And it is the eleventh role of Kamal Haasan that comes across as a genius. At the end of the movie, the only thing that kept me astonished and awed was the screenplay. It is one thing to connect seemingly unconnected events and characters - for it is the easiest thing to come up with a stream on conciousness. But it is a completely different ball game to connect them in a way that feels like a good paperback novel.
If you are a die-hard fan of Kamal Haasan, you will like this movie. If you are a true fan of Kamal Haasan, however, you will screw up your face in disgust in some of the scenes. There are places where I exclaimed - "Kamal! Why? You too!"
Let’s begin with the most talked about point of the movie - the ten roles. At the end of it all, only five roles leave a lasting impression in your mind - Rangarajan Nambi, for the historical appeal and for the awesome dialogues associated with him; Fletcher, mainly for his outlandish nature and the fact that you get to see him throughout the movie; the CBI officer, for the sheer brilliance of this character and the comical appeal; and finally, Poovaragan, the activist from Nagercoil for just the accent. The pivot character, Govindaraju, feels like a plain sheet of paper where the other nine roles write their stories. He is there because every story needs a hero. He is there because without him, the story is meaningless.
It is not a science versus religion story though there are instances where I was forcefully reminded of the da Vinci Code. And there is no point in me explaining the plot. One has to see the movie to understand the complex unfurling of the storyline. It is truly mind-boggling.
About the graphics. What were they thinking?! This is supposed to be the costliest Indian movie ever made. Is this the quality of graphics that such money can buy? I sure hope not! Kamal has always, in his movies, experimented with technology. But I think his affair with computer graphics has always been rather sordid and this movie the worst. Seriously, Kamal, look harder! I am sure there are good animators out there.
Kamal may be a lot of things, but he is not a mass-hero. He doesn’t need to be. Then why, I ask, does he come up with scenes such as the one with P. Vasu and Poovaragan?’Ulaganayagan’? Seriously? If Kamal has started scripting dialogs mainly to make the front-benchers clap and dance with vigor, then it is time he took a break. Even if it was K.S.Ravikumar’s idea, Kamal should have put his foot down.
Now, for the others in the movie. What others? Apart from Kamal, Asin and Mallika Sharawat are the two that get a semblance of screen time. Mallika Sharawat has done a good job, in my opinion though her job seems to be nothing more than to walk with her breasts jutting forward. Still, she doesn’t irritate you like Asin. Asin, though irritating, is the layman’s voice. Her views on the world and on religion are the popular views prevelant today. Still, Kamal could have scripted her role a bit better and must not have tried to work her into the story such that she can end up with the hero. Nagesh, Jayaprada, Rekha, K.R.Vijaya are wasted while Santhana Bharathi does an okay cameo. Curiously, Nasser - an inevitable and an important person in most of the Kamal movies - is missing. But then, I would have been sorrier to see him wasted.
On to the technical stuff. Enough has been said about the lousy CG in the movie. The cinematography is good while the stunts are fantastic. The first and the final fight sequences are world-class and the various car chases are not too tiring. The songs in the movie are nothing to sing home about. Apart from the opening song - Kallai mattum kandal - nothing else made an impact. But thankfully, the songs were not an intrusion to the fast paced storyline.
There are various symbolisms spread through out the movie that begin to satisfy the intelligent movie-goer. For instance, there is a scene where Govindaraju jumps from a bridge onto a vegetable truck. His impact is thus cushioned. The shot shows Kamal lying on top of the vegetables in the same pose as that of Vishnu on his snake-bed. And behind Kamal, on the truck, are the words’Sri Ramajayam’, flanked by sangu and the chakram of Vishnu.
This is not the Kamal Haasan that we have grown to love. This is not an actor’s movie but a showman’s. He has projected himself larger than life and he does pull it off - but just about. Go watch it, for the storyline if not for anything else. And try and read between the lines, for you might discover some hidden message. But what hits you is the sheer commercialism. If Kamal were to truly rate this movie, and not take into account the pains that he had to endure during the shooting, he would give it less than five on ten. The audience doesn’t care about the long shooting hours. No point in talking about that!