About I movie... First things first.. I know many people have tons of problems with the film.. Lets set all that aside.. Lets set aside all the superficialties.. The improbabilties.. Everything. One might argue that its Shankar sirs weakest story till date.. But its also by far his most personal, thematically most complex and most thought provoking film. It asks you tons of uncomfortable questions.. Disturbs you, irks you, grosses you out and makes you think about your belief systems. Theres so much meaning screaming out of the film. It fascinated me no end. Couldnt get the film out of my head. Every line in every song, every image, every word spoken began to take on a new meaning as I started walking out of the hall. Shankar sir explores our age old fascination with beauty, with appearances ...And how much its ingrained in what we believe is our identity. He explores vanity...And finally he explores our notion of true love. Ranging from the simplest of questions, like how much our perspective and our lives would change if we woke up one morning and looked grotesque, to complex questions, like how much do you buy into the concept of pure love transcending appearances. He doesnt ask us simplistically and impractically but tests us cheekily with very powerful imagery. The first pertinent question that Shankar seems to ask us... What do you believe is worse then death.. anthaku minchi em undi? Do you think its having to live your life with your beauty mercilessly mutilated? He teases us.. Doesnt answer that question right away.. All the characters in the film seem to believe it is so.. Including Vikram. And slowly but assuredly Shankar gives us his opinion.. Through the most powerful character in the film.. That of Amys. And because Vikram had earned Amys true love, she in turn guides him to discover that it is not so. That all that matters is a life filled with love. In a telling moment, she asks him if he would have deserted her if she had lost her beauty. And in that hypothetical role reversal it suddenly dawns upon him how foolish and shallow hes been. Its very simple to him after that. Theres no room for self loathing or self pity in his heart anymore. How he looks becomes irrelevant to him suddenly. Revenge does not matter anymore. Whereas, the villains, upon meeting with a similar fate as vikrams, are shown a mirror by Santhanam and they cant bear to look into it.. For their vanity never allowed them love someone more than themselves. And hence, they are doomed to live out their lives in the hells of their own minds. Now Shankar sir, smartly, does not spoon feed what he is getting to. For he wants you to find gratification in the revenge if your beliefs are as shallow. And then his final masterstroke in the film.. The end credits. He juxtaposes the epitome of what we commonly accept as beautiful with a grotesque human form. He makes them romance, he makes them get intimate, he makes the girl caress and massage what is supposed to be off putting, he makes them embrace each other in bed like they are a perfectly normal couple. And he treats this sequence like a true romance.. Like he feels its SRK & Kajol outfitted in designer labels. And all the while, the song playing in the background translates to if I were asked what true love is Id cite you and me.. If I am told our love is untrue Id hunt down love and assassinate it. Heres a girl completely oblivious to how grotesque her man looks and loves him dearly. And heres a director whos convinced. Now he asks you if you are comfortable watching it.. And if you can buy it. If not.. Is your conviction in love that shallow? So is your definition of true love driven by what a person looks like? He asks. And theres a throw away precursor to this in a wonderfully ironic twist to fair and lovely ads. The girl goes running back to the guy who loved her before she used the product. She realizes what true beauty is... That it lies in the eyes of one who beholds you with true love. And its certainly a film to behold.. Not dismiss! PS. Dont forget the visual suggestion of heaven as Vikram and Amy get out of the car in the final scene. The two have a glow outlining them. As opposed to Suresh Gopis solitary confinement in the hospital.. With a skull mark on the door (if I am right) to perhaps signify hell. They are both right here on planet earth the director seems to be saying...by RRavindran
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 08:38:01 +0000
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