Sunday, December 18, 2011

Vijay, VijayKant and SuryaKant - Velayudham and 7Am Arivu


Parameter

Velayudham

7am Arivu

Hypothetical Vijay’Kant’ movie

Similarities

Story

Vijay vs Pakistan Theevaravadhigal

Surya Vs Chinees Theevaravadhigal

Vijaykant vs Pakistan theevaravadhigal

Hero

Vijay who is a milk man and transforms into Velayudham the superhero

Surya who is a circus performer and transforms into Bodhidharman the superhero

VijayKant, no transformation. Always a police/army/intelligence guy

Heroine

His sondhakara ponnu who loves him.

The girl who does fancy research into genetic engineering and awakens bodhidharman sleeping in surya

Some random girl who chases gabtun and falls for him

Additional heroine

The girl who makes vijay into Velayudham and has a crush on him

None. Director is focused

Could be the gramathu ponnu who loves gabtun but is secondary to the heroine who is there for skin show

Differentiators

Villain

Pakistan theevaravathigal plus the corrupt politician

Villan as powerful as the hero, Chinees. But then underutilized till the climax

An army of Pakistan Theevaravathigal

Premise

Villain wants to create chaos by bombing

Biological warfare used by China against India

Kill a politician or some big shot or poor innocent civilians using usual bombs and aruval etc.

Punch quotient.

Medium. Vijay uses it only to promote himself. Subtle political agenda – Anna hazarae ish

Subtle but overloaded towards the end. Promoting Tamils and also sri lankan issue.

From start to finish. DMDK agenda

Sex Quotient

Only heroine. No one wants to watch Vijay Shirtless

For women only. Surya is shirtless. Inspired by Salman Khan

Only heroine. One item song mandatory

Sentiment Quotient

Overloaded sister sentiment

Restrained use of sentiment. Mother sentiment there only in one scene.

All forms, mother, sister, brother, nation.


So basically all three movies are similar, with almost identical story lines. The director can just play around with the superficial aspects to differentiate the movies. And of course each director within the very tight constraints adds his own directorial touches to differentiate the movies. This is something like the icing on the cake to make it different from the other.

Velayudham

There is a love triangle, this of course allows for the director to have some distractions. This allows the director to juxtapose the urbane genelia against the Pattikattu Hanshika Motawani. Of course this also allows for the audience to have different faces during the songs. Some relief for the audience, because after 5 minutes the women get boring no? Next time vijay should have different women for each of the songs. Next of course is the sister sentiment. It triumphs over all other forms of sentiments. Saranya Mohan is the new irritating sister in movies.

Of course the creation of Tamil Cinemas first superhero. Velayudham. Vijay wears a costume protects his identity and all in this movie. His sidekick is Genelia, just like how Batman has an Alfred.

This also is a super crucial movie for Vijay. He puts an end to all confusion and says that he is a superhero who wears his underwear inside his pants.

And of course the director says its time for women to take the lead, hence in one scene Hanshika Motawani mixes Viagra and gives it to vijay. This is sex education, not the shit Selvaraghavan shows in Mayakam Enna.

Moral of the movie - Like all good tamil movies, this one too preaches. This one is very Anna Hazaraeesq. It says that if we wish to root out corruption we have to act now and not depend on some superhero

7 Am Aarivu.

Since the Director can’t be reduced to producing storylines like Vijay movies, and Surya is one up on Vijay. He acts in movies which take a Vijay/Vijay’Kant” story and repackage it using some masala, are shot in a much more slick manner and of course where the hero is not as cheri as the other two.

This does leave little room for the director to show his great skill. The director first differentiates by showing the story of Bodhidharman and all. He also adds some stuff about Nooku Varmam when the person can control another person’s mind by looking into their eyes and all. What next Kaama Varmam? Now that is usually done only in serious tamil movies, think Dasavaratham or Aayirithil Oruvan by Selvaraghavan. Of course there is also the added element of mumbo jumbo in the form of biological warfare and all. Bombs, Aruval and all are for the Vijays and Vijaykants not Surya.

The director also understands that Surya is the Tamil Cinema equivalent of Salman Khan, so he has a good 40 minutes of bare-chested Surya, just for the women, usually its skimpy women for the male front benchers. Of course since Shruthi Hasan is a Kamal’s daughter and all, she is assumed to have brains and hence doesn’t indulge in skin show, but she forgets that her father could act and speak proper tamil.

But if all this garbage is removed, the movie is no different from Velayudham. Just that the level of punch dialogues are lower and it is not about promoting the hero but more to do with patriotism and tamil culture etc. Both Surya and Shruthi Hasan have equal share in dialogues, that of course is not common.

Moral of the movie – never forget your past culture etc. the usual blah.

7 Am Arivu requires a vijay movieish treatment with punch dialogues and vijay acting cheri. Surya and all isn’t suited for the movie.

And bottom line is all the movies trace their roots to Vijaykanth movies, there is Vijay, Vijay’cant’ and Surya’cant’

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Friday, June 25, 2010

Raavanan - The Love Child of Mani Ratnam

Raavanan in Tamil probably alludes to Mani Ratnam belief that the Tamil audience are akin to a bastard child. The movie has a very north Indianish feel, considering Veera is from Thirunelveli district. The costumes and backdrop, every time the movie shifts out of the forest feels north Indianish. It does feel like watching a movie dubbed from Hindi.
Apart from this grouse, if viewed within certain constraints, the movie is a half decent attempt at interpreting the Ramayana. The lines between Ram and Raavanan blur with Rama killing Vibeeshana, while Raavana is projected as a benevolent king ruling over his Lanka. The attempt at humanising Ram and Raavana along with Sita not being portrayed as the worshipful wife is shallow and superficial. Greying the Ramayana is definitely an interesting attempt, but the Ramayana has a very light shade of grey, not sufficient to lift the movie. The intentions and ideas are in the right direction, but execution is half hearted, focusing on peripheral areas while missing the core content.Interpersonal relationship between the characters is not dwelled on, while Santosh Sivan has been given unreasonable footage to display his skills, detracting time for the development of the story. Devoid of the Ramayana parallels and interpretation, the movie lacks the pace and depth required for a kidnap drama with a naxal backdrop. None of the characters are developed, all of them emerging as full grown individuals, with their backstory left to the audience’s imagination. Without the parallel the movie is reduced to a slow paced kidnap drama without the suspense of a kidnap drama with excellent cinematography, reducing it to Mani Ratnam indulging his whimsical fantasies and desires.

Tamil audience is the bastard child of Mani Ratnam and Raavan. The original child is now the bastard, while the bastard is the crown prince. It could also be added, this is akin to the beginning of Mani Ratnams phase similar to Balachanders post Sindhi Bhiravi phase.

PS: Opinions on any movie are a function of expectations.

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Monday, May 24, 2010

XXIVC-1

Stability is the desire for constant in human existence. Change often is viewed with contempt; certainty is sought as a sign of risk aversion. Permanency is loved and sought. There is the constant search for permanency, but it shall never be found for it never exists. The desire for permanency manifests itself in the acceptance of various social norms and actions, some purely physical and some more intangible. The search for permanency in the ocean of chaos is an exercise in futility. This exercise in is often the sole purpose of homo sapien existence for most, for in this search this search ultimately leads the homo sapien species survive. Most though tend to find some form of stability within volatility. The absolute rejection of volatility and embracing stability is the beginning of the end. It is an indication of decay, when decay will begin from within. This is the beginning of decay and collapse into the morass of mediocrity. Searching for stability and permanency in life is an exercise in futility.

PS: The old tag line of my blog was "Nirandhiram oru Dhandanai - Stability is a Curse"

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Friday, May 07, 2010

XIX - Maminess

Maminess is defined by a state of mind and not by age. Maminess is conforming to a state of conditioning and adhering to it due to externalities penalizing non adherence. This breeds a sense of chronic risk aversion and hence not stepping out of comfort zones. Admitting to conforming to norms of course is not always easy to digest, hence the entire mami system provides for a mechanism to break the norms to satiate the needs to provide the individual with the illusion of venturing beyond the system, yet remaining within the system. All eccentricities unless otherwise the within the boundaries allowed are to be curtailed. Maminess or those who adhere to it are allowed to build the superstructure of their lives as they please, but of course they shy away from molding the core. Maminess is living within the illusion of not running the rat race, yet running it.


PS: Maminess/Mamaness can be interchangeably used

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

XIIXX-X

The fundamental purpose of existence of the entire homosapien race is identical that of every other species, namely ensuring the survival of the species. The dominance of the species in the planet that the individual members of the attaining their goal is inconsequential to the larger outcome of ensuring the species survival. This though has created a lack of self importance and a desire to not follow the herd for some members of the species. This group tends to differentiate itself by trying to change or contribute towards the larger societal fabric that the entire species has created and strives to stand out from the herd. This hence has resulted in the lot not understanding its purpose of existence at all, but rather in believing that the social fabric created by the entire species to try and find an alternative purpose for its existence. Ultimately, both sets fail in their pursuit, the group claiming to be above the herd just manages boost its ego, without realizing there are just two options, either to opt in with the herd or to opt in with the herd with the knowledge of its futility. The futile attempt at opting out by the segment claiming to be above the herd is recursive and futile. The recursive futility of the social fabric is overpowering.

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Herd is Always Right

Gamblers love to gamble. They though know the risks they undertake and are well aware when they are betting against the odds. Everyone is keen to go long and bet against the odds. This is the most interesting bet Ive come across. The bet is only long, and secondly, it is based on short term information that this bet is made. It is a forecast. Making this audacious forecast of going long based on short term certainty and the continuation of status quo in the long term is certainly betting against the odds. As the nature of the bet is, no one who makes the bet ever realizes that they are going long on an ideal short bet and secondly, they do not also realize they are betting against the odds. Since it is a bet everyone makes, it is the norm. Norms are decided by the herd, and the herd is never wrong. Such are the truisms of existence in societies.

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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Vinai Thandi Varuvaiya.....Vandhi Thaan Varuthu

Vinai Thandi Varuvaiya is a brilliant movie. I loved it. Its awesome. Largely because after a long time I wanted to write and post on this blog. The last time a movie did that to me was way back when I saw Sakkarakatti. Its over 18 months ago. Before I start the Mujik. Someone please give Gautham Menon a book on Flirting for Dummies. he needs to read it before writing scripts, even if he sucks in real life.

Now Below Starts Mujik.

  • The story of the movie is simple. It is the old story in all usual Tamil Movies. Boy loves girl, boy is hindu, girl is Christian, parental opposition, and girl marries someone else. In the midst of this the boy goes after his dream, and becomes a film director, makes a movie out of his story and achieves his dream.

  • Indha padatha partha dhaan enakku Vadivelu’s famous dialogue “ethivittu Ethivittu, odambai ranagalam akkittangla” oda artham puriyathu. Gautham Menon’ai ethivittu oru Mani Ratnam range ku build up kuduthu avarai ippidi oru padam eduthurukkar.

  • I hear it being mentioned the movie is inspired by Gautham Menons first love, Im wondering if it is first love or the losing his virginity inspired him. Essentially the movie has the subtle effect that the leading pair are in their mid 20s, horny and dying to have sex, but of course cant just have sex that easily, so mask and cloak it under the pretext of love and then are free to have sex. So essentially it is about the director losing his virginity, one inference I can draw is that he didn’t go to a prostitute and lose his virginity.

  • All Vijay fans should watch this movie, it will make them nostalgic about the late 90s Vijay movies. In the late 90s he acted in movies where he would love a girl at first sight, and then run after hear, have dream songs etc and generally about love happens only once etc in the movie. This movie is the same thing, add a little bit of style to it, some polish, class to the leading lady, an ugly male hero (vijay-a replace panna, korangu madri dhanae irukkanom?), and add ARR music and viola it is a new movie all together.

  • Simbu has been renamed as “Young Super Star” from “Little Super Star” the circular logo shit he had has disappeared. Did he hire a marketing consultant? Or did he realize he is no longer little?

  • Gautham Menon said in this movie Simbu has adaki Vasuchified. Andha change indha opening credit pattam madri mottum dhaan teriyaradhu

  • Ippo dhaan puriyathu. “Little Super Star” is a moralistic and virtuous young man. Whose little finger also wont touch the girl (Tamil padam ellathulaiyum vara dialogue “Ennoda sundu veral koodai avalai thothuthu illai), except in songs when the “Little Super Star” has the freedom to indulge in foreplay with the leading lady, except both of them have their clothes on. In this movie though Simbu declares that he just wants Guilt free sex hence doesn’t go with the image of “Little Super Star” so has changed the title. Brilliant marketing idea. Creating two independent brands.

  • Simbu ku ella padathulaiyum oru 3-4 women in minimal clothing irundhu pazkham pola irukku. Here there is a short fall, only Trisha and in Sarees, hence the guys subconscious horniness comes to the forefront. In everyscene he is just waiting to get an opportunity to lunge at trisha and make out. Gautham Menon could have spared us this torture by having at least 1 item song.
  • In the entire movie, the director emphasizes on the pain of love, how it is delusional and a high. I can certainly empathise with him, especially when Simbu says that, I can feel the pain in myself, the torment and the torture. Especially since I am wondering why did I get fooled by Gautham Menon to watch a Simbu movie and the pain this movie is inflicting on me. Enakkum andha Vali teriyaradhu.

  • This pain I guess is to make everyone who watches the movie, whether they are in love or not appreciate the beauty of being in love or lust, or whatever, or even the need to get laid. Those are the key take aways from the movie :D

  • Simbu in all scenes when he is declaring his undying love and interacting with Trisha, seems constipated and is clearly just waiting to claw at her. Simbu of course acts cheap and goes ahead and molests Trisha, despite her protests in a Train. Enna oru pudhaimai. I bet no one taught of this before Gautham Menon. Maybe it is Simbu unable to control his sexual urges and seeking a release suggested it to Gautham Menon, who thrust it down Trisha’s throat. Trisha maybe agreed since she had no opportunity to let her sexual urges out by wearing minimal clothing in the movie also agreed.

  • Gautham Menon is an intelligent man. In all his movies he has some pudhumai. In Kakha Kakha it was sleek editing. Minnalae it was that 5 days is a lifetime, and if you hang out with a girl for 5 days, its like one has had a live in relationship and that hence has the right of first refusal to get married to her. In this movie the message keeps changing.

    • First Gautham Menon I Thought said “Premaritial Sex is fine as long as the people intend to get married”
    • Then it changes “Premaritial Sex might not be all that alright, but making out is”
    • Then The subtle message is “Love is just an excuse for lust and a lack of sex, so create that excuse and make out”

The message indeed is new, since it involves sex and pre maritial sex. If he had stuck to the first one, Kushboo would have been proud and NACO could have used it to control AIDS. NACO could have launched a campaign trying to push the punithamana kaadhal, deivamana kaadhal and andha kaathalargal oda dhaan dhambadhaya uruvu vechirukkanom.

  • Indha padathula innoru Pudhumai enna na, Gautham Menon takes his love for portraying female sexuality and bringing it to the open a step further, he has Trisha talking about sex and making out. It all began with Kakha Kakha, where Jyothika declared her love, in Vaaranam Ayiram, Ramya declared her love to Surya (maybe Surya does not have the balls to declare his love to his leading ladies) here its taken a step further and Trisha speaks about the kiss with Simbu. Idhu oru pudhumai.

  • Usuala ella padathulaiyum, hero oda oru 4 koojas iruppanga, avanga ellam andha hero oda vaisule dhaan iruppanga, indha padathule the kooja for the hero is his friend philosopher and guide a middle aged man who is a cinematographer. The movie has lots of such small innovations, it’s like a drop of water in bucket, but drops of water only fill the bucket no?

  • Counting all the small small innovations of Gautham Menon

    • Hero oda kooja is ungle
    • Hero tells heroine he wants to make love to her all the time
    • Hero and heroine are shown having guilt free sex without it being hyped
    • Heroine is shown in Sarees
    • Heroine is older than the hero
    • There is no line saying “punithamana, deivamana kaadhal” etc in the movie, all tamil movies have that.
    • Heroine is open about her horniess too.
    • ARR being inspired by Pink Floyd with Aramolae song.
    • The hero’s kooja makes a sutble reference to older women being better in bed. This is something new. Just that that the heroine is a karpuku arasi in the movie and is shown as having no prior experience.
    • Innoru pudhumai enna na in all tamil movies the leading lady in the movie is a “Karpuku-Arasi” who is virtuous etc, but in the songs suddenly performs soft porn, in this movie that does not happen.

  • Gautham Menon has shown tremendous restraint, he has controlled is urge to kill either of the leading pair. He usually does that.

  • End of the movie there was standing ovation for the director, the entire audience clapped because the movie is finally over and they can run out of the theatre.

In summation, Vinai Thandi Varuvaiya is Vandhi Thaan Varuthu.

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