. The starting n the climax scenes itself enuf to tell abt the camera man(New face? Assistant of Thiru?) One more imp thing. When Pasupathi is telling his viewpoints, camera focuses angle from whr Kothala Thevar is. And when Virumaandi is telling his viewpoints, the camera focuses from the angle whr Virumaandi is. U will be really amazing with the art director’s work. Due to political disturbances, Art director (Prabhakar) brings Theni in Chennai. And tat Jail set...! These things I realise only after the film ends..’Oh.. those things r all settings’. I can bet u, u cant even find out ’This is set, n this is original’. Editing also gud(Who? I forgot to notice him). For a crisp scrnplay, if the editing was not gud enuf, all efforts which spent on making the scrnplay wud result in vain. But this editor knows this formula. Stunt master(Vikram Darma)’s hand in the film is huge(Yeah... U can find many piece of hands in the film) :-)
SANDIYARE song’s choreography was gud. Camera man’s hardwork reflects on UNNAI VIDA song. In the film some scenes r repeating twice, since the film deals with 2 perspectives. But nowhere else boring. The best one... ANDHA KAANDAAMANI song... This song was coming in the film, when Kothaala Thevar told abt Virumaandi’s behaviour after his amma’s death. And the same scenes used in MAADAVILAKKE when Kamal was trying to say his viewpoint. ie: At first, u come to the decision tat, Kamal didnt worry for his mother’s death. And only after Kamal sed his flashback, v can find his FEELINGS. ie: Even he was doing some other work, his mind always with his amma. Surely, a best piece of direction, n a well editing. Every piece, v can see Kamal’s work. Esp. When a hand was cut, it looked like real. And tat small village... Only Tracters, TVS 50 all around the village. And even for Nallama Naayakar (Nepoleon, Actor.. I didnt mean any other thing) :-), he came by an old model ambassador only. (He cud hav been used better??)
And... The music... ILAYARAJA.... iyo, how can I express my feelings? To be sed frankly, the thing happened in Pitamagan repeats here too!! I cudnt listen the BGM. Kamal’s direction didnt allow me is a different matter. But IR also didnt allow me to listen the BGM. It comes along with the movie very naturally. Many places, thr r only REAL WORLD sounds, no music. The only place I listened the BGM was... When title card was shown. After tat, I fell into the movie fully. And kamal gives the climax fully to IR. Only after I came out 4m theatre, I realised tat ’’Oh..I didnt listen the BGM’’. So I too will help Kamal to run the film one another show! :-)
Ok... the film has flaws also. I think nobody hav taken a flawless film. The thing is tat, nobody can!! Its not only tough, but also impossible. So Virumaandi also not exceptional. A very big drawback was ’The film is full of Violence’ At one stage, U can feel the OVERDOSE. Yeah... Even Kamal’s body also didnt escape 4m ’Aruvaal’. And I think Kamal wants this. Even a life time criminal comes to the feeling ’Wat nonsence is this Aruvaal culture?’ once the film ends. But the problem here is... Even an ordinary human being also may come to the same feeling, but with different perspective(same as the stroyline of the movie) :-) ie: Wat nonsense is this film!!
Naasar shud hav been used for some other major role. ’coz only few directors like Kamal uses him correctly. Even if the date didnt allow him, he shud hav done this.
The climax.... Kamal says in the climax ’Hey ppl, this is a Tamil Film’. One cudnt digest the climax easily
One more thing... The interviewer asks ’’Nooru kutravaaligal thappithaalum, oru niraparaathi thandikka pada koodaathu’nnu namma SATTAM solluthey?’’ Actually our law doesnt say this. The quote is only a ’NEETHI PARIPAALANA THATHUVAM’. Simply saying, its a MORAL VALUE only.
And I am doubt over how many ppl can understand the concept of the film(moreover how many ppl can understand the film?), n TWO PERSPECTIVE storyline. I heard some voices like ’’Plz show the film’’, till the film ends. :-(
A spectacular work by Kamal shudnt go to flop. Thats only I want to say!!
Ok... tata... THE THINGS I REFERED HERE ARE PURELY BASED ON MY OPINIONS. NO INTENTION TO HURT ANYBODY. IF U FIND ANY, EXCUSE ME....
Regards,
Athi
B +ve