Effort well worth watching. Review on Virumandi Movie

Kamal Hassan said

''99% of the films made today are ''run of the mill'' and ''formulaic'' - 95% of them bomb. Then why are my ''different'' films called risky ventures?''

After winning over the critics with his beautifully etched ANBAE SIVAM, Kamal has spared no efforts to ensure that his next venture VIRUMANDI appeals both to the classes and the masses. With so much hype and hoopla associated with the film, does the final product justify it is the billion dollar question.

The plot:

Chinnakkolarpatti village of Theni district is ridden with a water scarcity problem. Virumandi is one of its residents - a happy-go-lucky, fearless young (??) man, a loyal friend, an affectionate grandson, a quintessential do-gooder all rolled into one. The village is dominated by two local chieftains: hard-nosed, scheming Kothala Thevar and good-at-heart, honest Nallamanicker. At the heart of the conflict between them lies Virumandi's fertile land. In a bid to obtain this land, Kothala Thevar schemes to eliminate Virumandi and pins the blame on Nallamanicker. Virumandi, however is rescued by the bold and aggressive Annalakshmi, Kothala Thevar's niece. Believing that Nallamanicker had conspired to kill him and falling for Annalaksmi, Virumandi takes sides with Kothala Thevar. Kothala Thevar, who has the entire corrupt police force led by Paykamman in his hands, massacres innocents owing allegiance to Nallamanicker and frames the innocent Virumandi. Forced on the run, Virumandi aided by Nallamanicker, elopes with Annalaksmi and gets married. An enraged Kothala Thevar murders Nallamanicker and his henchmen track down Virumandi and abduct Annalakshmi back. A humiliated and scarred Annalakshmi commits suicide and Virumandi is held responsible. The law finally catches up and both Kothala Thevar and Virumandi are arrested. However justice takes a backseat as Virumandi is given the death sentence and Kothala Thevar is let off with a life imprisonment. The whole sequence of events is captured by Angela Kathamuthu, an activist fighting against capital punishment, during the course of interviews she conducts in jail. However along the way she uncovers some other horrible truths, all leading to bloodshed and gore culminating in a violent climax.

Jekyll's perspective:

Movies thrive on publicity. In an age where Video piracy is rampant, the fate of a movie is quite often determined by the initial it rakes in. Given this fact, Kamal Hassan's much talked about VIRUMANDI has opened to a tremendous response all over. Half the battle has been won and credit must be given to the shrewd Kamal for managing to sustain the curiosity quotient associated with the film. Be it courting controversy by continuously wrangling with political elements or taking the censors head on, Kamal has never allowed VIRUMANDI to remain ''out of the news''.

Coming to the movie itself, in terms of novelty, the narration style is unique to Indian cinema.The first half is shot in typical documentary fashion - with dark flash cuts between past and present - with both the lead characters narrating

their version of how events happened culminating in them landing up in jail. The stark contrast between both the accounts is clearly inspired from that classic by Kurusowa - RASHOMON.

As far as story goes, on the face of it, VIRUMANDI deals with the trials and tribulations of an innocent man caught in circumstances which have suddenly erupted beyond his control. On a deeper plane, Virumandi dabbles with issues like capital punishment, looks cynically at the atrocities within jail, celebrates love and passion and succumbs finally to become a routine revenge saga. Beyond a certain point, the film goes overboard in depicting the violence between the rival groups in actual flesh and blood. Perhaps a little symbolism in reel would have spared people of the gore and helped reach out to a wider audience.

In a movie which aspires to spread the message of non-violence after glorifying bloodshed for 15 reels, the denouement appears a little tame and hollow. Perhaps the scary prospect of having to contend with the rowdy elements in the political parties led to the stuttering climax. It is here that DHEVAR MAGAN walked the tight rope more efficiently. Another ''expected'' aspect of Kamal movies - the intimate scenes - are clearly stretched too long to cater to the ''spice'' loving hoi-polloi.

Hyde's perspective:

One disturbing trend that has been observed recently is the growing denial of artistic freedom by either the censors or by political leaders whose sole aim is to derive ''cheap'' publicity. Starting with the name controversy and then the denial of permission to shoot at specific locations, the movie ran into rough weather everywhere. Undaunted by the vehement opposition, Kamal Hassan has dared to move ahead and still make the movie on his own terms and this is something that needs to be commended.

Mindless violence, unfortunately, is prevalent and happens to be an integral part of the lives of the real life communities down south. Hence the film by depicting the horrors ''as they are'' hopes to send a loud and clear message that solutions cannot be found with weapons and murder. Instead of falling prey to public sentiments and redeeming the hero through a cinematic climax, the film ends with an impassioned plea leaving it open-ended. The love between the hero and the heroine is poetically expressed and the ''Unnai Vida ''extended song sequence captures the purity and passion of the couple.

The Truth:

What elevates the movie to great heights are the astonishing performances. Rohini as Angela Kathamuthu, S.N.Laksmi as Virumandi's grandmother and Balasingh as Kothala Thevar's henchman are very effective. Napolean as Nallamanicker comes up with a dignified performance while Kamal as Virumandi is brilliant - check out the scene when he cries at his grandmother’s death and also when he is interrogated the first time by Rohini. Shanmugarajan as Paykamman, the corrupt police officer is a class act. Abhirami, backed by a not-so-long but still ''meaty and central to the plot'' role, emotes with consummate ease and conveys the immense strength and passion of Annalaksmi with conviction. Watch out for the exchanges she has with Virumandi as she is towing her moped about their future child's name. Finally, the hero of the film is undoubtedly Pasupathi as the heinous Kothala Thevar. Delivering a stand-out performance which is sure to win him laurels, he hogs the attention whenever he appears on screen.

When it comes to identifying talent to work in his films, Kamal Hassan always comes out trumps and VIRUMANDI is no exception. Art director Prabhakaran has meticulously created sets which transport us to the ambience of a real village - Top notch effort meriting a National Award. Cinematography by Keshav Prakash is spell binding be it the Jallikattu sequences or the riots inside the jail. Music by Ilayaraja gels with the movie - leaves its indelible mark by its sheer absence in some scenes. The songs are purely situational and imaginatively picturised, especially the ''Unnai Vida'' and ''Chandiyare Chandiyare'' number.

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