The fourth film of Bala (in a careers panning a decade) which took him three years to make has no wonder a lot of hype around it. It’s understandable what it would have been forBala and his crew for such a long wait and the effort spent in making this film really shows. Be it the stunts, the eerie faces (of India, I’d call it) or the amazing slokas - there has been tremendous effort.
Well, if you want the synopsis it’sreally damn simple and it is not even a spoiler. Father searches for his son (Arya) in kasi as he has left him there 14 years back. He identifies the so, who has become an aghora by now and brings him back to his hometown (malaikoil). Arya’s interaction with the society is the rest of the story. Of course, there’s Pooja as the blind beggar and shehas delivered quite an amazing performance.
The greatest gift that Bala has given to the Tamil audience through this film is the enrichment of their tastes.You ought to detest punch dialogues, crappy duets and the irritablevillains in any film after watching “Naan Kadavul”. The movie transcends the title and offers some stunning heart-stoppers that wouldtake many days for you to recover from.
The best parts of the film are many, ofwhich I list out some. Arya’s intro, which leaves one gaping at, forthe whole film, is stunning and breathtaking. Arya’s whole character seems to be larger than life and one that threatens you more than even meeting an aghora in real life. Arya effortlessly does apadmasana+sirasasana many times in the film. Pooja’s performance is breath-taking and bold, as good as kamal’s roles in dasavatharam. She ought to deserve an award. The characterization of crippled beggars –ONLY Bala can conceive of such a magic. There has been more powerful portrayal of characters by others which are worth cherishing.
On the flip side, I feel Bala has let us down in just one aspect – I believe he has got the mix wrong. The mix of artistic cinema and commercial cinema, I mean. This seems to be quite a lopsided one for the critically acclaimed types. One of the few directors that I have come across who get the perfect concoction of art and commercial aspects perfect in a film is Bala. This film has a lot of commercial aspects missing as seen in Nandha or Pithamagan. There is hardly a plot and the climax leaves you sore with more expectation of grandeur. There are, of course, great subtleties intertwined with cynicism and fantastic rendition by obscure characters that are rib-tickling. The missing element seems to be thicker plot and a heavier emotion between Arya and others. What happened to Arya’s family members? How is Pooja the only virgin of the whole lot who is blind andnot crippled? And, there are some scenes that sag making the film lose its tempo - comic ensemble of all beggars and the emotional portrayal of Arya’s mom.
No film institute learning, noworld-cinema intellect download – pure emotions stemming from Bala’s lifetime experience. Bala is one director to be cherished and heaped laurels with. Be it Tarkovsky, Bresson or Kurosawa – it has been pure cinematic art. No commercial pressure. In fact, Tarkovsky made just 7 films in a career spanning 25 years !!! Same with Bresson – just 13 in 40 years or so. I bet Bala ought to join those ranks. Our Indian Tarkovsky!!
“Naan Kadavul” is like rich red wine. Yougotta smell it and enjoy the taste at leisure. As they say – “ youneedn’t understand digestion to enjoy food”, it doesn’t take much toappreciate good films. But you ought to have real good taste to startappreciating real good ones. This one helps you get there and developsan appetite for it. This is a must-watch for serious film goers. Astrict no-no for Vijay and ajith fans.