Kandukondain Kandukondain

The browser’s Ecstacy

Jane Austen’s movie club gets crowded

Pradeep Sabastian, August 22

''What is interesting about the film is that it is a Victorian style romance, the kind I just love.''

That sounds like a smart sound bite coming from a Bollywood actress, and then you realise Sonam Kapoor (unwittingly) ends up sounding more like her clueless Aisha character - because Jane Austen isn’t a Victorian novelist! It’s obvious that the movie takes its inspiration from Hollywood recycling Austen (Alicia Silverstone in Clueless and Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma) than from any original literary source.

This reminds me of something director Rajiv Menon went out of his way to point out when he South-Indianised Austen’s Sense and Sensibility in Kandukondain, Kandukondain: that his inspiration was the book, not Emma Thompson’s movie adaptation.

As proof, he said, he had scenes in the movie that are only found in the book. Menon’s Kandukondain I think is the best Jane Austen Indian mash-up so far. If you haven’t seen it, or only dimly remember it, it’s worth discovering.

Menon transplants the story of two sisters —one sensitive, the other tempestuous—so fully into a South Indian ethos, that it becomes his own story. In the acclaimed Hollywood adaptation of Austen’s witty, romantic classic by Emma Thompson and Ang Lee, Emma played the older, sensitive sister and Kate Winslet the impassioned younger sister. Here Aishwarya Rai plays the younger sister, Tabu the older. Their suitors are played by Mammootty, Ajit and Abbas. With a lovely soundtrack from AR Rahman, the film is an irresistible musical as well.

Young, gorgeous and pampered sisters Sowmya (Tabu) and Meenakshi (Aishwarya ) want for nothing except the true love their hearts crave.

While Sowmya grudgingly places family responsibilities ahead of romance, Meenakshi yearns for a white knight who will come to her “just like a storm.” Three different coincidences bring the girls three very different suitors and a tempest of romantic complications. Manohar (Ajith), an aspiring filmmaker, falls for Sowmya but will wed her only after directing his first film.

Commando Major Bala (Mammootty) woos Meenakshi despite physical and emotional war wounds and competition from Srikanth (Abbas), a charismatic poetry-quoting businessman.

But in a cruel interplay of destiny and betrayal, the family is stripped of their house and belongings and is forced to set out to the city to build a new life. Menon, a cinematographer turned director, makes films sparingly. He made Minsara Kanavu in 1997 and in 2000, Kandukondain. Since then he has not directed any films. Menon always gets everything right in a film: the script (which he works on carefully) casting, sets, the ‘look’ of the film, and of course, the acting, direction and music.

(An important aside to note is Menon’s refusal to dub the film in Hindi or English for wider distribution. He insisted the language remain Tamil because he wanted an audience to hear it in the original).

The film is rich in emotion and character. The plot is both moving and witty. The cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran is ravishing.

What is also worth checking out is Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, a movie I have always thought should have been subtitled: “An Anthropologist Among School Kids.”

Heckerling’s savvy, witty, astute, deft social observations of these teenagers are deadly accurate. The movie is an entertaining chunk of sociology which sympathetically records how these kids speak, what they think, their dress codes, secret adolescent rituals, mores and beliefs and their sinfully rich lifestyles.

My favourite bit from the movie: Alicia (playing the airhead Cher) is riding with her smart college–going cousin and his radical, feminist, arty type girlfriend who has been pontificating: “Like Hamlet says: To your own self be true.” And Cher from the backseat says: “Hamlet didn’t say that.” Arty Type turns around, dripping: “Excuse me but I think I know my Hamlet.” Cher: “Yeah? and I know my Mel Gibson and he never said that. That Polonius guy did.”

There’s a burgeoning Jane Austen industry out there now. Becoming Jane, a movie about the one lone (and failed) romance in Jane’s life and how this led to her famous wit and ironic style. The Jane Austen Book Club, a book and a movie about a book club group whose lives begin resembling the Austen novels they are reading.

And then there’s the unexpected success of Quirk Books’ Austen mash-ups like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Mansfield Park and Mummies. It seems none of us can get enough of Jane Austen.

The latest Austen reworking is Allegra Goodman’s The Cookbook Collector, another contemporary take on Sense and Sensibility.

But as culture critic Laura Miller recently asked in Salon: “Ask not what zombies can do for Austen, but what she can do for the zombies”. She goes on to note: “…the vast majority of the Austen mash-ups involve injecting some action element from contemporary pop culture into Austen's stories in order to make the novels more interesting.

This seems to work for quite a few readers, but those of us who find Austen's books sufficiently interesting on their own are left to wonder when the favor will be returned. We’ve been shown what zombies and monsters and bare-knuckle brawlers can do for Jane -- when do we get to see what Jane can do for them?”

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/90405/...-club-gets.html

Reviews: Iruvar Tamil (1997)

Mani Ratnam’s classic revisited

Pradeep Sebastian

With the buzz focused on Raavan/Raavanan, I felt more compelled to revisit what I think is Mani Ratnam’s neglected masterpiece: Iruvar (The Duo, 1997)...

Here Ratnam at last found a cinematic subject worthy of his gifts — Tamil cinema, music and politics: The three great obsessions of the Tamil people (indeed, Indian people). Irvuar chronicles five decades in the history of Tamil cinema and politics. AR Rahman’s songs, one of his most inventive and versatile scores to date, evocatively and accurately reflect the sound and song style of films from each of those decades.

Struggling actor Anandan (Mohanlal) meets poet, screenwriter, and active politician Thamilchelvam (Prakash Raj), and this becomes the basis for a long, passionate and conflicted friendship. Anandan believes that together they can make cinema history while the poet is more interested in making political history. Enter Kalpana (Aishwarya Rai making her debut): An ambitious actress who obsesses about Anandan. After the death of the party’s leader Annadurai (Nasser), both Anandan and Thamilchelvam find themselves in contention for the party’s top position. Will their idealism and ambition draw them closer or make them rivals?

The key characters are, of course, based on real life screen stars turned politicians: The rise to fame of actor and cult-figure Anandan is loosely based on the life of legendary movie star Marudur Gopalamenon Ramachandran, Thamilchelvam is based on Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Kalpana on Jayalalitha. Cinema, music and politics are so deeply connected in the history and psyche of Tamils that Ratnam seems to have instinctively and profoundly known how to approach these as a filmmaker. The level of melodrama and fantasy (grandeur more than truth), the sweeping emotions (overwhelming more than intense) and the songs (enchanting more than clever) are stunning.

Ratnam deftly moves from scenes of grandly scaled melodrama to understated, intimate moments that subtly reveal or betray something about his characters. Two of my favourite parts from the film: We see a sepia-tinged film within a film — it is Anandan as a masked hero come to save the princess. The sets (a fortress/temple with a giant bell) are exactly like the surreal ones from the MGR films from the late 40s (probably Rajakumari) but the sequence itself (a song more chanted than sung rising in tempo) with the hero on horseback galloping over hills, is modern, stylized: A cinematic nod to Kurosawa.

As the chanting fades, and the prince rides away with the princess, the scene morphs into a gigantic screen, and we now watch it inside the dark of a movie theatre with the actor Anandan watching the screen. Cut to: Anandan and the heroine waving from the theatre balcony to a throng of fans below, we see black and white posters of the movie everywhere. The moment is thrilling: At once you feel what movies are all about, the visceral high they give you. A moment known and shared by both, the fan and the actor.

The other favourite bit from the film is more low-key: That poetic, refined beauty Tabu plays a school teacher and an intellectual, waiting for Selvam in his house. Drawn to his radical ideas and his political commitment, she has quit her job to become his mistress simply because he wrote and asked her to. But now she is full of doubt — what is she to him? Selvam rushes in, looks for her everywhere and then finds her sitting on the steps that lead to the second floor. He sits down a step below her and begins talking to her. She is quiet. After a pause, he asks her why and she wonders aloud who she is to him and he answers passionately: “My lover, my companion, my friend.” She lets her head gently fall on to the banister, the camera moves in closer: There are tears in her eyes and then slowly a smile, a smile full of a quiet joy.

An often remarked scene that follows this is the two of them lying on the floor, opposite each other, perspiring from having made love, as Santosh Sivan’s camera swirls above them, caressing them, and Selvam’s impassioned poem is heard over and over again. It is, as passionate movie scenes go, unforgettable. But I prefer the subtler, incandescent passage that precedes this.

Aishwarya Rai is satisfyingly seductive, but the film belongs to Mohanlal and Prakash Raj who give great, controlled performances. Lal’s performance is nuanced, subtle, restrained while Raj is fiery, eloquent, complex. A career best performance. Mani Ratnam can push an actor to do something that surprises even the actor.

Apart from the pitch perfect work of the three leads, there are remarkable supporting performances, especially from Nasser, Tabu, Gouthami and Revathi. The dialogues by the director and his wife, Suhasini (a gifted dialogue writer) is both powerful and poetic.

Ditto for the song lyrics by Vairamuthu. The challenging and pleasurable task of writing tunes that will reflect the style and sound of five decades of Tamil film music is effortlessly met by Rahman. Each song is a jewel here. Ratnam pictures each song according to the look and sensibility of a particular decade in Tamil cinema history: Narumugaye is in sepia and features the actress Madhoo in a cameo as Tagore’s classic mythological heroine, Shakunthala. (Ratnam chose Madhoo for her face which recalls the features of classic actresses from the 40s and 50s).

Hello Mister Edirkatchi, set in a smoky club with Rai practically smoldering, cleverly imitates the faux-jazz inflected songs that dominated Tamil dance songs once upon a time. In Ayirathil Naan Oruvan the playback singer, Mano, sounds exactly like the playback singer who voiced MGR. And Mohanlal deftly mimes this legendary actor’s famous gestures (raising one hand and twirling it) when he danced and sang for five decades.

Ratnam’s ability to always use large, sweeping themes as a backdrop to foreground more personal stories is one of his major achievements (not a drawback as some critics claim) and a unique style of telling a story in contemporary cinema. As the film ends, you are surprised into tears to discover that Iruvar has not really been about cinema or politics but a personal, intimate movie about friendship.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/77587/...-revisited.html

Raavanan Reviews

Raavanan
By Moviebuzz

Mani Ratnam’s latest Raavanan is nowhere in the league of his previous 80’s and 90’s straight Tamil classics he used to make. The trouble is that the master craftsman whose film used to work big time due to its offbeat storyline and unique presentation has changed his focus to Hindi cinema. In the process he has lost his touch with his roots and ends up making a film which does not have strong Tamil nativity or flavour.

But having said that, Raavanan is good in parts, an off-kilter cinematic experience. It is technically the finest movie made in recent times, superb camerawork of Santosh Sivan and Manikandan, never seen before stunning locales (in India) and crisp editing. The major plus are the actors – Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj, Prabhu and Karthik are very good and keeps us engrossed, but the story and screenplay of Mani Ratnam and Suhasini are a big let down.

The story is wafer thin and Mani has based it pretty much on “Ramayan” with a cop and Robin Hood story set in a forest with some twists and subplots. Veera (Vikram) a Robin Hood like guy also known as Raavanan and his elder brother Singam (Prabhu) live in a tribal village somewhere near Ambasamudram in Tiruneveli area. They mete out instant justice and run Kattapanchayat, but are loved, respected and feared by the locals.

Dev (Prithviraj), the Ram character is the Superintendent of Police, and he is on the hunt with other cops and a forest guard (Karthik), a new age Hanuman for Raavanan, who has taken his wife Ragini (Aishwarya Rai) the modern day Seeta like character, as hostage. Veera has a personal score to settle with Dev and the cops whom he believes is responsible for his sister Vennila’s (Priyamani) custodial rape and subsequent suicide.

Meanwhile, Ragini who initially abhors Veera and thinks he is a brutal beast in comparison to her ‘God like’ husband is drawn to the devil after hearing his sad story. She also finds out towards the climax that her beloved Dev is no saint and has dark shades in his character. All this leads to a riveting climax on the cliffs. If you know your “Ramayan” well there are enough references to Hanuman-Sita meeting in hostile territory, the polygraph test demanded by Dev can be said to be a modern day Agnipariksha call!

The highlight of the film as mentioned earlier is the technical wizardry. Mani’s choice of lush locales fits in with the realistic sets and props erected by art director Samir Chanda, captures the ethos and milieu effectively. Water in the main motif throughout the film, the waterfall, and characters having long drawn out conversations as it rains continuously, song and celebrations in rain. You can feel and touch the greenery, the moss in the forest as Santosh Sivan’s camerawork is pure magic and his using natural lighting gives the film that raw colourful serine look. The climax fight between Vikram and Prithviraj on the bridge is extraordinary, with picture perfect top angle shots and camera movements.

However AR Rahman’s music and Mani’s song picturisation and placement for which he is famous, is pretty ordinary. Songs act as a speed breaker and is not needed, but has been thrust in for commercial reasons. In fact post interval two songs come back to back within a span of five minutes. The particular song has been introduced to show the hero characters love for his sister , Thangachipasam Mani style!

Vikram as Veera towers above all. He brings a primal mixture of beauty, affection and savagery to the character. You can feel the earnestness of his intentions and the wetness of his tears, though the guttural sounds of joy he makes remind you of Pitamagan.

Armed with the film’s best written role, Aishwarya Rai has made a sensational comeback as Ragini, whose fear and hatred for Veera gives way to a sneaking admiration for her captor. She is mesmeric and has come out with an award winning performance. Prithviraj is ideal foil for Vikram, and is good especially in the final subtle showdown with Aishwarya in the train. Priyamani does her best in her cameo appearance, while Prabhu and Karthik are hilarious and make a mark.

The film lacks the Mani Ratnam touch in story and screenplay department, and has a wobbly first half, where the story just does not move. The last 10 minutes are the best part of this 2 hours 7 minutes film. Mani Sir is better off doing straight Tamil ventures than making such hybrid variety films that fall between two stools.

Raavanan will never feature among Mani Ratnam 10 best films. Nonetheless, not to be missed.

Rating: 3

http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php?id...=5&cid=2429

Teen Patti - Reviews

Teen Patti
Nikhat Kazmi, TNN 25 February 2010, 08:24pm IST

Rating: 3.5/5

Story: Professor Venkat Subramaniam, a mathematical genius is tired being ignored by his community. He decides to prove his experiments by real life evidence from the world of gambling and uses a bunch of students to enter the sleazy underworld of card sharpeners. But is there a way out of the world of crime? Is there an end to human greed?

Film Review: Ready for a razor sharp teaser? Watch Teen Patti. The film is a taut thriller that's not only done with loads of style and attitude, it also showcases a fine ensemble cast of youngsters who represent the edginess of today's youth. And if that's not enough, there's further enticement in the character and currently in-form status of Amitabh Bachchan, who is hell bent on a second, third and fourth coming. After the mesmerising Auro in Paa, Amitabh's eccentric mathematical wizard who talks to Albert Einstein, when he's alone, is immensely watchable in Teen Patti. Of course, there are his musings with Ben Kingsley too. But one would have wished the film makers had made more substantial use of the tumultuous talent of Mr Kingsley than reducing him to a mere listener.

Needless to say, most of Teen Patti unfolds in down market gambling dens as the odd assortment of newbie gamblers -- four students, and a professor, along with Mr Bachchan -- test the theory of probability through the game of cards. But didn't grandmum tell us gambling is addictive. So, before you know, probability is set aside and greed sets in. Along with a bit of blackmail. For even if the professor wants to opt out of this game that's getting dangerous with each passing day, he really can't. Someone's threatening to harm the babalog, if the booty stops coming in the dirty plastic bag that's to be regularly discarded in the bin. But more than all the external threat, it's the insidious changes that are occurring within the group that are a greater cause of alarm. While a young couple aspires to become the next Bonnie and Clyde, greed's corroding some others. Will the days of innocence return? Is crime reversible?

Now these are just a few tantalising queries Teen Patti chooses to address. The second half does get somewhat repetitive, with the film refusing to move out of the gambling dens and the climax gets somewhat hurried. But majorly, the film holds as a taut thriller that keeps you glued for most of the screen time. Watch out for Sunidhi Chauhan's item number, Teri Neeyat Kharab Hai. It rocks.

A word about:
Performances: Amitabh Bachchan leads the bratpack, with R Madhavan holding the rear. Amongst the bratpack, Shradha Kapoor makes an interesting debut as the edgy youngster who sheds her specs for sleaze, with alacrity

Screenplay: Witty and concise, Leena Yadav displays her skills as a narrator.

Dialogue: Ben Rekhi has the characters speak in real time, with real fears and real joys.

Music: Salim-Suleman's scripts a memorable item number: Neeyat Kharab Hai.

Choreography: Watch out for Ashley Lobo's oomph-oozing number, Neeyat Kharab Hai.

Styling: Ameira Punvan's costumes are funky and full of fun.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/moviereview/5616030.cms

Jhoom Zindagi Jhoom

Nana - Jaya Bachchan pair up for the first time

09 Nov, 2009 12:00 am ISTlReshma Kelkar Dabholkar/INDIATIMES MOVIES

Nana Patekar and Jaya Bachchan will be seen together for the first time in Aruna Raje’s forthcoming film ‘Jhoom Zindagi Jhoom’.

“That’s true. I have Nana and Jayaji in lead role for my film. It’s an interesting story which will go on floor by next year. We are in the process of signing more actors thus it won’t be right to speak more about the film now,” said the director Aruna Raje who has just finished a documentary film about mentally challenged people called ‘Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining’.

‘Jhoom Zindagi Jhoom’ revolves around a family where Nana Patekar and Jaya Bachchan play husband - wife. Apart from them, Zayed Khan and Rajveer Singh have been finalized to play the lead roles.

It is believed that director Aruna Raje is in talks with Lara Dutta to play the female lead.

http://movies.indiatimes.com/News-Gossip/N...how/5196379.cms