It is not just another gangster movie. Every scene, every line of dialogue is there for a reason - in building up the brilliant screenplay- that is proof by itself that the movie is simply perfect. No unnecessary masala - just enough to make it toothsome. To mention a few of the many things I liked about the movie : most of the actors - esp Jackie Shroff (as Singamperumal), Guru Somasundaram (as Kaalayan - what a characterization!), Master Vasanth(as Kodukkapuli) and Ajay Raj (the Chennai 28 guy) as well ; the comedy element blends in smoothly - Jackie's English (:-D) tickled me to pieces. Ravikrishna's voice and dialogue delivery fit the bill for the second time in a movie (Ponniyin selvan was the first).
Some thoughts to while away the Time (I'm going to capitalize It from now on. Let me respect It this way at least ;) )... why was the movie named so? Aaranya kaandam - the chapter in Ramayana when Rama and family live on exile in the forest and Sita is kidnapped by Raavana. It literally means 'Forest chapter'. Thank goodness that except for 'Kasthuri' (another name for Sita) and her abduction, nothing else has been picked up as such from Ramayana (Mani Ratnam having exhausted it already!). In the director's words : "The film deals with the animal instincts of man and traits that erase the boundaries separating man from beast. In the Jungle called life, man continues to draw from the animal within".... (Acc to me -- enna 'animal within'?? we are always animals...Not possible to classify man and beast - we are animals - we just have some traits that make us different from the OTHER animals. In nerdy terms, 'human' is a subset within 'animal')...
Singamperumal is a cranky but dangerous,old beast when he desperately tries to prove that he is still very much in possession of all his youthful endowments. Pasupathi(Sampath) - when care for his wife and presence of mind in the face of death overcome everything else. Kaalayan reminds me (in some ways) of Ed, one of the hyenas in Lion King. Kodukkapuli's animal trait is summarized in the dialogue exchange - the Timing of which I loved:
Pasupathi :"Unga appa-na romba pidikkuma?"
Kodukkapuli :“Appidi ille – aana avar engappa.”
Another notable dialogue is from Subbu(newcomer Yasmin Ponnappa: the climax left me satisfied with her performance, of which till then I was doubtful) as the femme fatale: “The best thing about being a woman is that it’s a man’s world.”
And what makes all these animals human? Their immense love for money and the extremity/stupidity it drives them to? The director thinks along similar lines : Gajendran is 'humanly'/less angry when it is about money issues but when his brother dies, it is a 'mad elephant's rage'.The human trait is 'love for money'. The rest is the beast in us. Let the beast survive ;).
Looking forward to the next movie from Thiagarajan Kumararaja.
Some thoughts to while away the Time (I'm going to capitalize It from now on. Let me respect It this way at least ;) )... why was the movie named so? Aaranya kaandam - the chapter in Ramayana when Rama and family live on exile in the forest and Sita is kidnapped by Raavana. It literally means 'Forest chapter'. Thank goodness that except for 'Kasthuri' (another name for Sita) and her abduction, nothing else has been picked up as such from Ramayana (Mani Ratnam having exhausted it already!). In the director's words : "The film deals with the animal instincts of man and traits that erase the boundaries separating man from beast. In the Jungle called life, man continues to draw from the animal within".... (Acc to me -- enna 'animal within'?? we are always animals...Not possible to classify man and beast - we are animals - we just have some traits that make us different from the OTHER animals. In nerdy terms, 'human' is a subset within 'animal')...
Singamperumal is a cranky but dangerous,old beast when he desperately tries to prove that he is still very much in possession of all his youthful endowments. Pasupathi(Sampath) - when care for his wife and presence of mind in the face of death overcome everything else. Kaalayan reminds me (in some ways) of Ed, one of the hyenas in Lion King. Kodukkapuli's animal trait is summarized in the dialogue exchange - the Timing of which I loved:
Pasupathi :"Unga appa-na romba pidikkuma?"
Kodukkapuli :“Appidi ille – aana avar engappa.”
Another notable dialogue is from Subbu(newcomer Yasmin Ponnappa: the climax left me satisfied with her performance, of which till then I was doubtful) as the femme fatale: “The best thing about being a woman is that it’s a man’s world.”
And what makes all these animals human? Their immense love for money and the extremity/stupidity it drives them to? The director thinks along similar lines : Gajendran is 'humanly'/less angry when it is about money issues but when his brother dies, it is a 'mad elephant's rage'.The human trait is 'love for money'. The rest is the beast in us. Let the beast survive ;).
Looking forward to the next movie from Thiagarajan Kumararaja.
