Uyire

Ok, by now, everyone would now that I'm fanatic of Maniratnam's movie. I love his films, in fact, I could go on watching his films over and over again....at times even lingering over a particular scene just to watch the finest details of his work. He's magnificient! Just amazing...but then, that's my opinion.

Recently my friends and I went to the local DVD shop looking for the latest Indian movies out in retail...we didn't find anything interesting, but then I came across Maniratnam's Uyire (originally made in Hindi as "Dilse"). I remembered purchasing it many years back, when the movie was still the talk of the town...so my guess was, it must lying somewhere in my room.

True enough, I found it in my wardrobe the very next day...I don't know why, I just had the urge to watch it again, and so I did!

I still remember that when uyire was first released, everyone was letting out their frustration and disappointment at how bad Mani's first Hindi venture turned out to be, and that the movie was too depressing and there's no story, blah, blah, blah...

I don't know why but I liked it and now, after having the opportunity of watching it after many years, I found that I not only like it, I LOVED it! Yeah, so I'm different, maybe complex even.

I don't know where to start on Uyire actually...whether it's the direction, camera-work, editing, dialogues, acting or music...everything and everything spelt CLASS in capital.

The story is very simple actually. It's a journey of a man in love...what he goes through and what he endures to get the woman he loves...a classic love story having a political element as its backdrop.

It's a story of a young reporter (Amarkanth Varma) at All India Radio who meets a young woman at the railway station. He falls for her beauty and tries to gather a conversation with her but to no avail...the girl tells him to get her a cup of tea and while he's gone to do so, she alights on the next train available and leaves. Amar has no clue who she is or where she's off to and could only watch in despair as the trains leaves him behind....

Amar arrives at the Radio station and goes about doing his job when out of the blue, the girl appears before him again. Amar, not wanting to let go of this opportunity, tries to talk to her and again she scoffs at him and leaves the place.

Then the chase began...Amar sees her at different places and at different situations...she is mysterious but at times she seems to reciprocate to his feelings too, and he...well he seems determined to get her...to the extent of asking her to marry him, eventhough he has no clue of who she is. The only fact about her that he knows, but of which authencity he could never verify, is her name...Meghna.

However, Amar's journey in love with Meghna comes to an abrupt end when she disappears one day never to come back again, or so he thought.

He leaves the place to his hometown as a changed man...with a broken heart.

His mom aranges for him to get married to a bubbly girl (Preethi) and though he's reluctant to the marriage, at one point he relents and agrees to get married to Preethi.It was during his engagement that another shock awaits him...the mysterious girl, Meghna, arrives at his doorstep, looking for him! And on top of that, she wants a place to stay and a job at the radio station where he works...Amar is now in a dilemma...at one side he's about to get engaged to the girl of his family's choice, and at the other point is the woman of his heart but whose identity remains a mystery...and what he does? He goes on with the engagement and at the same time gives Meghna a shelter under his roof and a job at the radio station.
Amar seems less excited with his impending marriage to Preeti and more frantic to know the real reason of Meghna's disappearance and her sudden arrival...and the more he finds out about her, the harder the truth shocks him. Amar's shock is not shared by the audience though. The audience knew that Meghna was a member of the suicide bombers at the interval itself. But the reason why she turned to be one, is only told much later.

It is here that Maniratnam brings us to the other part of the world, which is full of terror and cruelty...Mani shows how the war brings the worst out of humans, how a young girl is raped and the trauma she goes through and of which she never gets over with, how children became the victims in the war-stricken state and eventually how these same children are recruited to become terrorists and fight for the separation of their land from India.Amar empathises with Meghna's situation but he also understands that turning into a terrorist or a suicide bomber for that matter is not going to change anything. He pleads with her to leave everything behind and to start a new life with him...afresh, but she refuses...

Meghna proceeds with her plans to become a suicide bomber in a procession...the authorities finds out about Meghna's true identity and they chase after Amar, believing that the latter has a part in Meghna's plans...Meghna's allies finds out about Amar and chases him as well...Amar runs for his life, runs for the life of his lover, frantically finding for ways to save Meghna...

In the climax scene, Amar finally gets hold of Meghna who's paving her way to the procession...It was the last day of her life. He pleads with her for the last time to abandon her plans, but Meghna's mind is made up...It was at that point that he decides to die for her...with her. Amar pulls her towards him and begs her to take him with her...He knew that he has reached the point of no return and that sacrificing his own life for the woman he loves is the only way to prove of his depth of love towards her.They hug each other for the last time and even at that point he keeps asking her if she ever loved him...and tears was her only answer. The next second the bomb blasts and the two dies together...for love...perhaps.

The movie was realistic and poetic all at the same time. I thought Shah Rukh was mind-blowing. After watching all his pathethic roles in Duplicate, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai etc., this film is a proof that Shah Rukh is a born actor, if given a chance...He's amazingly energetic, surprisingly funny and violently emotional...I loved the scene between Amar and Meghna, the night before the latter's disappearance...and the way his expressions changes when he tells about his likes and dislikes in her, is magical.

And the scene in the climax, when he begs her to tell him that she loves him is lovely...you can feel his disappointment, his frustration and his longing...

Preity Zinta in her debut film is truly lively. She's like a livewire...chattering and giggling...she brings the laughter and light to the eyes of the audience...my favourite scenes featuring her...the scene in the bus when she ask him to say a lie about her, and her introduction scene, at the balcony where she talks about her former boyfriend.But all said and done...the movie truly belongs to Manisha...I loved her in Bombay, but here, as the mysterious Meghna...she's just amazing. The hurtful glances, the anger that she bottles up in herself...she's amazing. She does not have much dialogues in the movie but her expressions says a lot about her...The scene where she goes hysterical and could not move her jaws was just priceless...you just have to watch it to know how great an actress she is.Since the movie was originally made in Hindi, dubbing played a major role in the Tamil version. Arvindswamy dubbed for Shah Rukh's character and my, what a dubbing! I don't think he would have dubbed so well even for himself in any films. Here, his voice (though quite ill-suited for SRK) plays a huge role...the time when Amar talks at the radio station...even the finest sounds which Arvind gave were so fantastic! And the time he's being chased by Meghna's allies towards the climax scene...the way he keeps hitting himself and telling himself not to sleep...boy... Arvind's voice modulation was too good.

I'm not sure who gave voice for Manisha though...some said it's Suhashini, some said it's Anu Hassan...whoever it was, the voice gelled well with Meghna's character. It was definitely a full contrast to Arvindswamy's loud and spontaneous voice.

About the music....I have no words... A.R.Rahman's best work...even to date! From the fast and pacy Thaiya Thaiya...to the mesmerising Kannire Kannire...to the soulful En Uyire En Uyire...the heart-wrecking Ponggatrile...and to the beautifully naughty Nenjinile...each and every song will keep you asking for more.

My favourite is definitely En Uyire...the lyrics sums up the whole movie actually...it talks wholly on the journey of Amar's love for Meghna...and when the last verse is played in the final scene..."Inthe kadhalil maranamthan ezhu neelai, ithu illai endral athu deiviga kadhal illai, udel maraikinda kadhal maraipathillai" (The love's seventh stage is death, and if death don't do us apart, then it's not a true love in itself, the body may vanish but true love will never cease to exist)...you just know at that point that Amar's love is finally fulfilled.