The Journey Continues

It's been a long time since I last wrote here. I'm back and what better ways are there to restart than writing about my favorite idol- A. R. Rahman?

To talk about Rahman's music is akin to talking about life as a whole. Nevertheless, I'm focusing my writing  specifically on the importance of ARR's music in two different genre of films, i.e. commercial movies and art films.

Well, you may question the need to bring this topic but believe me, there's a reason for this sudden train of thoughts. A couple of days back, I was reading the posts on my favourite group and one of the question posed by a member was how important is a music album's success to ARR? And that got me thinking. Is commercial success important to ARR?

I remember reading an interview of ARR who was asked to reminisce on his days working with Shankar in Gentleman. ARR's comment was, "Shankar wanted a commercial masala numbers and that's how Gentleman was born." Well it was a good thing, considering Gentleman was one of my favorite albums, right after, Roja, Dilse, Bombay, Kadhalan, May Madham...well, let's just say that Gentleman is one my favorite albums ;)

Gentleman also saw the start of commercial album production from ARR. Prior to Gentleman, ARR's biggest hit was of course his debut album, Roja. Roja also had the commercial values, there was the lilting opening song in the form of Chinna Chinna Aasai, the cheesy, folky Rukumani, the romantic Puthu Vezhai Mazhai, the pathos Kadhal Rojave and of course the patriotic Tamizha Tamizha. But for some reason, I never consider songs in Maniratnam's films to be commercial. Probably because I don't find Maniratnam's films to be commercialized as well. Mani's films are beyond the commercial tag I feel. I can't really put a tag on them but they are definitely a class apart! The songs too have a sense of belonging in them. It's almost like you can't take any piece of Mani's songs and place it in another film. They just don't seem to fit together as well as they do in Mani's films.

On the other hand, commercial songs like the ones in Gentleman, Kadhalan, etc are interchangeble to say the least. Commercial songs adds value to a movie. It's the kind of songs that you never know why they came in the first place...some of them might not even have connections with the storyline but they're entertaining enough, so you just don't mind them. Eg: Chikku Bukku or Mukabala. In the former, Prabhu Deva and Gauthami were not even a part of the film characters. But the song and PD's choreography were sooo good that you don't even bother about the connections issue here. And do I have to tell about Mukkala? Western cowboy settings, PD with his hair dyed brown, Nagma with her unusual outfits, white guys who have no clue what to do in the number- heck why do we even pose these questions? The song was a runaway hit and it's a personal favorite of mine, so yeah, no issues there again!

                                    Click here to watch Mukkala Mukkabala

So how important are commercial success to ARR? If Roja and the likes made ARR a great composer, Gentleman, Kadhalan etc made ARR a household name. Commercial success was important to ARR because they prove that he can make the kind of songs that are not only brilliant but entertaining and hummable too. That brings out a balanced side in ARR. Yes, he needed the commercial success to get the recognition...to place a name in the public's mind. Good composition will bring him praises and awards but success brings him the fame and recognition. And yes, boy the success brought him fame! So much so that you're not recognised as a Tamilian if you've never heard of Chikku Bukku, Oorvasi or Mukkala Mukkabala back in the 90's. Such was ARR's fame. Every household had numbers of ARR's playing. I still remember the school shows that doesn't seem to go on without at least two numbers from ARR's music. Festivals were no fun without a Thandhiya Aatam or Antha Arabic Kadaloram and weddings are incomplete if there's no Ottagatha Kattiko or Nenachapadi Nenachapadi.

But today, 18 years since he has captured India and the whole world alike, is commercial success still important to him?

My opinion, yes, they are important, but not to the extent where ARR has to compromise on his creativity output or the quality of his music. Having a hit music album is important in any artists’ career but the level of importance varies from one another. There are composers who need hits to keep proving their worth as composers and there are composers who need hits to satisfy the public’s thirst for good music. ARR falls under the second category. His albums’ becoming hits are not essential in the sense of proving his worth as a composer. In any event, he has proven his worth with one and all. 

The hits are testimonials that his constant creativity in music is still loved and appreciated by the public… and that he is still in the right direction of giving lovable music without compromising on the quality of the same. Yes, fans all over the world are happy about the success of VTV but more than the success of VTV, I’m happy that an album like Raavanan has seen the light of day, even if it’s not a success as alleged by many!

So I'm signing off today with a song from Raavanan- Kalvare Kalvare. May God bless Shreya Ghosal's parents for giving birth to such a wonderful singer! She's just amazing! And yeah, I could have given you the link to the audio rather than the video, but Prithviraj is so cute, don't you think. Wouldn't want you guys to be deprived of the pleasure of watching his romantic side :))

Click here for Kalvare Kalvare

Raavanan- A journey so mystifying yet enriching

Maniratnam is hailed as India’s best director for a reason- he delivers his films like no others could. His films are way ahead of its time, and generally motivate people to think out of the box. It’s no surprise that many directors are stimulated to follow his footsteps and not surprising even that none could ever attain the peak he‘s at. His films often spawn a great deal of criticism when they are released; many a times, his films have failed to reach the box-office status due to the severe and harsh criticisms they are faced with, nevertheless, the public are always looking forward for his next release with the same high level of enthusiasm they have for all his films.

So where does Raavanan stand as a film? This is definitely another thought-provoking, absorbing and heartening presentation from the genius. And yes…yet again the critics have not favored him but who cares about the critics anyway? Certainly not Maniratnam. To reiterate my previous statement- Maniratnam delivers his films like no other could and Raavanan is definitely another feather on his cap.

With a title like Raavanan, many would have tried to draw inference from Ramayana, yet Raavanan is a film that manages to stand apart and ahead of any inspirations the epic might have had. There’s no denying that the characters are absorbed from Ramayana but while other would have incorporated the characters as they are, Maniratnam had extracted only the essence of the central roles and created a whole new perspective to them.

Veera (Vikram) is depicted as a dreaded villain and a terrorist in the eyes of law. His introduction scenes show us how he ruthlessly burns alive some police officers, while another loses his limb due to an accident incited by Veera’s tribe- a tribe which includes his brothers, Singarasan(Prabhu) and Sakkarai (Munna) . Veera himself is seen playing the drums vigorously while the police officers were left suffering at the other end. In another scene, he bulldozes his way to Ragini’s (Aishwarya) boat and captures her in the blink of an eye. Sounds similar to Raavanan, anyone?

And yet, it was not these characteristics that found a chord with the demonic Raavanan. Why do I say so? While the epic Raavanan is portrayed as a ruthless demon, Veera is anything but that. There lies a reason for his callous actions, and when the reasons are finally revealed, we get to see the justifications in them. No, Raavanan’s character is not shown through Veera’s cruel dealings. It was through Veera’s depth of love for the captured victim that we finally get to see the Raavanan in him.

Raavanan might have been cruel to the whole world, but the epic states that he has never forced himself upon Sita.  Valmiki’s Ramayana affirmed that Raavanan never so much as touched Sita while she was being held as his hostage. He visited her regularly and asked her consent to marry him. Every time Sita declined, but there is not a single instance when Raavana misbehaved with Sita. It was this characteristics that Veera seems to possess. Through the entire ordeal of Ragini’s capture, there was not even a single moment that Veera has laid his hands on her. Like Raavanan, Veera too falls in love with her beauty. Like Raavanan, he too longingly waits for her consent. And like Raavanan, he too meets his death due to her.

Granted, there were many scenes depicting the closeness of Raavanan’s actions with Veera’s. Veera was regarded as the head of his tribe, and the scenes where the villagers were questioned affirms that Veera too was benevolent, generous and effective ruler as Raavana was. What’s more, Veera’s subsequent vindictiveness too was an obvious retribution for the brutality faced by his sister, Vennila (Priyamani) in the hands of the police-which shows us a connection on the Surpanakha’s incident in Ramayana. Nevertheless, it’s my humble opinion that Maniratnam has projected the resemblance shown here as a way to clarify Veera’s character rather than recreating Raavanan on the screen. Because Maniratnam’s Raavanan is not a modern day take on Ramayana- it is more of a conflict of characters and how there is more to an individual than just meets the eye.

This brings us to the other pivotal role in the film-Dev (Prithviraj). As a character, Dev must have been one of the most complex and multifaceted (not literally) role ever created by Mani. There was the initial confusion on Rama’s resemblance in Dev’s characterization. Veera had many instances to prove that he derived from Raavanan but except for Ragini’s capture, Dev had no palpable scenes to show that he had Rama in him, right? The answer would be yes and no. Yes, there were no blatant views of Rama’s depiction here, but no, that does not mean, Rama was amiss in Dev. In fact, Dev is not only the most profound Rama we might be able to see on screen, it is also a character which triumphed in the mission where Rama Himself fell short.

Yes, a person who has little or no knowledge of Ramayana might have missed the assimilation of Rama’s depiction here.

Let me go on to Rama’s role in Ramayana- we all know that Rama was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Epic has it that Brahma, Bhumidevi and the Decas worshipped Vishny, the Preserver, for deliverance from Ravanan’s tyrannical rule. Vishnu promised to kill Ravanan by incarnating as a man – the eldest son of Kosala's king Dasaratha.

And just as Rama was born for a mission, Dev too has a mission, and that is to destroy Veera, which was clearly stated in his introductory scene. Dev describes Veera as a person who commands the tribe’s love and respect, he believes that the tribe regards him as God, nevertheless, as far as the law is concerned, Veera is a terrorist who needs to be destroyed….and Dev is hell bent on destroying Veera himself. There were many a point where Dev is portrayed as a spiteful…almost sadistic person, then again was he really? The scene where he grasps the slaughtered arm of Veera’s brother-in-law was not to show the vicious side of him. It was to show his anger and frustration on Veera’s mockery of Dev’s mission. The fact that the brother-in-law was left hanging with Ragini’s clothes only proves one thing- Veera had full knowledge of Dev’s calculated moves and this was a sign to show that Dev will never outrun him.

The scene where Dev shoots Sakkarai could be seen as yet another cruel side of Dev and again, it wasn’t. Dev knew that Sakkarai was Veera’s right hand and the fact that Sakkarai has come forward seeking a compromise proves that Dev is just steps away from victory. Sakkarai’s murder was not an arrogant move by Dev. Instead, it was a message to project that Veera’s end is soon to arrive.

A person in Dev’s shoes would have been torn between the love for his kidnapped wife and the mission in hand. But Dev is someone who’s clear about his notions. He is a fanatical about his duty and he clearly doesn’t succumb to the love in heart. He only wanted to destroy Veera and if Ragini’s kidnap provides a reason to fulfill his assignment, so be it. Then again, this doesn’t mean Dev is heartless to Ragini’s plight. He loves her with all his heart and there were many testimonial to them-when they found the boat-driver, Gnanaprakasam (Karthik) is keen to find out about Veera’s whereabout, nevertheless, Dev’s line of questioning was only on his wife-was she hurt, did she cry, etc. The agitation was clearly shown on his face. Then again, the scene where he sees the rope used to tie Ragini, and the bamboo shoot from which she drink her water, there were longing and sadness in his face. And the scene where he finally sees Ragini-the happiness was evident in his expressions but in a split second, he turns angry and start looking for Veera. The minute detailing in the change was beautiful and once again proves that as an encounter specialist, Veera’s death was more vital for Dev. Yes, he badly wanted Ragini to be safe, but even more than that, he wanted Veera to be destroyed.

So, why did I say that Dev triumph where Rama Himself failed? It was definitely evident in the Agni Pariksha sequence. Rama, though born as the most noble and loving person, has subjected His wife to the agni pariksha test- whether He did it in order for His subjects to accept Sita as a fitful queen or whether He did it because He Himself has doubted Sita’s purity, is definitely debatable. Nevertheless, the intention of his actions was clear-to get a clarification of Sita’s honor.

But Dev never doubted Ragini’s purity. The polygraph test he asked her to take was not to question her sincerity but to instigate her to lead the army to Veera’s hideout.  Ragini didn’t know Dev’s intention but Veera did. But why does Dev have to take such a risk? Ragini could clearly have been harmed in the process. My guess was-Dev clearly understood that Ragini would not be harmed. Veera’s confession that Ragini is a “pure gold” only proves that Veera would not think of harming her. It also proved another point-that Veera was in love with Ragini and it was only due to Ragini that Dev have been saved by Veera. And selfish it may sound, but Ragini had to be made a scapegoat in order for Dev to capture Veera. Dev didn’t care of the consequences-he only knew that Veera must be destroyed and he did destroy him at the end-a calm smile on Dev’s face during the final act says it out loud-his mission is now complete.

So who is the winner at the end? Veera or Dev? Both actually- Dev for having accomplished what he set out to do, and Veera, for finally winning the love of Ragini, even if his life was the price for it.

Coming to the performance, Vikram heads the pack with a spellbinding performance. His body language, expressions & dialogue delivery was just too good. With Vikram, you knew that he wasn’t playing a role- he was living as Veera throughout. The scene in the water where he falls in love with Ragini for the first time, the anger and frustration when he hears of Vennila’s suffering, the way he clutches his wound and cries when he sees Vennila’s death body, his antagonism when he destroys Dev’s camp following Sakkarai’s death and the final look of triumph when he falls to his death-Vikram has stamped his foot in each of the scenes. He was just fabulous to look at.

Prithviraj as Dev strike as the right balance for Veera’s character. He was outstanding as the encounter specialist. His facial expressions were top notch and gives us an indication of who Dev really is. Stories of Abhishek Bachchan being the initial choice for Prithviraj’s role was going around the net. I for one, have been thankful that Abhishek declined the same. Prithviraj was the best choice for Dev. If anything, Prithviraj understood his role amazingly well and gave a solid performance- perfectly balancing his role between being the loving husband and the determined, duty-bound officer.

Aishwarya Rai is very beautiful and very graceful. Nevertheless, she serves as the weakest point in the otherwise masterpiece presentation. We understand that Ragini is the victim here. She was abducted and was nearly murdered for no fault of hers. She had to live with a tribal group that is feared even by the police force and her husband is nowhere there to rescue her. You want to sympathize with her plight but you can’t, simply because Aishwarya failed to evoke those emotions in you. For some reason she doesn’t seem to sync with the character- her lip movements were odd, her body language proves nothing that she’s in fear and her expressions were dull. It’s a pity really. Ragini is a character that many actresses would have loved to play-the diverse emotions that runs in her throughout the 14 days would have been a wonderful watch had the role been played by a better actress. Granted, she did go through the physical torture of walking on the hills, hiking mountains, running through the forest, but never once do you feel sorry for her. In fact, after a while, you just start ignoring her presence.

Priyamani as Vennila is just awesome. Being a National Award winner, she proves why she is regarded as one of the best performers we have in the industry. Her performance though small, would definitely leave a lump in your throat…this again proves a point. You don’t just need good looks to survive as an actress. Acting talent is pivotal to bring life to a character and that’s where Priyamani succeeds and that’s also where Aishwarya fails.

Karthik and Prabhu are pleasant to watch and evoke laughter whenever they come on screen. On a similar note, Maniratnam could have avoided the jumping on the trees by Karthik. It did look pretty laughable nevertheless, on the whole, it was a great performance from the duo.

Music is one of the important veins in this film. A.R Rahman gave a splendid and scintillating songs and the BGMs especially during the bridge fight was truly mystical. Maniratnam is always a person who appreciates good music and his way of picturisations can never be exceeded by other directors. The songs here blend with the film and though some of the songs were cut short, you know that it’s important for the flow of the film. Usure Pogathey is my favourite number and it was beautifully shot. On the contrary, I had a tinge of displeasure watching Kalvare Kalvare. No, I’m not against any sensual numbers but this picturisation was a blatant contradiction from the lyrics. If you listen to Kalvare, you can hear the tiny whisper of Sita’s heart-felt needs. Sita was a shy, demure woman whose needs are told through her eyes and not by her words. Therefore when the line “En aasai naana solven, en aasaiye neeye sonnal, kannale aamam yenbene,” comes, you knew that Vairamuthu too have been thinking of Sita while penning the same. Hence, it would have been nice to lset the song in the background instead of having Aishwarya uttering the same and quashing the image that she is anything but bashful and reserved as Sita is.

Dialogues on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. They’re impractical and seems out of its place. I mean, which woman would be reciting poems when she gets to know of her impending death? In many places, the characters seems to be talking an almost strange language- it was Tamil of course but it sounded strange due to the way it’s said.

Cinematography is another plus for the film. There was nothing but beauty in the film and it’s only made possible by Santosh Sivan. The bridge fight was very well executed and the final climax scene where Veera drops from a fort was just awesome.

Amitabh Bachchan tweeted about the Hindi version being badly edited. Really? Not sure about the Hindi version but Raavanan’s editing was again top notch. There wasn’t a dull moment anywhere and almost every scene carries great significance and essential to the story.

Last but not least- Maniratnam. He has outdone himself again. Truly, if there’s anyone Maniratnam is competing with, it’s himself. This man has no peers and he definitely is his own rival. His films are outstanding and those magical touches can never be replicated by anyone else. Having said that, Raavanan is yet another journey brought to us by the great Maniratnam- a journey so mystifying yet enriching.

Raavan- the countdown starts!

Ok, so the countdown for Ravana/ Raavanan has started. 14 more to go!Yeaaay! In any event, I know that it's a darn too late to talk about the music, nevertheless, what better way to start the Raavan topic than this. The following are my thoughts about Raavan music, which I posted in that yahoo group some time back. My views might have differ from the time this was written but that's a different issue altogether. For now, let's start the music!

Let me be honest…I mean really honest with you guys. I’ll begin by telling you what happen on the day I bought this album…The moment I got out of the store after purchasing the album, the sky opened up and start flooding the whole town. You may say that it’s God’s way of showering blessing, but why does it have to happen at a time when I didn’t have my umbrella around? I ran to my car as fast as I can and guess what?…I couldn’t find my car keys! (it was stuck inside my handbag with my hundred other things…well, whoever said that a lady’s handbag contains almost everything under the sun wasn’t kidding themselves. My handbag had almost all…except my dumb car keys :((  ) As luck would have it, there wasn’t a shelter nearby, thus, I had to open my handbag in the middle of the road, drenching myself and the hundred other stuff I was talking about, in the process of finding the keys!

So, yeah, I finally found the keys, got in to the car and just at that point, some nutcracker had to double-park his car beside mine! Well, after a short dispute and many honks later, I managed to get my car out. Now, here’s the moment I was waiting for, the excitement of listening to ARR’s album for the first time!

 

Beera Beera with Vijay Prakash’s strong vocals set the ball rolling. Karthik came in next with Behne De, followed by Thok de killi, Ranjha Ranjha, Killi re and Kata Kata and…well, that’s it. Wait a minute…that’s it? I haven’t even begun to enjoy any of them yet :(  For the first time, I found that I didn’t have any thoughts about ARR’s album…not even a negative one…I was feeling almost indifferent and I didn’t like the feeling at all. Hating an album is one thing, but indifferent? If only this day could get worse.

So, I started playing them again from the beginning. By then, I reached the Montessori where my 3 years old nephew studies. I picked him up and was just about to replace Raavan with Thomas & Friends soundtracks (despite months of cajoling him to listen to ARR, I must say that I’ve failed to break my nephew’s “relationship” with Thomas & Friends soundtracks) when a “miracle” occurred. No, there was no signs of snow falling (that would have been a disaster, not a miracle ;) )…it was my nephew swaying his body to the beats of Beera Beera. Hey, were the beats there the first time around? I abandoned all thoughts of changing the cd. Instead, I hiked up the volume and both of us started to sway together this time around. Beera Beera has the grandeur presentation with Vijay Prakash’s solid voice giving a wonderful rural touch to it. In fact, the name Beera is so addictive that by the end of the song, both my nephew and me kept singing Beera Beera from the top of our lungs! (well, it was really more like “screaming” than “singing” actually but who cares?) And the beats, wow! I’ve always maintained that ARR provides the best percussion sounds…and time and again, he proves me right. Beera Beera is definitely a wonderful start to the album. 

Behne De followed thereafter. Undoubtedly, this has one of the best prelude ever…there is something so mystifying in the prelude that you just can’t wait to hear what ARR has to offer. And with Karthik giving his best (as always), you can never be wrong in classifying this as the best number in the album. God knows why National Award has eluded Karthik for so long. This guy deserves it and more…

On the whole, Behne De grants such a spellbinding experience! I’m left speechless…And my nephew? Well he’s too busy staring at the cute chick in the car beside ours to notice this number. Oh well, one day he’ll learn to appreciate ARR’s music.

Then comes Thok de killi…there’s something so modern yet rustic in this number. Again the percussion takes full control of the song that my nephew started jumping on his seat again…if only I was not driving, I would have joined him too. The sudden increase in the tempo coupled with Sukhwinder’s amazing vocals just leaves you asking for more.

Rekha Bharadwaj and Javed Ali came next with the seductive Ranjha Ranjha. I have to admit. I never liked Rekha’s voice. Yeah, I know…I might be alone in this, but still, I never liked her voice…til Ranjha Ranjha happened. In fact, her voice is so captivating that she completely overshadowed Javed Ali’s performance here. Great going Rekha, you just got yourself another fan on the list!

And there’s also Khilli re, a typical Shreya Ghosal kinda number. But this time around, ARR ropes in the sweet Reena Bhardwaj (is she related to Rekha by any chance?). And I must say, she did great justice to this song. The song has a soothing effect, coupled with Reena’s melodious voice. And I was mighty impressed with the first interlude…so much so that I can almost imagine Aishwarya gracefully performing her Bharatanatyam to it.

And finally ARR brings in Kata kata. Like Beera Beera, Kata Kata too were given a majestic look, all thanks to the grand orchestration and vibrant voices in the form of Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala.  There is a festive and celebratory feel to the number which makes you want to hear it over and over again.

As an album, Raavan is a definite treat to the ears. It’s so wonderfully woven that they all fit together while still managing to be distinctive at the same time. And with wonderful picturisations (which we can fearlessly expect from Maniratnam & team), this would definitely turn out to be “picture-perfect”. 

And yes, what was the biggest lesson I’ve learned from this experience?. ..Never hear to ARR’s new album when you’re in a ghastly mood!

Oh yeah, wanna know what happened to my nephew? He didn’t want to leave the car when we reached home so we decided to go for another round of drive while listening to Raavan…over and over again. 

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.

What is in the name?

I was browsing through the net today and came across the news of Maniratnam's much awaited Ravan...apparently the bilingual movie, is titled Ashokavanam in Tamil. Nevertheless, till date there has been no confirmation on the Tamil title as another movie have been registered with the same name too...

A few months back, (or has it been years...I can't remember) a similiar problem occur with two other films with similar titles whereby the directors and producers of the films were fighting down their throats to get the particular title for their movie.

What's in the name, if I may ask? Would Ashokavanam have gained lesser popularity if it was named otherwise? A Maniratnam film is always a Maniratnam's film, no matter what it's name is. I would have watched Ashokavanam or Ravanan or whatever it's name would be with the same amount of enthusiasm.

But then, probably Maniratnam thought that Ashokavanam has a more poetic feel rather than Ravan/Ravana/Ravanan, as it would be. After all, this is the same person who gave Yuva (literally means "youth") in Hindi and rebrand the same story with a momentous title in Tamil. The movie was named Ayithe Ezhuthu.

In fact, Maniratnam's fascination with Tamil titles can be traced to as far as his earlier days as Director. Almost all his films carry a significant title, and at times you are left to ponder the true meaning of them...long after the film is over.

One of his earlier films "Pagal Nilavu" has one such title. Literally it means "daylight moon". And please, give me a break...I don't know the true meaning of it til today. But then I can be excused for this is one film of Maniratnam's which I have yet to watch. In fact, my well-wishers have told me to keep away from this film, for the simple reason that I might even refute the fact that this is indeed a film directed by Maniratnam himself.

Then again, Mani was also amazing enough to give "Agni Natchathiram", a story of two step-brothers who hate each other's guts. The amount of "fire" glowing from both the heroes throughout the movie was amazing! Viewers might have remebered Vasanth making a similar story of the above in Neruke Ner, but sadly the latter did not manage to ignite the audience as Agni Natchathiram did.

And who can forget the mesmerising Mouna Ragam (Silent Symphony)? I was only 4 when this movie was released and back then I could remember nothing except that the movie had great BGM score and amazingly beautiful songs...and Mohan was the pimpled-face man, according to me.
But years later, when I got the oppurtunity to watch it again, I realized that Mani was one director who's able to think and do things years ahead of others. The title in fact has nothing to do with the story, and has everything to do with the story. And Ilayaraja's music, especially the BGM were nothing short of a masterpiece! The music played on the piano (during the Karthik-Revathy scenes) will take anyone's breath away...and that's Mouna Ragam to you.

Idhayathai Thirudathey is another one of my favourite. It means "Don't steal my heart". The movie was initially named Geethanjali in Telugu and was dubbed in Tamil. Mani could have maintained the same name in Tamil as it was the heroine's name in the movie but somehow I felt that Idhayathai Thirudathey suited just right for the movie and gave a more poetic touch to it. This movie again has fabulous songs (listening to "Oh Priya Priya" still gives me goosebumps today) and phenomenal BGM. The score during the title credits (the soothing alaap followed by the chorus with "I love you, I love you,") still lingers in my mind!

Idhayathai Thirudathey

Of course, Mani's film have their share of curt and brusque titles as well...Nayakan, Thalapathy, Anjali, Roja, Bombay, Guru...to name a few. But one thing is for sure, no matter of the length of the title, they do mean a lot to his films...so yeah, maybe there is something in the name:)