Notes from an afternoon spent listening to the “Uttama Villain” album and talking to the composer Ghibran.
A little after 12 last Saturday, I stepped into a recording studio in RA Puram. The television set in the reception area said that UAE were 36/3 in their World Cup match against India. There were a couple of couches, a few people propped on them. They didn’t seem particularly invested in the outcome of this match. India would win. It was just a matter of time. Still, it was there, like the two-year-old issues of TIME you find at the local GP’s office. I hung around a bit. At 41/4, I was led into a room with a Mac, and R Ragavendran – who is Ghibran’s music production manager and also handles the PR; it was on his invitation that I was there – began to play a song from the new Kamal Haasan starrer Uttama Villain.
Kaadhalaam kadavul mun, it went. It’s sung by Padmalatha, and it’s what the industry calls a “melody song,” a strange term, considering that all songs traverse some kind of melodic arc. But what they mean is that this isn’t, say, a kuthu number. This isn’t the kind of song you’d immediately hand over to the choreographer. It’s the kind of song that you’d try to fill on screen with a Balu Mahendra-style montage of mood shots.
All pop music – and film songs are our pop music – has an element of repetition. The songs open with the pallavi (our version of the Western pop song’s chorus) and keep returning to it. And pairs of lines in the charanam (verse) are often set to the same tune. Ghibran has an interesting way of adhering to this structure, yet breaking away from it. There’s always a tweak the second time the melodic line is repeated. Sometimes the closing stretch grazes a lower note. Or only the first line of the chorus is sung in a lower octave.
You know that thing where you hear a song and a phrase suddenly yanks you out of the present and deposits you in front of a radio set circa 1980? That happened to me. Suddenly, I was thinking about the Gangai Amaran song, Nyaabagam illaiyo kanne. Maybe it’s the raga. Ghibran, who joined us later, told me that he’d tuned this song in Maru Bihag. I had just one quibble, and it’s about the recording. The song has that super-shiny quality most songs have these days – everything is too perfect. I wondered if Ghibran would be offended if I asked him about this.
Next, Iraniyan naadagam – no, not a play from the country formerly known as Persia, but one about Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada. The lines, written by Kamal (who voices Hiranyakashipu), are blazingly theatrical: En udhirathin vidhai / En uyir udhirtha sadhai… There’s great variety in the percussion, not just in the different instruments used but also in the rhythm patterns. Sometimes, the drums just come to a halt. The base is the traditional koothu, so all lines are sung – and given the Western-classical wrapping, the lines also sound like the recitative of a Broadway musical. The number keeps soaring and climaxes in anthemic swells.
After this, Love-aa love-aa was almost an anti-climax. It’s the most mainstream thing I’d heard that far – an insanely catchy tune, with hard-driving beats that sound as if they’re ripping the song to shreds, and a vast dynamic range, comprising the audio equivalent of the close-up as well as the wide shot. It’s the kind of song that’s an instant hit. This film probably needs this song.
Kamal hasn’t sounded this young and peppy in a while, and his borderline-falsetto here is effectively contrasted with a female voice that sounds like Usha Uthup trapped inside a boom box. The owner of that deep, resonant voice is a new singer named Sharanya Gopinath, and Ragavendran found her when he was shopping at the flea market in Wesley Grounds, Royapettah. He heard sounds from a music show nearby, and he froze when Sharanya began to sing a song that had the refrain “Beef biriyani.” He knew he wanted that voice. He made his way to the show, found out who sang the song, and went up to her and got her number, despite her father looking on disapprovingly at his daughter handing out her number to a strange man who claimed to be from the film industry. Ghibran listened to the voice. He liked it. A year-and-a-half later, he said he wanted the “Beef biriyani” girl. And that, sometimes, is how you make your playback-singing debut opposite Kamal Haasan.
A youngish chap popped in, dressed casually in a T-shirt and cut-offs, and it took me a minute to realise this was Ghibran. He was taking a break from the recording session in another room. He looked like he wouldn’t mind me asking about the super-shiny quality of the songs these days – they just don’t breathe like the songs used to in the days of live recording. He smiled and said it was due to the competition. There’s something called RMS Level, which determines the loudness of the output. Fifty per cent of what the finished product sounds like depends on the mixing stage, when the 100-or-so tracks (the various instruments, plus the voice tracks) are fed into the computer and processed into two (in most cases) tracks, for the left and right speakers. This is the stage where they decide things like panning, reverb, delay. The other fifty percent depends on the mastering stage, where they play around with the frequencies, boosting them so that they can compete with the volume levels of the ads on radio, the medium that pretty much decides how our music is made. In other countries, the digital mix is converted back to analog to smoothen out the sound, so that even the maximum volume will not hurt the ears. But no one here goes for analog mixing, because that makes the song sound “soft,” and when the previous song on the radio has blasted the roof off your speakers, this number ends up sounding like something went wrong in the recording, like the musician made a mistake. That is how we’ve gotten used to high frequencies, that super-shiny sound. And that’s how it’s going to be. But the music of Uttama Villain is a mix of analog and digital. The name of the film features a lot in my notes, as an acronym, and it makes me think of ultraviolet rays.
We spoke about the modernised koothu in Iraniyan naadagam. He said it didn’t start from a musical point of view, the way a composer thinks of this raga or that scale when a song situation or a scene is narrated to him. It began, instead, from the point of view of the scene. Imagine that Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada are having a fight. Imagine the raised voices, the back-and-forth exchanges. When Ghibran studied music at the Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, he was exposed to Schoenberg’s atonal music and Sprechstimme (recitation that’s declaimed melodramatically. hovering between the spoken and the sung) – and he realised that Sprechstimme was just like our koothu. Only, the latter did not have that kind of orchestral accompaniment. So koothu, with a dash of atonality, became the base for Iraniyan naadagam. Kamal had the whole narrative ready. He and Ghibran talked and rehearsed and decided how much time each exchange would take. And then the Western classical elements came in. Ghibran said it was challenging because some parts had already been shot with actors speaking the lines and then Kamal felt it would be better if they sang those same lines. Ghibran worked for a year-and-a-half on the score.
When he left, we turned to the other songs. Uttaman arimugam is what you’d call a rocking villupaattu. The baton-passing between Kamal, villupaattu exponent Subbu Arumugam and the all-male chorus is terrific. Next, the soulful Saagaavaram. (I wonder if that word was used anywhere before Kamal used it in Virumaandi’s Onna vida…) Peel back the orchestration, and the song sounds like one of those philosophical numbers MSV used to sing in the 1970s films – say, Kandathai sollugiren. I’m not talking about the tune. I’m talking about the feel.
There’s another story in Mutharasan kadhai, all 8 minutes and 13 seconds of it. Then, Uttaman kadhai. I kept thinking about how the album was filled with words and names that point towards immortality – saagaavaram, Mrityunjay, and even Iraniyan, who sought everlasting life. Maybe that’s the film’s theme. I could have asked, but then you don’t want to know these things before you watch a movie, especially a Kamal movie. That’s why I didn’t ask about the yawn-like sound made by a male in the otherwise all-female Kaadhalaam kadavul mun. The male, of course, is Kamal.
The instrumental pieces really made the album for me. The theme music opens with sounds that seem to be erupting from the bowels of the earth, and then the title is repeated in an ominous monotone, as if by the members of the cult in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – the song then becomes more modern. Guru and sishya is more romantic – rather, Romantic. It takes you back to Debussy, Chopin. More instrumentals – Uttaman and Karpagavalli, Father and son, Letter from and to Yamini, Dr. Aparna, and possibly my favourite after two listens, the exquisite Father and daughter.
This is probably the “analog” part of the score. The sound is softer and the music sweeps you to a place far, far away from Tamil cinema. Throughout the album, the strings work is wonderful, and the violins sound so soft in the instrumental pieces that you may be reminded of John Barry’s score for Out of Africa. Again, I’m not talking about the tune. I’m talking about the feel. The team that won the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing this year (for Whiplash) has worked on this album. Maybe the softness is their doing. Ghibran said that they decided to do away with all instruments traditionally used in period films. Tabla. Ghatam. Dholak. All gone. Uttaman’s story unfolds in a fantasy land, so there’s an element of fantasy in the sound too. There’s a lot of music in the movie, but only 67 minutes of it made it to the album. I don’t remember how much time I spent inside, but when I left, Dhoni was smiling into a mike. India had won.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2014 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Santosh Kumar T K
March 2, 2015
1) Your eighth para “a youngish chap popped in…” harks me back to the exact discussion my wife and I had on our long drive early this afternoon. I often find myself reaching restlessly for the bass/treble controls on my car stereo when Rahman tracks appear, and his tracks do dominate my playlists. I totally relate to what you had said of his sound in the past; “over-engineered, over-produced.”
I miss the nimble-footedness — I used this for Shimit Amin in your ATC-2 write-up — that other composers display, or for that matter Rahman himself displayed in his early days, however mono- and synth-based. Any of his music from 2008/2009 onwards (Ghajini, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, Jhootha Hi Sahi at random) played at slightly upper volumes threaten rupturing your speakers’ diaphragms. Omana Penne, Hosanna, Mere Chehre Ki Do Nishaaniyan (what a lovely tune, but of such big, bad, bloated bass!) are some of the worst offenders in loudness! This is again very apparent in the “mass” albums that have to register in the very first listens, to belie his grows-on-you image, in this age of Pritams. (I am not judging Pritam!)
This is funnily not the case, like you remarked, when I play the rare English track (recent and old). Everything seems so well-calibrated, so fine-tuned. It seems as if they are so secure in what they are doing, and more importantly, how they are doing it. For all their bad cultural, behavioral exports (in all forms), they also seem to be good agents of what is right.
You don’t find this over-engineered efforts from local bands, pop bands in India (the good ones). When one plays, say an, Indian Ocean, all seems fine; sound-wise at least. I begin to wonder then whether someone like Rahman cannot do (something airy, light) what these lesser known ones do. Then something tells me that for the insane amounts he charges, he cannot risk doling out a “flat-sounding” album (trapped in his “sound” image?) at this stage (post Grammy/Oscar) and potentially piss off his producers, the music labels and his young fans. Which is what explains heavy bass guitars in simple-looking bhajans, meandering melodies of a Kaaviya Thalaivan?! Everything that comes out of Panchatan/KM has to be subwoofer-friendly. After all people have invested in “good music systems” in the past decade and half! 🙂
2) As for your “All pop music – and film songs are our pop music – has an element of repetition,” I had said this a while ago. agree?
Sorry for my long, over-engineered comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
apala
March 2, 2015
Wow! A really remarkable OST, which will stand TALL for years to come……..Congrats & Thanks Ghibran!
LikeLike
Hithesh Devasya
March 2, 2015
A lot of the soundtrack makes it feel like we are listening to our version of a reduced opera. A Harikatha in the mainstream space. Lovely work.
Removing the traditional “Indian” instruments has helped the instrumental pieces get a very Western look, haven’t they? “Father & Son”, “Letter From & To Yamini” reminded me of Joe Hisaishi in some patches. I attributed it to the usage of the eastern string instruments over sweeping piano pieces. I loved the album.
I was hoping Rahman would give something like this for Kaaviya Thalaivan. I am glad Ghibran managed it for Uttama Villain.
LikeLike
Krishnan
March 2, 2015
Finally, Kamal seems to have found the balance between “grand” and “deep”. The Sound track and the two trailers combined give a feeling that the film will be grandly deep and deeply grand
LikeLike
Lav
March 2, 2015
What a write-up! I am usually a mute reader of your blogs but couldn’t help expressing how good this piece of your was. (i felt as if i was interviewing this guy…really!)
“The name of the film features a lot in my notes, as an acronym, and it makes me think of ultraviolet rays.”
🙂 good one.
Looks like Kamal has chosen Ghibran for all his upcoming projects!
Reading about Ghibran’s struggle into the field of film-music make me want to root for him.
LikeLike
Ravi K
March 2, 2015
Google “Loudness War” to read more about the lack of dynamic range in music. It’s not just an Indian phenomenon.
http://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122114058/the-loudness-wars-why-music-sounds-worse
LikeLike
Rumour Hog
March 2, 2015
Reblogged this on Sarcastic Indians.
LikeLike
Prasanna
March 2, 2015
I went to bed last night, after spending a full day of UV on loop, wondering how great it would be if BR writes about his “musings” on this album. Dreams do come true! Blessed are we in Tamil cinema to have such musicians grace our films.
I’ve also noticed a fascinating pattern in our cinema, which seen a disruptive force revolutionizing film music every generation with surprising regularity. It was kickstarted by MSV in 1952-53, followed by Raja sir about twenty years later (1975-76), followed by ARR in about twenty years (1992-93). Is it Ghibran’s turn this time?
LikeLike
Pranesh
March 2, 2015
Love the album, but the second trailer worries me. I hope there is a good reason for that kid speaking Tamil so atrociously.
LikeLike
aravindmbp
March 3, 2015
saagavaram. – the first I heard this term was almost 20 yrs back, a short story by Prapanjan if I am not mistaken published in ananda vikatan. Its about an old lady who is nearing 100, with all her friends, friends, relatives, children dead. And she realizes long life is not a boon but a curse
LikeLike
whencat
March 3, 2015
If you oversimplify music from a movie song perspective, there are just 4 elements – the melody (the “tune”), the lyrics, orchestration and “new sounds”.
MSV era was melody + lyrics. I think composers from that era along with avant garde lyricists explored all paradigms that existed in melody+lyrics realm.
Raja took it a notch higher and melody + orchestration came out to be his forte, lyrics generally suffered.
Rahman brought in “new sounds” with generally above average melody, lyrics continued its slide down.
What combination is now left? Ghibran seems to fall under orchestration + “new sounds” with average melodies. This is slightly path breaking but still not make you go “wow, that is something New”.
The next wave will probably bring in MSV era lyric quality + melodies, Raja era orchestral brilliance and Rahman era sounds. That’s like the Holy Grail!! The intriguing thing is, MSV, Raja and Rahman are still around and I think it is only after their generation (which is still some 30-40 years away) that some new paradigm will come through. I am not pointing to their physically going away (God bless them), but a complete generational shift. But again, we’ll not be there to relish it.
LikeLike
vijay
March 3, 2015
whencat, “MSV era melody+Raja era orchestration+Rahman era sounds” is just an amalgam of tried concepts, nothing new overall. In fact IR might have done that already in some of his mid-90s soundtracks.
I wasn’t overly impressed with this soundtrack. I guess if BR had listened to it in the privacy of his home on a set of modest speakers maybe he might have himself felt differently about this. Sometimes the setting skews your perception 🙂 I get the feeling Ghibran labors too hard sometimes on his melodies. It doesn’t just flow. Having said that I still prefer him to other mainstream crap like Anirudh, GVP, HJ,YSR and the likes. One of the melodies I liked a lot in recent times was Ramesh Vinayagam’s thuli thuliyaai from Ramanujam. Disappointed a bit that he constantly finds himself servicing middling films.
LikeLike
Prasad
March 4, 2015
Hi BR,
Need your comments here. Listened to the album ,good variety I would say in songs. But again why Kamal has sung all the songs and wrote the lyrics also. I know it takes lot of talent to be doing this.But the point I want to make here is maybe this is the problem with his movies also don’t you think ? It’s about Kamal…how well he can sing/dance / write lyrics in tamil, act( Come in 5 or 10 different roles some time becomes a becomes like kids in school play (Dasavatharam). Point is we all know he is supremely talented but the final output is not delivered somehow. The last movie which was impeccable is Virumandi which is almost 12 years back. The problem I see he has good ideas/concept but when it is executed , the movie becomes one dimensional only celebrating his skills rather than focusing on the movie and characters which we can root for . Exactly same problem with Vishwaroopam. There was a transgender character only to celebrate his dancing skills.
Again I saw the trailer of this movie , definitely looks promising but again same old thing. Kamal is dancing Kathakali…there is a 8th century character…there is a modern 21st century character…the concept has become so old and common that even Rajni executed this and bored us in Lingaa :).. As a movie goer, even I wish this movie should be good ,different, effective but some how not sure if Kamal can ” let go ” of himself and focus more on the overall script , characters rather than celebrating his talent.
Pl let me know your comments on why he is not able to deliver a “Virumaandi” or a “Anbe “Sivam” off late….and also what do you expect from “Utthama villain”
LikeLike
whencat
March 4, 2015
Agree, it is an amalgam of what is already there. If we knew what that new thing would be, we would be elsewhere! 🙂 … Until Tamil cinema breaks away from the current canvas and until radically new story/screenplay fabrics emerge, music will follow the same arc. Ghibran shows potential, but the generally stale Tamil cinema sensibilities is pulling him down. Kamal is one of the few bouncing boards using which Tamil cinema can catapult itself out into newer territories. Let’s see how Uttama Villian translates on screen – and if that opens up new doors.
LikeLike
Nishanth
March 4, 2015
//Maybe that’s the film’s theme. I could have asked, but then you don’t want to know these things before you watch a movie, especially a Kamal movie. That’s why I didn’t ask about the yawn-like sound made by a male in the otherwise all-female Kaadhalaam kadavul mun. The male, of course, is Kamal.//
Well, while I understand your apprehension to not know the story before watching, I have travelled in the opposite direction to form the story from the bits and pieces information available in the two trailers and the audio tracks
So here goes…
FAN FICTION: Uttama Villain – Uttaman’s Story
There are two key themes in Uttama Villain: 1 – Saagavaram (the boon of immortality) and 2 – The psychological Mentor-Mentee tussle [This also includes the typical father-son or parent-child tussle detailed in chapters of Freudian studies and Greek Mythology]
Manoranjan (Kamal Haasan) is an internationally renowned but now aging Tamil superstar in present day world going nowhere with his career and life. Despite his age, he keeps acting with young women (such as pooja kumar, an actress) but his films don’t sell anymore. His biggest mistake perhaps was that he had left behind his Guru/Mentor (and the real reason for his success), director JK (K Balachander) and chartered higher grounds, forgetting JK in the process. But his career is now falling apart and all his fame could mean for nothing. He is being haunted by money lenders (MS Bhaskar and Jayaram). He is also wanting to leave his terminally ill and loving, unexpecting wife (Oorvasi) and his teenage son for a younger starlet (Andrea). Manoranjan’s father-in-law (K Vishwanath), on hearing this, decides to not only stop the production of his latest film (last attempt to bounce back) but also treatens to kill Manoranjan. His teenage son is upset too and reacts rather negatively. This tussle between manoranjan and his son runs parallel to the tussle between manoranjan and his mentor JK who he appraoches for a new film only for JK to tell him that enough has already been done for Manoranjan. Adding to the mentor-mentee/ parent-child tussle is Rohini (parvathy menon), JK’s daughter and Manoranjan’s shishya who considers JK her hero and Manoranjan her villain for him having been ungrateful to JK.
On being sternly refused the one chance for redemption, Manoranjan asks JK for 1 minute, for an elevator pitch, to tell him a concept that will force JK to make a movie with him. JK Okay’s the request. And Manoranjan tells him the story of Saagavaram. He says, that for the world to never forget Manoranjan and JK, for them to be immortal, they must make a movie on immortality. Saagavaram is the Story of Uttaman and Mutharasu. Uttaman was a man who escaped death five times – once having fallen from the waterfalls into the river, once having been hit in the head with a the sacred and extremely heavy temple pole, once having been given poison, once having been burnt and once having been sent into a tiger’s cave alone. His villagers think he is a ghost and his fame spreads far and wide. Mutharasan a king who for his misdeeds has been cursed death hears Uttaman’s Story and calls him to be a part of his closest guards for Uttaman can surely defeat death, for he has a boon of sagavaram. Even as Uttama Villain visits the palace and loses his independence, he starts feeling that Saagavaram is not a boon but a bane. JK Agrees to making this movie, but midway through the shoot, realizes how his situation is directly similar to that of Uttaman. For the sake of Manoranjan’s and Mutharasu’s selfish quests for immortality, JK and Uthaman have become respective victims. In the movie, Uttaman meets stage actresses Apsara (parvathy nair) and Urmila (pooja kumar again) to plot his way out of Sagavaram. While in the real life, Manoranjan is plotting his way into it.
What happens next forms the rest of the story and is to be seen in the screen.
Now if the film is even half as good as this story, i will be ok.
LikeLike
brangan
March 4, 2015
aravindmbp: I was talking about the use of “sagaavaram” in film lyrics. Did anyone before Kamal use it?
whencat: If you oversimplify music from a movie song perspective, there are just 4 elements – the melody (the “tune”), the lyrics, orchestration and “new sounds”.
I would say the four elements are melody, lyrics, orchestration and sound — not “new sounds”, which IMO come under orchestration (they’re essentially another “instrument”) but the way the sound is “designed”.
And as subjective as all this is, I’d disagree that Ghibran’s melodies are “average.” He and Santhosh Narayanan are doing fantastic work in terms of balancing the “sound” aspect of their songs and the more traditional aspects, like melody etc.
Prasad: See, if Kamal didn’t have talent — if he couldn’t sing well, it he didn’t write good lyrics, if he weren’t a thoughtful screenplay writer — then I’d have a problem. Otherwise, if the output is good, I don’t particularly care that he’s sung all songs etc. Of course, if the film is a “Dasavatharam,” then these problems come to the fore.
That character in “Viswaroopam,” BTW, was not to “celebrate his dancing skills.” It was to create a character SO different from who he is really that his enemies will not suspect at all — and the revelation of the truth, the transformation of the effete dancer to the macho villain-slayer during the title song is one of the GREAT masala moments of all time.
LikeLiked by 2 people
venkatesh
March 5, 2015
BR: While i agree with you for the most part and especially this :
” and the revelation of the truth, the transformation of the effete dancer to the macho villain-slayer during the title song is one of the GREAT masala moments of all time.”
I think Prasad has a valid point , the problem with Kamal doing everything in his movie is that there is no commingling and juxtaposition of different talents. There is nothing new. There is a sameness to it that beyond a certain point is well – boring.
We have seen him for so long that i can almost predict in his movies what would happen next, where the camera will be placed, how Kamal will act/react, how the music will flow, so the movie viewing experience is reduced to an intellectual exercise. You can see all the greatness of the talent on display, you can see the tick marks, appreciate the inner workings but there is no expectation, love and joy for it.
LikeLike
Ram Murali
March 5, 2015
“It was to create a character SO different from who he is really that his enemies will not suspect at all — and the revelation of the truth, the transformation of the effete dancer to the macho villain-slayer during the title song is one of the GREAT masala moments of all time.”
–> Touche!
This is indeed one of my 5 favorite masala moments of all time…the music really helped pump the adrenaline. my other favorites are:
the election sequence in amaidhi padai
the pre-intermission sequence in baasha
the shutter sequence in run
the chase sequence in ghilli
Any other favorites, peeps?
LikeLike
Prasad
March 5, 2015
“See, if Kamal didn’t have talent — if he couldn’t sing well, it he didn’t write good lyrics, if he weren’t a thoughtful screenplay writer — then I’d have a problem. Otherwise, if the output is good, I don’t particularly care that he’s sung all songs etc. Of course, if the film is a “Dasavatharam,” then these problems come to the fore.”
Hi BR,
Somehow the discussion has shifted from Kamal to movies. Let me rephrase my point with another example. The reason am rising this point is because the “OUTPUT” is not coming through offlate in his movies. For discussion sake let’s take an example of Kamal Vs Aamir .
Just compare the last 10-12 years career graph of both of them and just see their output and strike rate( In terms of movies which had universal appeal) . I think many would agree that Kamal is much talented than Aamir right in terms of singing , lyrics, all variety of dance , Knowledge in Tamil literature , Knowledge of world cinema,Experience of 4 decades in cinema …and all that stuff .
Now can we compare the notable movies they did just for comparison sake for last 10-12 years
Aamir- Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai , Rang De basanti, TZP,3 Idiots, peepli Live, Talaash, Dhobhi Ghat ,PK.
( Have included only the movies which had critical acclaim and have discounted movies like Ghajini, Fanaa, Dhoom 3 which were very ordinary movies but were huge commerical grossers.)
Aalavandan, VIrumaandi, Mumbai Express, Dasavatharam, Unnaipo Oruvan,Vishwaroopam
Out of this when you talk about Output just Virumaandi was the one which stood out.
The point am making even though he may be talented than Aamir, with the industry experience he has we expect more from him and unfortunately the output doesn’t come through.I fundamental reason I see is he is more focussed on celebrating his talent probably than “Letting go” and focus more on the overall script and character’s . In fact I would say it’s the problem with most of our stars including Rajini, Vijay, Ajith. But why we bring up kamal because we also know what he can deliver when all his cylinder’s are firing and when he is focused but unfortunately that is not happening.
Aamir on the other had is able to step back all the time doesn’t get carried away and makes right choices .either in selecting right script , making right choices and has this uncanny ability to position himself appropriately and delivery with almost a strike rate of 100%.
The difference I see is he is not too hung over in celebrating his talent ….how we he can dance …sing ….come with various getup’s ….does EXACTLY WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE MOVIE….
We can see the difference!
Just see his Kamal’s coming movies. Papanasam…a tailor made script for Mohanalal (Dhrishuyam and I really liked that!! ) and I don’t know if Kamal can emote that well what Mohanal did. The problem I have with the remakes he has done like “Unnaipol Oruvan”….in the past…the final outcome doesn’t come out effective when you compare with a Naseer in A wednesday.
Hope you see my point. Please let me know your thoughts.
LikeLike
Srinivas R
March 5, 2015
Prasad – While I tend to agree with you that Kamal occupies the center and backstage in all his movies and that can sometimes go wrong, you ignored two very significant movies from his filmography – Hey Ram and Anbe Sivam. I am willing to suffer a couple of Dasavatharams if once in a while I get a gem like Hey Ram , Anbe SIvam or Virumandi. Also IMO , Alavandan and Mumbai Express are wonderful movies which just didn’t get the love they deserved.
All said and done I do hope he hands control to a director like Vetrimaran, Myskin, Bala etc. for a good script, so we can see him in a different light.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vijay
March 5, 2015
Prasad, my problem with Unnaipol Oruvan or Papanasam is the very fact that they are remakes in the first place! And there are rumors of a PK remake by Kamal as well. Doesn’t really excite one much. He could make a small movie where he plays his age like in Unnaipol Oruvan, but for an original script. And then balance it out with a high concept masala like Vishwaroopam. Rather he seems to be taking the quick remake route as some sort of a breather in between big budget flicks. At least if he was remaking or adapting an obscure Korean script I wouldn’t mind. The likes of Drishyam and PK are well known and were hits.
LikeLike
Kutty
March 6, 2015
What a beautiful album! And such a relief to see the OST replete with instrumentals. Hope this is a trend which will carry on. This will give a lot more incentive for music directors to churn out their best. These tracks do not give them the opportunity to hide behind fun, or philosophical, lyrics and challenges them to capture the listener’s imagination. Along with Santosh, Gibran is definitely emerging as a music director whose every album is worth waiting for.
LikeLike
brangan
March 6, 2015
Kutty: And the other refreshing thing is that the orchestral pieces have a strong Romantic-era feel. Raja pretty much laid down the syntax/grammar for WCM usage in Tamil cinema, and the others blindly followed (copied?) him — and for the longest time, give or take a few songs/pieces, we heard music with a strong Baroque/ Classical-era feel. Here, you can sense a shift from that feel. When I interviewed Kamal, he was talking about “neoclassical” music and Alex North. After hearing the album, I think maybe what he meant was post-Classical, i.e. Romantic.
Prasad: Oh no, I agree with you about the output not being all that it could have been. Where I differ from you is that Kamal doing everything is the reason.
About the output suffering, I don’t think the reason is Kamal singing and lyric-writing and so on. It’s that he surrounds himself with sub-par cast/crew — that, IMO, is the problem.
Take the intended-as-comedy stretch in “Manmadhan Ambu” where this rich drunk guy is taking a leak and accidentally drops his phone in the urinal. This could have become a great comic set piece had we had an actor who could play physical comedy, and a director who could stage physical comedy. Instead, we got Madhavan and KS Ravikumar.
Kamal’s highly dense mix of wordplay and conceits and this and that needs people who are at his level, and he — I don’t know intentionally or not — settles for far less.
You are right about the Aamir comparison, and he surrounds himself with people who are RIGHT for the project, who can BETTER the project, not just people he is comfortable with. Look at the actresses he’s worked with, for instance. Rani Mukerji, who’s a damn good actress. Kareena Kapoor, who’s not consistent but was a perfect fit as the glamorous ghost in “Talaash.” Anushka Sharma — again, a very spontaneous and effective actress.
With Kamal, we get Trisha, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah…
So the problem isn’t that he does everything. It’s that there’s no one else in his films — either in front of or behind the camera — who can give him the least bit of challenge or measure up or lift a scene.
Mani Ratnam’s films, too, suffer from this sometimes. He doesn’t quite get the right actors who can do what he has in his head. But the discrepancy is not so much because Mani’s writing is more naturalistic, and not so fourth-wall breaking. It doesn’t nudge the audience the way Kamal’s writing does. Kamal’s is more in-your-face — more theatrical/Brechtian. And that requires a severe level of talent.
The other thing with Kamal goes back to what I said earlier, i.e. “highly dense mix of wordplay and conceits.” It’s nice if we get a film like this once in a way. But when every film gets to be like this, it becomes predictable. That’s why I am really looking forward to “Papanasam,” in which we’ll get to see Kamal subservient to a good plot after a very long time — and without the patented “Kamalisms,” however much I love them as individual entities.
PS: As an aside, I wonder why the acting talent pool in Tamil cinema is so lacking when compared to Hindi cinema. When it comes to stars, the levels are the same — the Salmans and the Vijays more or less match up. But I’m talking about the actresses, the supporting cast, the people who can do comedy, and so on. I’m sure the talent exists, but why don’t we see them on screen?
Is it because our filmmakers don’t look around enough to unearth good talent and settle for less? Or is it because most of the acting here is defined by TV serials and melodramatic Tamil theatre (which is mostly about dialogues) whereas Hindi films take care to find people with more naturalistic acting abilities?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Arijit
March 6, 2015
Rangan have you listened to the “Whiplash” OST? IMHO It is one of the best OSTs to come out in recent times. The Sound Mixing award is completely justified.
LikeLike
Ravi K
March 6, 2015
Brangan wrote: “Is it because our filmmakers don’t look around enough to unearth good talent and settle for less? Or is it because most of the acting here is defined by TV serials and melodramatic Tamil theatre (which is mostly about dialogues) whereas Hindi films take care to find people with more naturalistic acting abilities?”
It doesn’t seem to be hard to find Hindi-speaking actors, of a certain generation, maybe 40 and older, who have stage experience. Any younger than that and they’re probably from film families. I saw Ankhon Dekhi recently and I wondered if such a film could be made in Tamil with actors.
I’m not too familiar with theater in India. How strong is theater in Tamil Nadu these days, and how does the overall style differ from, say, Hindi or Kannada theater?
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
March 6, 2015
“Mani Ratnam’s films, too, suffer from this sometimes. He doesn’t quite get the right actors who can do what he has in his head.”
One reason being pay, which was always a probelm with Mani (atleast according to the mags). Nana Patekar once famously dubbed him “No Money Ratnam”. I guess Kamal, Mithun Chakrabaorthy, Sharath Kumar, Nana Patekar and Bobby Deol have all turned down his offers at different points of time.
LikeLike
P S Krish
March 6, 2015
@ brangan : Care to explain what exactly you mean by Kamal’s writing being Brechtian? Do you mean the whole shtick with the terrorists doing farce in Vishwaroopam( that cellotape bit)? The tone of that scene is comic , not what you would expect. Is this the sort of thing you mean or …something else?
LikeLike
Hithesh Devasya
March 6, 2015
BR, the sound is very close to post-rock or what Erased Tapes records and its followers classify as neo classical. Olafur Arnaulds, Nils Frahm, Misha Mishenko have similar piano arrangements. Letter to and from Yamini is the closest sounding son to these artists imo. 🙂
I’ve always felt that post-classical and neo-classical are but the same terms. Classical music with a lot of post-rock arrangements.
LikeLike
Prasad
March 6, 2015
Hi BR,
Thanks for taking time and writing a detailed response 🙂 . I can’t agree more on the point which you made about the output of Kamal’s movies. Yes, the quality (sub standard!) of crew Kamal has got does make lot of difference when compared with Aamir.
“PS: As an aside, I wonder why the acting talent pool in Tamil cinema is so lacking when compared to Hindi cinema. Is it because our filmmakers don’t look around enough to unearth good talent and settle for less? Or is it because most of the acting here is defined by TV serials and melodramatic Tamil theater (which is mostly about dialogues) whereas Hindi films take care to find people with more naturalistic acting abilities?
Absolutely you’ve echoed what’s in my mind. Yes, the acting in kollywood is defined by TV serials and melodramatic Tamil theater and you can see theatrics in the name of acting. Don’t know how it got originated and Probably Sivaji was one of the reason I suppose as he is also from Theater bringing in the melodrama types.And many look up to Sivaji and somehow Kamal refined it and brought more finesse and maturity over the period.
As you rightly said naturalistic acting abilities is what we miss in kollywood unlike bollywood. Just to quote few examples below in the recent memory
Badlapur- Nawazuddin Siddhiqui….just talking to her mother just before climax and walking in to the police station..this is so natural ….I don’t know if ANYBODY from Tamil at present can pull this through with such finesse!!!
Heroines: This is the biggest shortcoming..we’ve a whole PARADE of loosu poonu’s and the kind of character’s they get …my god! I don’t see anybody even pulling off a ” Kangana’s Queen ” or ” Vidhya’s Kahani” in the NEAR future.
Another point is about the Directors. Other than Myskin and one or two here and here and there is litreally no one even who can be consistent. The sad part is many directors think they’re making nothing short of a EPIC.(Prabhu Solomon’s Kayal, Myna..Shankar’s I for e.g) There are people who try and explore different genres in bollywood like Dibakar Banerjee, Vikramditya motwane, Sriram .etc
PS: Recently watched (Probabaly 4th time 🙂 Ray’s “Middleman” and “The adversary”….hard to comprehend the genius within him.It’s just normal people …normal conversations without insulting the intelligence of viewers’. There is a interview scene in “The Adversary”…the interviewer asks
“Do you think the War in Vietnam is more greater achievement that Human Landing in the moon” and the Hero replies” Yes. War in Vietnam shows that nothing is greater then human Courage”
Difficult to even believe that his is picturized in 1970!Alas if Ray was born in Tamil Nadu things would’ve changed ……just a wild thought 🙂
Your comments please!
LikeLike
Madhu
March 6, 2015
PS: As an aside, I wonder why the acting talent pool in Tamil cinema is so lacking when compared to Hindi cinema. When it comes to stars, the levels are the same — the Salmans and the Vijays more or less match up. But I’m talking about the actresses, the supporting cast, the people who can do comedy, and so on. I’m sure the talent exists, but why don’t we see them on screen?
Because, the directors don’t really pick Tamil speaking/Tamil understanding heroines. Say, for example, Iniya: she did good in Vaaigai Sooda Vaa and Mounaguru. So, when a role that is heavy on dialogues and emotions pops up, why don’t our directors pick up such talent (which can be further shaped up)? Instead, they pick these girls who have no clue how to lip sync, how to act, it just breaks your heart. Instead, this poor girl is given the role of vamps continuously: Chennaiyil oru naal, Naan sigappu manidhan. I am not saying the roles that she did till now are bad (like I said, she has done well in whatever roles she has come in), just that we see less of her and/or her roles are getting too repetitive. In case it wasn’t obvious, I am picking up Iniya, just because hers was the first name that popped in my mind.
P.S: I am listening to the album right now and just loving it!!
LikeLike
Ram Murali
March 6, 2015
BR, very interesting comment there on the cast/crew of Kamal’s and Mani’s films. If you look closely at Kamal’s films of the 90s, he worked with better actresses such as Gowthami and Revathi. His favorite supporting cast members like Nasser, Nagesh and SN Lakshmi were all top notch performers. Nasser and Delhi Ganesh are the only two now supporting actors that are really good. Santhana Bharathi is an actor who seems to do good work only in Kamal’s movies – Anbe Sivam, MMKR & Mumbai XPress come to mind…
And with this generation’s actresses not being as talented as the ones of the 90s, Kamal, I guess, has to work with what he has. Still, we have to be thankful that he usually casts the ones comfortable with Thamizh where possible – Abirami, Trisha, Andrea, et al.
But I think the dip in quality happened post Hey! Ram and I dont think it’s nearly as much due to the supporting cast or actresses as it is with the directors. His films of the 90s had better directors like Bharathan, Sethu Madhavan and Balu Mahendra. Starting with Thenali, he has trusted KS Ravikumar to keep him afloat at the box office. KS Ravikumar has gotten so outdated that it’s painful…others like Suresh Krissna, Sundar C or even Ramesh Aravind I feel will never be able to bring their own vision to add a layer to Kamal’s script…they will never be able to rein Kamal in…I remember reading that on Panchu Arunachalam’s insistence, Kamal had made drastic changes to the script of Aboorva…I wonder if Kamal listens to anyone like that now…
LikeLike
Shankar
March 7, 2015
Baddy, the one thing I would add is that Raja is probably the only Indian composer who fused baroque techniques in Indian cinema music while preserving the purity of that theory and application. This is very evident in the usage of harmonies, tonal shifts, chord progressions etc. Further the application of fugue is also another fascinating area with respect to Raja. But then he himself moved away from much of this in the later 80s. So, the point I’m trying to make is that others might have tried copying/following, but they were mere pretenders and never applied it in the classical way that Raja did. Of course, I do agree that we heard a lot of music in those times that had baroque influences but in all probability it was all being churned out by Raja himself given his prolific output! 🙂
Coming to Ghibran, I agree with what you are saying…it has that Romantic feel. It will be interesting to know what Ghibran’s musical influences are…
LikeLike
Ravi K
March 7, 2015
Ram Murali, aren’t those guys basically proxy directors for Kamal? Why pick Suresh Krissna to direct Aalavandhan, or Sundar C to direct Anbe Sivam? Nothing in their filmographies before or after those films indicates that it was they, rather than Kamal, who made those films what they are. It seems that Kamal is fine making movies of his scripts with yes men, rather than working with directors who have a strong viewpoint.
LikeLike
venkatesh
March 7, 2015
BR : “It’s that he surrounds himself with sub-par cast/crew — that, IMO, is the problem.” –
Why do you think this is ? The only time someone had the temerity to ask him this question , he said “because i am comfortable with them and they report on time for rehearsals”.
No seriously. That was his answer.
He doesn’t work with cast and crew that are talents in their own right and as a result his movies suffer.
I bet that in 20 years time his movies post-Hey Ram will be remembered just like we remember the 80’s and 90’s of Sivaji , except for Mudhal Mariyathai and Thevar Magan we consider the 2 decades as the lost decades of a giant. Its ironical that someone so clued as Kamal is to his legacy and where his position in the firmament of Tamil actors is , doesn’t see this.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ravi K
March 7, 2015
Venkatesh wrote: “He doesn’t work with cast and crew that are talents in their own right and as a result his movies suffer.”
I’d specify that the FEMALE cast in his films aren’t very good. The male actors in his films have been pretty good. Even Shekhar Kapur in Vishwaroopam was an interesting, unconventional choice that worked for the film, if my memory serves me correctly.
LikeLike
reelorola
March 9, 2015
Casting sucks in Kamal’s movies these days. Repeat casting his pals like Oorvasi Jayaram Santhana Bharathi and now these two ladies Andrea and Pooja does not help. Its almost like crazy mohan’s unit. It works in dramas I guess. You can almost feel all of them taking a back seat when kamal is acting. He needs actors who challenge him, hence bring out the best out of the movie.
Otherwise its just too much of Kamal. Now that, despite being a massive fan is really a pain. Waiting for Papanasam.
LikeLike
Prasad
March 9, 2015
Hi BR,
Good that this discussion is going on about TALENT Vs OUTPUT. I did provided my response and agreed to your point about the support Kamal lack of support from the crew. But on second thought, based on other’s comments I think the change should start from Kamal also.
“You are right about the Aamir comparison, and he surrounds himself with people who are RIGHT for the project, who can BETTER the project, not just people he is comfortable with”
For Aamir’s success you’re attributing he has a excellent crew (Rani, Kareena..etc) but don’t you think there is something which Aamir also Contributes which is making him successful other than the strong crew. There is a Value which he brings to the table.
I think there is a clear and lucid thought clarity on WHAT HE wants to do next and an uncanny ability or acumen to position himself well in appropriate roles which I think is missing in Kamal. Just take for example “Peepli Live”, Dhobhi Ghat and Delhi Belly , all ware done with all relatively less known actors/directors and see the OUTCOME. These movies has brought a Transformation in bollywood which has been rightly summarized by you in the blog below.
“So the problem isn’t that he does everything. It’s that there’s no one else in his films — either in front of or behind the camera — who can give him the least bit of challenge or measure up or lift a scene.”
I agree to views partly. But my question is what is stopping him to get the crew he wanted? All his movies are also big budget movies so what can’t he have any actresses/technical crew /Director who can bring a difference? As somebody pointed out maybe he doesn’t want. He wants to be surrounded by peope who just say “YES” to him and this time it is Ramesh Arvind for Utthama Villain.So don’t you think there should a change happening in him also?
“Kamal’s highly dense mix of wordplay and conceits and this and that needs people who are at his level, and he — I don’t know intentionally or not — settles for far less”
I would slightly disagree here. Let’s take the example of “Utthama Villain”…there are quite a few songs which has “wordplay” , yes it is really daunting task to write the lyrics for these songs, considering the details of research done. On a second thought we need see to how effective this comes across in screen. If it is forcefully fit, an average viewer may not even bother to understand. The exact statement which you made after watching “Interstellar”..why would an average viewer bother about so much about Space and fourth dimesion.
The reason why I mentioned “Forcefully fit ” is that he has done it quiet a few times in the past. Few examples are below.
The ” 10 roles” in Dasavatharam”…some roles are forcefully fit. His Screenplay writing has been very very average in past few like Manmadan Ambu or even “Vishwaroopam” and his “Kamalaism’s” can be easily predictable. Also the remakes which he has done like “Vasool Raja ” and “UnnaiPol Oruvan’ is not required at all for his stature.
Having Said this, What do you think Kamal (As a Individual) should be doing in future to make his movies more engaging?
LikeLike
Cheryl V
March 10, 2015
“clear and lucid thought clarity”
LikeLike
Gradwolf
March 10, 2015
We are comparing Aamir Khan the producer to Kamal Haasan the creator/writer/director/actor. Sorry, not at all the right comparison. While some of Aamir Khan’s productions are laudable, there is no evidence of his creative output in any of the films he’s acted in. Or even produced. The only difference here is Aamir, like Amitabh before him, has become the actor for hire to upcoming and talented young filmmakers. Aamir the intelligent actor/intelligent man’s star is the most bull shit narrative of all. Aamir gets undue credit for just choosing the right scripts -. And they are not such all time great scripts either. I don’t mind that from Kamal (to act under young talented filmmakers) but if Kamal’s late 80s to Virumandi output is anything to go by, we may sadly be settling for less. I understand there isn’t much hope since then but the soundtrack and lyrics of UV has sort of resurrected it. Not good, I know 🙂
LikeLike
brangan
March 10, 2015
Gradwolf: Er, your rant seems to be a general one, I presume? 🙂
Because no one here is claiming Aamir as a great genius or any such thing. Merely as someone who has an excellent sense of what’s needed for a film (both creatively and marketing-wise), and tries to have as many quality collaborators as he can, whether actors or tech crew.
And I disagree with you about the Amitabh/Aamir comparison. Amitabh never shaped his films as such. Aamir, on the other hand, appears to go all-out in terms of ensuring that the film becomes the best it can be. And I say this despite not being that great a fan of recent Aamir films. I loved “Talaash,” but that’s about it.
LikeLike
Gradwolf
March 10, 2015
My rant, if it is a general one, is because the viewpoint (expressed by Prasad in the first comment that brought in Aamir Khan) is a general one. I think Aamir Khan has great business sense and he aces everything marketing-wise. But creatively? The first comment talks about comparing the outputs of these two stars. But what is really happening is comparing the outputs of Farhan Akhtar, Hirani, Reema Kagti, Gowariker, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra et al and Kamal’s. My problem is Aamir’s creative contribution is overstated. But yes, I do agree that Aamir chooses great teams but I think Aamir’s definition of “the best the film can be” is very different from Kamal’s definition of the same.
LikeLike
Rahini David
March 10, 2015
Gradwolf: I am just wondering aloud here. Does Kamal think “the best the film can be” or “the best I can be in this film”?
If Aamir thinks “What is the best thing I can do for this movie?” and Kamal thinks “What is the best thing this movie can do for me?” then basically the output means that Aamir will bring out a more watchable movie, right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gradwolf
March 10, 2015
Rahini: Yes, going by films like Dasavatharam I do agree Kamal goes by “What is the best thing this movie can do for me?”. But at the same time Aamir also thinks business. Will he invest in something like Hey Ram or Aalavandhan or even Virumandi for its time (coming after the former two)? I think Kamal has set high standards for himself (and for us) with his output from Aboorva Sagodharargal to Virumandi and that’s what I meant when I said Kamal’s “the best the film can be” is different to Aamir’s. Also in the above comments Aalavandan and Mumbai Express cannot be stacked up in the same league as Dasavatharam and Manmadhan Ambu. So if we put down Dasavatharam and Vishwaroopam under the same column as Ghajini and Dhoom 3, then what do we have? And among those 4, Vishwaroopam is still miles ahead in every department.
But as a counter question to your comment – “what is the best thing I can do for this movie” wrt Aamir Khan, what does he do? Decides the cast? Produces? What else?
LikeLike
Prasad
March 10, 2015
I agree with you Rahini.
Gradwolf,
You’ve mentioned “But what is really happening is comparing the outputs of Farhan Akhtar, Hirani, Reema Kagti, Gowariker, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra et al and Kamal’s”
But why this colloboration is not happening with Kamal! We can’t keep on saying “There’s no one to measure up his talent” so his movies turns out to be average right.
So what is the change which he should bring in to make his movies more engaging/effective? His movies also reasonably big budget movies and why is not collaborating with other talents (if not in kollywood then from Bollywood) or he is PERFECTLY fine with people who can say “Yes” to him and just admire him for everything compromising on the Output!
Just to substantiate with another example. There was a mention about his Kamal’s “wordplay” aspect. Let me quote an example of “Kamal’s Kavithai” in Manmadhan Ambu. There was some controversy also for that. I agree it takes immense talent to come up with this but the question we need to ask is:
“Did that work in the overall scheme of things specific to that movie other than celebrating individual’s Tamil knowledge?
“Did it lift the movie or entertain the viewer in any sense?
Having said that as a ardent moviegoer , I wish that the wordplay in Utthamam Villain comes off very effective!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gradwolf
March 10, 2015
“But why this colloboration is not happening with Kamal!”
In my understanding, that would mean the end of Kamal the writer-director. How else to work with someone who has pacing, timing, stage directions scribbled in the margins of his script? (hat tip here: http://dagalti.blogspot.in/2012/06/kamal-writerdirector.html)
But if Kamal could work under such names (and equivalents in Tamil) and that would give rise to something like Mohanlal-Dhrishyam, I am all for it. But those things we’ve discussed in this blog a thousand times over more than half a decade ago.
LikeLike
Ravi K
March 10, 2015
Gradwolf wrote: “My problem is Aamir’s creative contribution is overstated. But yes, I do agree that Aamir chooses great teams but I think Aamir’s definition of “the best the film can be” is very different from Kamal’s definition of the same.”
It can be hard to pick out the producer’s role in the creative aspect of a film, which often goes unstated. Neither Aamir nor the directors of his films will come out and say it, but I’m sure Aamir will give his creative input when he has it. He took over the direction of Taare Zameen Par when he wasn’t satisfied with it.
He chose Lagaan as his first film as a producer. A period piece in some rural Hindi dialect, shot in a remote location, with colonialism and cricket as it’s backdrop. It was written by someone who had directed two films of no particular note, either creatively or at the box office. That was a hugely risky project.
The films he’s produced have been unconventional and surprising, and I have mostly been satisfied with them. Even JTYJN was a fun confection that’s better than most similar Hindi films.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Prasad
March 10, 2015
Hi Gradwolf,
“In my understanding, that would mean the end of Kamal the writer-director. How else to work with someone who has pacing, timing, stage directions scribbled in the margins of his script?”
I went through the blog but not able to understand . How can we say that would mean the end of Kamal the write-Director.Do you think “scribbling in the margins of his script” is a showstopper for Kamal to colloborate ? Can you pl explain your point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MANK
March 11, 2015
Gradwolf: I do agree that Aamir chooses great teams but I think Aamir’s definition of “the best the film can be” is very different from Kamal’s definition of the same.”
Thats true. Kamal is heavily influenced by hollywood and european cinema and sort of look down upon the song & dance infested melodramatic movie culture prevalent in our country. On the other hand , Aamir relishes the kind of cinema culture that exists here- he is after all the nephew of nasir hussein- and is more comfortable working in that format, except very rarely in films like 1947 Earth or Dhobi Ghat.. So the definition of best of our cinema according to Aamir could be Mughal e azam or Sholay, while for Kamal, its more the cinema of Adoor or John Abraham- whom he keeps repeatedly quoting in his interviews. Kamal looks at the song and dance routines he is forced to incorporate as necessary evil to make his heavy movies palatable to the mainstream audience. Just look at the themes he has handled in films like Hey Ram, aalavanthan, virumandi or even Vishwaroopam. Aamir chooses, dare one say lighter subjects that can easily connect with a mainstream audience. They are just made with a higher degree of care and craftsmanship to come across a s very important films – I think Abhay deol or Fahad fazil are more courageous actors than Aamir as far as the films and roles they choose to do. So their basic perspective about cinema is quite different and its not fair to compare both of them. Aamir might be the most creatively involved actor in hindi films today, but it nowhere compares to that of Kamal. Kamal, i think is first and foremost a writer , even before hes an actor and that aspect has always been foremost in his films or atleast the films he made since he acquired the power to have a say in the making of his films. I am sure he has scripts sitting on his shelf that are more offbeat and artistic than Hey Ram or Virumandi, but he dare not make them due to the fear of commercial failure. Kamal, by his own admission is a Limelight moth, who covets commercial success as much as artistic. Which is not a putdown and thats what makes him different in an industry where people make films only for making money.
LikeLike
hari
March 12, 2015
Comaring Kamal and Aamir, aargh. Comparing Kamal with the man who thought having a constipated look all throught the movie is good acting in dhoom 3 is blasphemous 🙂
LikeLike
Rahini David
March 12, 2015
hari: I don’t think anyone here even distantly suggested that Aamir is a better actor. It is the team they pull in for their movies that is under discussion. If watching a Kamal movie is like going on an Elephant ride, then watching an Aamir movie is like travelling in a fast dog-sled. The Elephant may be more powerful than the dogs put together but the dogs maybe a better choice for a nice thrilling ride (at times)
Politically Correct People: Please don’t go with the “Did you just call Aamir a dog?” routine. I didn’t. Thanks in advance.
LikeLike
Prasad
March 12, 2015
“Comparing Kamal with the man who thought having a constipated look “
Whoa! Hari! Why this kolaveri sir? 🙂
Nobody here is even comparing the acting talents of both. We all know how supremely talented Kamal is than Aamir! Hand’s down! Pl refer the blog and then you can comment.
The point we’re discussing is , Aamir even though having “very average” Talent somehow he is able collaborate effectively and bring in movies which are more engaging. Am strictly going by movies in the last 10 years.
About the Aamir’s looks in Dhoom 3, I agree it was a sub standard movie and he looked uncomfortable throughout the even though it was commercial grosser.
But interestingly some of the little cameos he did worked in the past because of different looks.
This is about his look in “Delhi Belly” Item song review by BR :). Indeed it was insane and effective. Not sure how many “STARS” will pull this off effectively !! 🙂
BR’s comments
“”Even the item song at the end – brilliantly choreographed – has its roots in an early interview that spells out the name of the song: I hate you like I love you in brackets. (I’m going to be laughing about this song for long, and this is easily Aamir Khan’s funniest hour in a long, long time. That chest hair? That heart-shaped belt buckle? Genius! Imran was being merely sarcastic when he said, first, that he’s not going to be able to get this song out of his head, but I’m serious – this song is so silly, so addictive, it’s going to be a while before I get it out of my head.)”
If you’ve any other MEANINGFUL and VALID POINTS please share! 🙂
LikeLike
Vivek
March 14, 2015
Since this post was about music, here is what i feel at the moment…
Disclaimer: this is not to take away anything from Ghibran or other emerging music directors.
I can’t help but think that what A.R.Rahman did to film music will more or less remain untouched. He filled an inexplicable gap and gave that moment when you can close your eyes, get lost and just go “rahman… rahman.. rahman..” (in your mind). Ghibran is certainly good but the instrumentals in this album seem a little unrefined – compare that to the Bombay theme or some of the contemplative moments in Uzhavan or the friendship theme of Kadhal Desam (for a little energy, any of the wild chase themes of Thiruda Thiruda) and you immediately see the difference. The finesse, the refinement, the completeness that ARR brought when he was <25 is something else. I know, there is only one ARR but I just can’t help thinking that with the way he continues to reinvent himself, he is still the one who sets the bar.. I listen to every newcomer to see who has that finesse or that spark that captivated me with ARR. The beauty is, when ARR puts his mind to it, his simplest of compositions become phenomenal! Can’t say that of anyone else really…
LikeLike
whencat
March 16, 2015
IMO, the current crop of music directors having absolutely no hold on the “cinema melody”. In the name of innovation and trying out new patterns, they forget the framework they are working within. Ghibran and Santosh do show sparks of that and that does not suffice. Unless you consistently give “cinema melodies”, nobody is going to listen to an album 6 months down the line, forget years. All these instrumental cra* in the name of themes and mood pieces – why would i listen to you when I have the a vast repertoire of Western Classical (all eras)? Your pieces may be good and functional from the movie’s perspective, beyond that it has no value. You are no Ilayaraja, whose depth of music was out of his experience of life with a certain mystic quality. None of the new age music directors have an aura of mysticism around them. You studied “Grade 8 in both Piano and Music theory through Trinity College London and also obtained degree in Classical compositions and film scoring under Australian Composer Lindsay Vickery at the LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore”? Meh!
LikeLike
Shankar
March 20, 2015
Baddy, just to add to the point I made earlier…this post captures it well.
http://raagadevan.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-dream-come-true.html
LikeLike
brangan
March 21, 2015
shankar: Thanks for the link. Now I wish someone would do a similar analysis of the instrumental pieces here. Keep listening to them and they’re truly spectacular. Such delicacy. Such sweep.
LikeLike
Shankar
March 22, 2015
Baddy, I just started listening to them, really enjoying them. Here is something you will appreciate. The author of the previous link I posted Vicky and his son playing the Johny theme…
Vicky has posted quite a few articles analyzing Raja’s music…
LikeLike
KayKay
April 6, 2015
Next up: Looking forward to your ruminations on Rahman’s OK Kanmani
LikeLike
Prat
October 11, 2022
Ah, when albums were a thing!
LikeLike