Spoilers ahead…
Kamal Haasan’s films are increasingly beginning to look like the “circus thuppakki” so memorably showcased in Aboorva Sagotharargal – the kind of gun that fires from both ends. The targets at one end are the general viewers, who just want a good time at the movies. At the other end are the fans who are especially invested in the actor’s mythology (which Kamal Haasan himself has been instrumental in propagating, through his fantastically layered screenplays). Which side of the divide you fall on will decide your enjoyment of the actor’s latest film, Thoongavanam (directed by Rajesh M. Selva, and based on Frederic Jardin’s French thriller Sleepless Night) – but I wonder if there are others like me, who find themselves on the fence. Why does one have to choose? Why not wish for a film that entertains at a surface level, but also invites us to scratch our chins gravely and converse with the actor’s persona?
The general viewer in me just couldn’t see what was so great about Sleepless Night that it had to be remade – at least until I looked up a couple of reviews. (I haven’t seen the film.) Variety said it “starts in high gear and accelerates steadily from there.” That’s certainly not the case with Thoongavanam, and part of the reason is surely Kamal Haasan’s inability to rein in the Kamal-isms, as I like to call them – those little asides that are the cinematic equivalent of daydreaming during a final exam. Something about soya milk. A telephone-cleaner wife. Gay sex. ‘Crazy’ Mohan-style wordplay on the word “kathi.” A comment about champagne. Maybe even something about the machinery that prevents films from releasing as scheduled, leaving fans frustrated about not being able to watch their “nayakan.” By themselves, these scribbles on the margins are fascinating (and myth-building), but not in a film that needs us perched at the edge of our seats, with dry mouths and pounding hearts.
Or maybe the problem is the director’s workmanlike handling (a regrettable recurrence in Kamal’s recent films), when the script demanded the dazzle of a Brian De Palma. There’s one shot from the De Palma playbook, a smooth camera move that takes off from a toilet stall in the ladies’ room, courses through the ventilation duct above, and lands in a stall in the men’s room – the film needed more such showmanship, given that it’s set almost entirely in a nightclub. The story has to do with inspector Diwakar (Kamal Haasan) and a bag of cocaine, and the title, which appears in flickering neon, is perfect. Thoongavanam – an insomniac’s version of poongavanam, which suggests parks and children playing. Here, the game is hide-and-seek. The people looking for Diwakar include cops (Trisha, Kishore) as well as murderous gangsters (Sampath, Prakash Raj).
It’s a revolving-door thriller, with a breathless series of entries and exits. But for a while, the smoothness of the writing (note the “invisible” nature of Sampath’s introduction) doesn’t translate to screen. The rhythms are stiff, the pauses in the dialogues seem a few seconds off, the humour looks forced. Things pick up in the post-interval portions, especially after a superb action sequence in the club’s kitchen. Everything comes together beautifully – the kitchen-sink action choreography, the sounds of things breaking and clattering, the bursts of background score, and the jittery camerawork. This is one stretch that does something worthwhile with the claustrophobia of the setting. From here, Thoongavanam truly takes off, both for the casual viewer as well as the Kamal-watcher, who will surely make a mental note of another “first” from the films of this actor, the unflinching gaze on the contents of a water closet. When lives are at stake, shit happens.
As with Uttama Villain, it’s the latter viewer who wins. Diwakar is yet another grey character for Kamal Haasan – not just in age (an indeterminate middle-age) but also in terms of his morality. (We keep thinking: Is he a bad guy?) And the actor continues to chip away at the Tamil hero’s “heroism.” Even as late as Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu, a cop character still meant a degree of macho posturing. But look at Diwakar. The mission is in the background. In the foreground is family, which he is literally handcuffed to, even after divorce. He keeps calling his ex (Asha Sarath) to reassure her. And while it’s no surprise to see Kamal Haasan being beaten up (by men much younger), have you seen another film whose hero is so preoccupied that he doesn’t swoop in, at once, to save a girl being date-raped? She has to call out to him. Only then does the hero-switch go on. Diwakar even relinquishes the bad-guy-nabbing duties – it’s refreshing who finally ends up with them.
You have to smile at the way the things we expect from this actor – lip-locks, for instance, with the hottest nurse in all of hospitaldom – are sutured organically into the screenplay. By the end, Kamal’s image as a romantic hero is resurrected too – it’s the film’s cheekiest line. And a few new preoccupations make themselves felt. As in Uttama Villain, we have here a work-obsessed father who negotiates a troubled relationship with his lippy son. Diwakar thinks the boy plays cricket; he’s actually a footballer. The real games, though, are the ones Kamal Haasan continues to play with his audience, with teasing autobiographical hints and touches that invite theses.
KEY:
- thuppakki = gun
- Sleepless Night = see here
- kathi = knife
- nayakan = hero; also this little-known movie
- poongavanam = park
- Uttama Villain = see here
- Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu = see here
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2015 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Raja
November 10, 2015
So ulaganayakan comes before thala for you (as always)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thalafans
November 10, 2015
This film is crap. Watch vedhalam instead. Super mass film
LikeLike
Anu Warrier
November 10, 2015
I’m conflicted where Kamal is concerned. Even with Amitabh, who was my first love, I’d become dispassionate enough to cringe at his Mrityudaata (the first AB film I stopped watching after the first 15 minutes), Toofan, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and their ilk. I couldn’t even defend him at that point,and I heaved a huge sigh of relief when he took a sabbatical.
With Kamal, even when his ‘Kamali-isms’ become too much, I’m only sadly groaning ‘Why? Why do you have to do this?’ in a very disappointed way, much like a mother reproaching her children for disappointing her. Actually, come to think of it, I’m harsher on my kids. 🙂
And yet, I’ve never thought of myself as a Kamal fan though I have defined myself as an AB fan. I’ll probably end up catching this on DVD.
LikeLike
Srikanth
November 10, 2015
The script demanded the dazzle of a Brian de Palma.”
Oh, how long I have waited for someone to say something like this. I am an unabashed de Palma fan, which is probably a rarity these days. I can almost picture him directing a screenplay such as this. Its got all the elements of a de Palma film – drugs, violence and crime.
I am tempted to make comparisons with his 1993 classic “Carlito’s Way”, (my favourite de Palma film) what with both films being set in nightclubs and all. How does Thoongavanam square up with Carlito’s Way? Or are there no similarities at all? I’m just curious, because people seemed to have stopped taking de Palma seriously a long while back, which is a pity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bala
November 10, 2015
I quite liked the movie though not having seen the original French one I kept thinking that the movie was probably a scene by scene remake. (minus the comedy, the end scene and I thought the bad Kamal turning out to be good though is that eventually confirmed?) And what a big miss not to have the son ask him “neenga nallavara kettavara ” 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
badri
November 10, 2015
Spoiler alert —-
I felt bored through out the second half; a big disappointment. So many repetitive scenes when I feel they couldve finished it long ago. Wasted actors like Jagan, Uma, Santhana Bharathi; wished they had some more to do than just appear as mere props. Guess, he didnt get MS Bhaskars dates. The scenes between Kamal and his son seemed more like Ramesh Arvinds rejects from Uthama villain; Kamals children, in his movies, always have a sharp tongue! And, where were the thrills?
Totally agree with you, what was so great about sleepless nights that he wanted to remake it?
Wasnt it so damn predictable too; knew that Kamal cant be a bad guy, atleast they couldve kept the suspense on Kishores character till the end, when Diwakar checks Mani’s phone or the scene where Trisha checks Mani’s phone. And, what coincidences, he saves a girl being date-raped who is a nurse who ofcourse, nurses him and they end up in a hospital where guess-who the nurse is ! So wait, she partied and went directly to the hospital for work? Kadamai unarchipppaaa !!
And, all this drama for just 10kg of cocaine???? Havent we had movies where more cocaine was involved ?? 😛 😛
LikeLike
Sid (@Tweet2Sid)
November 10, 2015
Okay thriller? I will check it out… I hope it’s not underwhelming as UV!
LikeLike
Srinivas R
November 10, 2015
BR, your first ever blog on Kamal is still relevant. The same problems that plagued kamal in Anbe Sivam, continue to ruin his films. I wish he moves out of his inner circle and works as a gun for hire actor with the likes of Vetrimaran, Myskin, Gautam Menon etc. That would be way more fun than these half baked attempts that end up satisfying no one.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Arvind Srinivasan
November 10, 2015
I watched Nuit Blanche (A Sleepless Night) a few months ago and I was really drawn into the no nonsense pulpy action that it presented. This added to the fact that one could empathise with the supposedly dirty cop who’s on the verge of losing his son that too in a short 100 minute movie really made me feel this would be a apt project for Kamal to take over. But alas it is just a movie that could have so much better
As with Uttama Villain, it is the direction again that I have to find fault with. The staging’s perfect, but the visuals don’t dazzle you as they should, there is a serious lack of audacity that the script needs. Rajesh has done everything that a newbie director should, but he doesn’t stand out does he. He joins the long list of sycophantic directors/actors/technicians that Kamal possesses. Apart from Kamal himself, there is no true blue visionary in his stable and if there was one, am sure that person would have diverged long back from his cabal.
I have often wondered about Kamal’s aspirations on delivering a perfectly balanced and nuanced film that is both classy on the inside and massy on the outside. He is intent on delivering a Satyajit Ray product that is as commercially viable as a normal mainstream film (I am paraphrasing this from one of his interviews). Though this is very noteworthy, I am not sure if Thoongavanam is a step in that direction.I am not a huge fan of the audience getting spoon fed and Thoongavanam does it more than a couple of times. The meta references continue and so do some unwanted extraneous additions such as the girl in the pub, whom he helped being a nurse (wonder what the probability of that is) and Kamal getting admitted to the hospital in which she works.And to top it all, an absolutely cringe worthy post climax sequence.
LikeLike
Vignesh Sankar
November 10, 2015
I liked and enjoyed the movie completely. Can’t say its great or the best Kamal movie but definitely not to be written off as a dud. I thought it dint have the prolonged or over projecting Kamalism’s. The direction was bang on with no unwanted scenes or dragging. The screenplay was engaging and racy. The camera work was excellent to show the night club effect as close to realism and not to forget the way the action scenes were shot and executed( Kitchen fight scene-WOW !!!).
Definitely a feather in the cap for Kamal and the entire team. Kudos Guys 🙂
PS : The Fight scenes of Kamal and his face expressions with his beard look reminded me of Sathya a lot. Anyone agrees?
LikeLike
sanjay
November 10, 2015
this film required a more Michael Mann treatment than De palma. Something like collateral that happens in the course of a night. Mann’s characters also spout all sorts of philosophies, but he never lets the pace flag. Of course it’s stupid to expect any of kamal’s stooge directors to have the vision of geniuses like Mann or de palma.
Kamal has become the worst enemy of himself. In this day when new young directors make such terrific thrillers like thani oruvan and arimai nabi, he and his cronies can’t even make a decent thriller of a remake. What a shame!
LikeLike
superfan
November 10, 2015
Gautham Menon would have knocked this one out of the park. Just like ramesh aravind before, the director has no clue how to handle kamal’s script.
LikeLiked by 1 person
M_Raghavan
November 11, 2015
Sorry, us folks across the pond beg to differ. The movie is a B-film, B for Boring!
LikeLike
venkatesh
November 11, 2015
Nuit Blanche is a film for a far younger, slightly less “heroic” actor.
The central tension in the movie is the nallavana/kettavana and that gets lost here as its Kamal and he is going to be a hero. Added to that, the whole point of the original was the pulpy , clean action sequences with a real visual flair.
Now, imagine this being directed by a Kamal and a non-star like Arvind Swami or a Rana Daggubatti being the protagonist , now that would have been a lean, mean action film. Alas, we wait.
LikeLike
brangan
November 11, 2015
Srikanth: Reg. the de Palma thing, we’ll never get there until our stars (who choose their own directors) RESPECT the fact that it’s not just traffic management. Like someone said, how awful that striplings are making terrific directorial ventures like Burma, Kuruvi, Rajathanthiram and Arima Nambi, and here we have an actor who can get ANYONE and yet makes the most odd choices. I find this very puzzling that someone so clearly devoted to cinema and knows all about it consistently does this. At least, this wasn’t a mega-layered screenplay like Uttama Villain, so we got a film that — even if should have been much, much better — didn’t look completely disjointed and clueless.
badri: Wasted actors like Jagan, Uma, Santhana Bharathi
Yeah, Uma’s role was especially weird. She looked most uncomfortable in the part. This is what I’m saying about staging and direction. On paper, this is such a terrific thing, that this ordinary-looking woman springs a knife and turns out all murderous. But look at it on screen. It’s just one random bit of fighting.
Arvind Srinivasan: Reg. the girl in the pub I found the whole conceit pretty fun. I mean, this is a man whose wife is a stern doctor and who has this hot nurse falling for him — almost as if he’s trading in an old car for a newer model 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ramki
November 11, 2015
baddy, surely you meant Kirumi and not Kuruvi 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
brangan
November 11, 2015
Ramki: WHAT? You don’t think Kuruvi is well-directed? 😀
LikeLike
Gradwolf
November 11, 2015
Why is this project being treated as one of Kamal’s pets? With Papanasam and now this, isn’t it one of Kamal’s gun-for-hire quickie with the only problem being he wasn’t hired by someone equaling our pipe dream like Vetrimaran or Selvaraghavan? I wasn’t overly impressed with the original, had a very “what’s the fuss” reaction to it. Will comment more after watching this. But I see we too in comments are going in circles since 2003 😀
LikeLike
brangan
November 11, 2015
Srinivas R: See, but the structure of Anbe Sivam accommodated these asides, right? When two people are together on a long journey, you talk about a wide variety of things. There’s no time pressure, so you ramble in ways you wouldn’t otherwise. But thrillers need laser focus.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that a story as basic, as generic as this needed to be remade by a talent like Kamal. At least with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, you can see what attracted him. The basic structure gave him a great platform to mount his thoughts, ideas, vision. This is a pretty basic action film, and I didn’t really see why it needed an actor of his stature. Even with Vettaiyaadu, there was so much more happening — like the whole romantic angle with another broken soul.
Then again, had the film exploded like a Taken, we might not be talking like this… We’d be saying, “What fun to see Kamal doing a no-holds-barred action film” 🙂
Gradwolf: I think we are treating this project like a “gun-for-hire quickie” — hence the moaning about a director who knew how to stage an action movie, like de Palma. This did not need a Vetrimaran or Selvaraghavan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arvind Srinivasan
November 11, 2015
@ brangan: Reg. the girl in the pub I found the whole conceit pretty fun. I mean, this is a man whose wife is a stern doctor and who has this hot nurse falling for him — almost as if he’s trading in an old car for a newer model
True if you think in that angle. Again like you said, it all looks good on writing… but it was an unnecessary addition to the movie… Wonder whose idea it was in the first place… And what’s with Kamal going meta in all of his film… This looks more like an equivalent to our superstars breaking the fourth wall and spewing out punch dialogues against there off screen rivals. Probably this is Kamal’s own mechanism to bring out the superstar in him… The reference in this looked completely out of sync….
LikeLike
badri
November 11, 2015
@ Brangan and Arvind: This doctor – nurse reference is in Vasool Raja too; in the Alwarpettai aaludaa song – Oru doctor ponno no sonna, nurse ponna kadhali… katchi thaawal ingae dharmamadaa… 😛 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gradwolf
November 11, 2015
Of course. I was talking about the comments more than your review, which I didn’t want to comment on before watching the film.
LikeLike
Rm
November 11, 2015
I have not yet watched the film. But going by your review it feels like just another ‘Kamal remake’.
I watched Virumaandi yet again this saturday telecasted on his birthday’s eve. No matter how many times I watch it, the movie never ceases to amaze me. KH introduction scene in the film with Rohini’s interview is easily one of an all time classic ever. Sample this:
KH: Do you even know what death means.
Rohini: I know (about) death. My father was hanged in this same jail. Amidst a lot of difficulties, my father educated me, got me married. I became Angela James. Later to protect me, he killed James and got incarcerated (and hanged eventually). I became Angela Kaathamuthu again. So I do know about capital punishment.
There you go, a profound life story uttered/narrated in four simple powerful lines (sorry for a very rough translation, can never do enough justice to the original, you have to watch it !)
And this is not even the protagonist’s dialogue, rather given to another to establish her grounds. To borrow BR’s expression, KH has ‘written, directed and acted the hell out of this film’.
Question is, Where is this KH today? Why does he have to rely on remakes to showcase his superior artistic expressions? Why are his self obsessing undertones becoming overtones? Is this his idea of exhibiting heroism? Is this for commercial reasons? Is it then temporary?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Vignesh V
November 11, 2015
@brangan: I have got just one simple question about the movie. like what ‘VTV’ Ganesh spews out in VTV… Worth ah worth ilaya?? 🙂
LikeLike
kart03ik
November 11, 2015
Kamal has long lost the ability to pull off a movie with an ensemble cast. I guess without people like kb, singeetham in the mix there is no one around with enough stature to tell him he s going overboard. I was glad when I saw papanasam as here was a film where you could look at a character minus the usual kamal eccentricities. Guess that was a flash in the pan. The ironic thing for me about kamal has always been that a guy who goes to extremes to get into the skin of a character has never been able to keep it free of his personality stamp.
LikeLiked by 1 person
badri
November 11, 2015
According to me, remake is not an issue; as long as the plot is good, nothing wrong in bringing it to a different audience in his own way. He has had so many remakes in his career, some of which I remember are Satya, Kuruthipunal, Unnaippol Oruvan, Magalir Mattum, Vasool Raja, Paapanasam, Avvai Shanmugi and now this. Dont why is this hue and cry over his remakes; except for Thoongavanam, liked all the ones I listed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Meghnath
November 11, 2015
‘I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that a story as basic, as generic as this needed to be remade by a talent like Kamal. At least with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, you can see what attracted him. The basic structure gave him a great platform to mount his thoughts, ideas, vision. This is a pretty basic action film, and I didn’t really see why it needed an actor of his stature. Even with Vettaiyaadu, there was so much more happening — like the whole romantic angle with another broken soul.’
@brangan: I am with you on this. I am still trying to understand what made Kamal to act in this. Not that he hadn’t had a release for a long time. He had already given 2 movies this year and i would have gladly waited for a year for him to make a masterpiece (something big in terms of thought process ) or at least act in an all out entertainer directed by someone else (definitely not by his proteges!!).This movie looked even smaller than say a ‘Meghamann’!!
All Diwakar (Kamal’s character) had to do was to evade people from finding him and getting beaten by random people. He just didn’t possess the suave that Raghavan or Adhinarayanan (his previous avatars as cops) had.
Last but not the least, all this fuss for 10kg of cocaine 😀 😀
LikeLike
Durai
November 11, 2015
lot of pseudos in comments..
uv, papanasam, tv… not even u can complain!
LikeLike
Durai
November 11, 2015
anyone delivered a song less movie like this set mainly in one location with good action and nice cinematography.. shut up all
LikeLike
chandra prakash
November 11, 2015
Planning to watch it today, it surprises me when Kamal can think of different marketing strategies (DTH for Viswaroopam, now planning to release DVD of Thoongavanam sooner), how he has missed the boat associating with new directors for a long time. For the passion and hard work he puts in every movie, the same efforts under the umpteen talented new directors with different scripts has great potential to bring great movies by him.
See this interview https://youtu.be/4_UXnRuWwzc with Madan after Paapanaasam release, I was telling someone even before the movie release (after all the raving reviews of Drishyam and its remakes in other versions) if Kamal would have agreed to make this as straight film if he was approached by the new director Jeethu Joseph in either Tamil or Malayalam, my guess was he wouldn’t have agreed, which he confirms in this interview with Madan.
He has to come out of his usual group, the enormously talented actor in him is going waste with every movie in the recent past for poor scripts and poor handling, despite his performance which he is always good even with the nuances.
The Micheal character in MMKR even though it is just 1/4th of the entire movie (roughly), is a million Soodhu Kavvum Das characters put together blending perfectly…… I remember reading in some tamil magazine during the making of Nayagan, how in an interview he had mentioned that Kamal wanted Manirathnam to treat him like how he would treat a new actor in his movies to get the best out of him, I wonder if he even thinks of it these days.
It’s high time he goes out of his usual Raaj Kamal associates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rohan Nair
November 11, 2015
Brilliant comment Rm. You have to question the state of film criticism in Tamil Nadu today (no swipe at BR by the way), that there is no one that is allowed to ask these questions of someone like Kamal Haasan. Someone like Madan has a TV show now – shouldn’t it be someone of his stature asking these questions? It could be that he is part of Kamal’s “inner circle” though.
Didn’t Gnani Sankaran cause a bit of an uproar by dissing ‘Shivaji’ at some film function? Does he write critically about Kamal’s recent ventures? (I ask genuinely because I don’t keep up with the tamil magazines where Gnani writes)
LikeLike
sabharinath
November 11, 2015
Haven’t seen vedhalam yet?
LikeLike
vijay
November 11, 2015
Forget about whether he should have remade this or that. why should Kamal even go for remakes in the first place boggles my mind. Especially even when in some recent interview in a channel the director of this movie, Rajesh was bragging about how Kamal had several books of scripts all written up and kept in his office and his directorial/scripting ventures so far were just 10 percent of what he was capable of and all that..while one can understand a remake of a hit movie like Drishyam from a commercial point of view, here the choice is even more puzzling esp. when the original is an obscure film and not a great one at that
LikeLike
sabharinath
November 11, 2015
Haven’t watched vedhalam yet?? Awaiting ur views on that
LikeLike
vijay
November 11, 2015
“Brilliant comment Rm. You have to question the state of film criticism in Tamil Nadu today (no swipe at BR by the way), that there is no one that is allowed to ask these questions of someone like Kamal Haasan.”
I don’t think Tamilnadu ever had any film criticism as such, ever .
And regarding questioning Kamal, the tamilnadu press doesn’t even question Vijay or Ajith , what did you expect? Even when their movies suck the reviews will be a variant of “the star saves the day..Ajith carries it on his shoulders despite a weak script..Vijay’s charisma saves the film..” or some such crap. They just don’t have the guts to put down a star and I believe part of it is because they are afraid the star might not give them interviews any more or maybe the industry might blacklist them. It is all quid pro quo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arvind Srinivasan
November 12, 2015
@ Chandra Prakash: how he has missed the boat associating with new directors for a long time. For the passion and hard work he puts in every movie, the same efforts under the umpteen talented new directors with different scripts has great potential to bring great movies by him.
It’s always been my peeve against Kamal for a long time. Barring his cronies, he just doesn’t deem anybody else worthy of having a collaboration with …Gautham Vasudev Menon was the last one before Papanasam and even he was approached to direct Dasavathaaram (which he rightly refused). I became a fan of the actor first and then came the filmmaker. Just imagine Kamal Haasan working with say a Mysskin, a Bala…The result would be extraordinary. The man just wants to work with the plethora of scripts that he has, at the end of the day with some one piggybacking as the director or he himself taking over the reins.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shankar
November 12, 2015
I completely agree with the need for snazziness part that folks have said, especially with the direction. I haven’t seen the original but given that someone said it was a virtual frame by frame remake, I feel they could have changed it up a bit. The film felt too linear to me. This was a film begging for jump cuts, hanging plot points etc. to mix things up from a progression perspective. Most of the Indian films that have been successful, especially when shot in a real time format, have benefitted from the deliberate “stopping short of revealing everything” technique. This film had those scenarios but things quickly became straightforward too soon. The fun is when everything comes together and it all clicks. I felt that was a lost opportunity here. That said, I did enjoy the film and the end credits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Naveen
November 12, 2015
@BR, can you pls do a review of Raaja Paarvai ! most challenging attempt by Kamal to bring arthouse beauty into a commercial movie, if u can call RP as commercial. guess it brought K to the streets in terms of BO
LikeLike
Prasad
November 12, 2015
Collaboration with other Minds is the Key! Which I don’t think Kamal can do considering his self indulgence way of doing things. He is content with people (Ramesh Aravind, Selva..etc) who can say “Yes. Ur great Sir. Nobody has done this before Sir” around him
Definitely there’s one or two lesson we can Learn from Aamir Khan. He is no way knowledgeable compared to a Kamal. But look at his Track record post Lagaan. Just ignore Dhoom 3 … look at the way he goes all out to shape his films with the best of minds around like Hirani, Rakesh Om Mehra , Anurag, Zoya, Farhan (Talaash), and colloborates with actresses who are spontaneous and effective be it Anukhsha, Rani , Kareena.
For Aamir, the movie comes first everything else matters later. Even Aamir’s next Venture sounds “Dangal” Looks promising!
We all know If Kamal teams up with a Mani, Karthik Subburaj … probably they can produce a gem…. but one can’t just see that happening in the near future!
LikeLike
apala
November 12, 2015
BR-sir,
Seems to me you enjoyed the movie better than what is said on the comments section! I enjoyed the movie overall – may not be an edge of the seat thriller, but holds the attention with it’s unwavering plot, with enough to thrill all the way through. The supporting cast was good too – especially Prakash Raj was excellent, as usual. Alwarpet Aandavar just having fun!
I understand that a movie works or do not work for people based on various reasons – but man, don’t we all have brilliant things to SAY how Kamal should run his life, all the time!!!
So on my part, I will say something too!
Dear Alwarpettai Aandavaa!
கொள்வோர் கொள்க! குரைப்போர் குரைக்க!
உள்வாய் வார்த்தை உடம்பு தொடாது!
நீயே தொடக்கம். நீயே முடிவு.
நீயே உனக்கு ராஜா, உனது தலையே உனது கிரீடம்!!
Anbudan,
apala
LikeLike
doctorhari
November 12, 2015
Not a bad film as such, but a nothing-special-one that set me wondering ‘Why did Kamal want to remake this?’
Totally second chandra prakash’s and Arvind srinivasan’s comments above. I think Kamal has reached that stage in his career where he’s content having some fun with his cronies and associates. Creative thirst? Fresh collaborations? சத்தம் மூச்!!
LikeLike
Mumbai Ramki
November 12, 2015
The Claustrophobic atmosphere did play a crucial role in bringing the ennui – you need a high level of excitement, trust breach, turns to cross that ennui and connect with the movie .
Unfortunately, the movie does not build an interesting maze in the second half.
LikeLike
Gradwolf
November 12, 2015
I think the assumptions
1) that Kamal is too egoistic/big to work with a Vetri or Mysskin or Subbaraj or SelvaR and
2) Vetri or Mysskin or Subbaraj or SelvaR are all willing to drop everything and work with Kamal
are both equally right or equally wrong. Why do people think that for this collaboration to happen all one needs is a shrug, a facade of modesty and a yes from Kamal? Why does no one think that at this point a Vetri or Mysskin or Subbaraj or SelvaR are too big to consider Kamal in their scripts or simply not interested to work with Kamal or the baggage that comes with it? I am not buying this Kamal can get anyone. It isn’t as easy as that, is it? Both the Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan comparisons only lead to false equivalence.
LikeLike
Arvind Srinivasan
November 12, 2015
The good news around the corner is Kamal supposed collaboration with TK.Rajeev Kumar. Would be a welcome change for us, the audience. I do hope Papanasam’s success has thought him a lesson or two. Apdiye TKRK oda varisaiyil, oru Mysskin, Bala, Gautham Menon vantha nalla irukkum… Or at least direct a movie for pete’s sake. It’s been hard watching his scripts lose its potency to ineptitude.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Iswarya
November 13, 2015
Gradwolf: So true. It certainly may not be as easy as the Rajini-Ranjith combination that’s working out now. Even that depended on so many co-incidental elements, I guess.. If only Ranjith had solidified his brand with say, another 3 films, and if the Rajini brand had taken a further beating at the same time, it might not have worked at all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
brangan
November 13, 2015
Gradwolf: Sure, these are assumptions. But these are the only things one has, right? With no information at hand about the behind-the-scenes happenings, we can only theorise about why these films are turning out so. And the frustration with these films is bound to make one theorise. With another actor, we may not have this angst 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Abejith. SR
November 13, 2015
Dear Mr. Baradwaj Rangan
Can you please write a analysis about How and why a masala movie Vedhalam (not worth at any point to Thoongavanam) is being celebrated by the audience.
Does this mean the Fan base and audience of Kamal Hassan fail to retain their place and hereafter there is no scope for good cinema having Thoongavanam lost to Vedhalam..?
Please write a analysis on this topic
Thanks Abejith. SR
LikeLike
brangan
November 13, 2015
Abejith. SR: There is no analysis needed here. Vedalam pushes the right buttons. Satisfies fans of the star. The success of Vedalam has nothing to do with the “scope for good cinema.” They are two very different kinds of films.
LikeLiked by 1 person
superfan
November 13, 2015
Why didn’t you write a review of vedhalam?
LikeLike
Anand
November 13, 2015
Has Kamal suddenly become aware of his mortality or something, or is he in financial crisis? Why is the mad rush to do so many films? Anybody has any answers?
LikeLike
sridharraman
November 13, 2015
As a huge fan of KH, I feel let down by some of recent movies. UV was very poorly made. TV, though it wasn’t that bad, still didn’t seem crisp enough.
Also, at what part does the role of KH the writer end and where does Rajesh Selva come in. To me, some aspects that you’ve mentioned – focussing on the contents of a commode, for example – seem like the work of the director. Is this something that would be detailed in the writing stage as well? I am pretty confused by the whole poor direction vs. ghost-direction angle. Yes, KH directed two amazing movies – Hey Raam and Virumaandi (Vishwaroopam was a step down). But that doesn’t automatically assure us that some of the poor direction we’ve seen recently is NOT because of his ghost-direction. It could very easily be a case of KH mailing it in and just not being consistent enough in his efforts towards direction. Just saying.
If the above paragraph is only conjecture on my part, I am almost 100% sure of one thing – KH doesn’t have the skill to come up with Crazy Mohan-isms. Simple. His dialogues that try to incorporate such word-play revolves around jokes that CM used 10 years back (if not earlier). This is true in his other movies as well, like Mumbai Express, Manmadhan Ambu, etc. CM, to me, is a genius. So is KH, but not in the same areas of expertise. Maybe, KH needs to delegate responsibilities based on the contributor’s (and self) strengths.
LikeLike
Venkatesh
November 13, 2015
Anand: May be, he wants to revive Marudhanayagam. 🙂
LikeLike
Rohan Nair
November 13, 2015
“And regarding questioning Kamal, the tamilnadu press doesn’t even question Vijay or Ajith , what did you expect?”
No, no one expects questions to be put to Vijay or Ajith – what answers are you going to get anyway?!
I ask about questioning Kamal only because he seems intelligent enough to be questioned…
LikeLike
jussomebody
November 14, 2015
Late to this party, but for what it’s worth. I don’t see what all the fuss is about. TV was a solid thriller, and the first half was fairly irreproachable, IMO. Most of the movie seemed seamless, it thrilled consistently enough to justify being called a thriller, and the action was pretty great. Kamal seemed like a character in a story that had something to offer to almost all its supporting characters. The Kamalisms did not take away from the whole, they were meant to be interesting asides and were just that. I would think that after ego fests like Dasavatharam, this is the sort of movie his fans would want to see him in. I mean, no great platform to mount his acting prowess on, but it was fun and non fussy. I walked out thinking I got my $16 dollars (gulp) worth.
LikeLike
brangan
November 14, 2015
Got this via email:
http://roughnote.pixmonk.in/Kavithai/642
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dalapathi
November 14, 2015
Seeing the comments and BR’s review, it appears to me that you guys have a lot of things as wish list for what Kamal as an actor / director should / should not be doing rather than the main subject – review / comments about thoongavanam.
I have to tell you something. You are investing 100Rs. or 200Rs to watch and of course the time to write this. That’s it. Kamal is investing 30+ crores and all his time on it. BR is getting paid for it rather than investing anything. I am sure his ticket price is paid by Hindu.
So while you are entitled for your comments about how some one should do his job, you must also understand the quantum of importance that should be given to it.
So the best you can do is NOT to watch it and make it a box office flop. That is the only way it can ring in the ears of the filmmaker to amend his views. But then the catch22 is without watching something you cannot decide if it is good or bad to make it a flop.
But going by the current readings, Thoongavanam will not be a box office flop. It seem to be going well. So all ye naysayers including BR seem to be parroting the point that Kamal, Kamal-isms, Kamal to be directed by vetri maran, bala and so on… for a while in all the reviews from VR, UV and now TV are not trying to see a movie in itself and comment on it but having the hangover of the past and trying to see everything through that prism.
Clear eyes, unclouded and examining something without baggage is needed for any review. That is what we call as scientific temper.
Else it will be like “kamalai kannanukku ellamae manjala theriyum” endru thaan ninakka thondrum.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gradwolf
November 14, 2015
Really BR, andha postukku indha vilambaram thevaya?
LikeLike
sravishanker1401gmailcom
November 14, 2015
Srikanth :
Atlast ! I’ve found a fellow Brian De Palma devotee ! One of the highly underrated and undercelebrated directors. My favourite is Untouchables – which is in turn a movie which celebrates movies.
BR :
Your review was spot on. I gagged over the “hottest nurse in hospitaldom” quip. Since college we used to make snide remarks on the director in Kamal movies being a proxy at best and drinks boy at worst.
Your follow on comment “traffic management” sums up what was lost in translation.
Ravishanker (Zola)
LikeLike
Santosh Balakrishnan
November 15, 2015
A good watch though not great… seems like BR has managed to kick start another round of discussion with his commentators here on how (and whom) KH should collaborate and proceed further with his career.. no artist has received so much free advise from this blog space as KH.. 🙂
saw vedalam.. and since my senses were violated, need to watch TV again or any “Raajkamal” movie to get my sanity back…
LikeLike
chandra prakash
November 15, 2015
It’s not free advise, it’s feedback. Nothing wrong in true fans to express this, you never know KH may even take this seriously. But it is well known from the BO stats and critical reviews, KH has not able to give consistently great movies with his usual collaborators, and more fans can vouch for that with true figures (and this statistics is not just pulled from air).
I visited his personal FB only once, and commented about his DTH release attempts for VR release as a commendable effort. I am sure lots of his fans write feedback on his FB page, no one knows if he seriously takes time to read or reply (no one expects him to do so all the time, but definitely from his interviews one can say he knows the impact of social media).
On one hand he invites young, new cinema technicians (ex: Soodhu Kavvum group) has chat and compliments them, or praises Mysskin about his Nandalala movie after a private show, the movie which was sitting unreleased for more than a year on the other hand, he doesn’t want to move away from usual collaborators who haven’t had any great success in he recent times (ex.KSR, Ramesh or some of his own assistants).
No other artiste receives this kind of feedback (or advise as mentioned) because no other true fans value their hero’s potential and past records of providing excellent movies or no other artist has elevated the taste and experience of a true cinema lover like KH has done.
LikeLike
apala
November 16, 2015
BR-sir, didn’t we ask many times that we wanted Kamal not to try too hard – just simple film where he’s just having fun? For a major part, I think that’s what Kamal did here! Why should he has to do a Virumandi / Hey Ram! / Anbe Sivam every time? And that too when we gladly show our middle fingers for all those films? Survival sir, survival. Very important in a world where we celebrate mediocrity as the superstars. But still he is the only STAR who wants to go back to even trying…… But man, we steamroll that guy in every opportunity.
I don’t buy this notion which people have mentioned here that there are others who can do this role…. who is that? Like you said Ajith and Vijay do not make films – they TRY to make products.
His other scripts might need a bigger budget and maybe that’s why the rush to make quick, simple remakes…
Also, we want him to have no ego…. as if we are such noble souls!! Wow!! We cannot even take a dislike button with a smile!
Don’t you all have no mirrors at home?
Sorry!!! I had to vent!
LikeLike
brangan
November 16, 2015
chandra prakash: No other artiste receives this kind of feedback (or advise as mentioned) because no other true fans value their hero’s potential and past records of providing excellent movies or no other artist has elevated the taste and experience of a true cinema lover like KH has done.
Exactly. I wish people would understand that all this hand-wringing is coming from a place of respect/love and not contempt/hate. KH is the only star in the Tamil film industry who has the commercial clout to do these films — and that should result in a lot of greatness, not hmm-okay-ness. We’ve earned the right to expect that from him.
apala: didn’t we ask many times that we wanted Kamal not to try too hard
Kamal may not have to try hard, but the FILM has to try hard — meaning the filmmaking departments. Unless it’s a comedy and no one cares about the production values. It’s two different things.
The point — repeatedly — is not about Kamal’s contribution to his films but the fact that that seems to be the ONLY contribution, with little help from directors.
No one expects or even wants Thoongavanam to be Hey Ram! But some of us do want Thoongavanam to be the film it SHOULD be, and not some heavily diluted version.
This is not a bad film at all — but some of us are saying Kamal’s films should deliver more than just a “not bad” time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ram Murali
November 16, 2015
BR – this reminds me of one of my favorite parts of “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch:
“When you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up. And that’s a lesson that stuck with me my whole life. Is that when you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care.”
🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
xyz
November 16, 2015
Mr rangan, we thot u expected kamal as just actor deliver moments like the fone call to his son or the earlier casual exchange with his son…. his performance was marvelous.. do u agree or not?
LikeLike
Pady Srini
November 16, 2015
BR: KH is the only star in the Tamil film industry who has the commercial clout to do these films — and that should result in a lot of greatness, not hmm-okay-ness. We’ve earned the right to expect that from him.
Therein lies the problem. It almost seems like Kamal can make a “sakala vallavan” today and getaway rather than TRY anything different. We either complain about kamalisms or comparing with the original (like this or papanasam etc ). If we are true movie fans, just look at the characters and screenplay and make your call. This is the same stuff I have been hearing about Rajini from the 80s – how much money his movies make. Unless I am the producer/financier, I dont give a damn. Just judge the movie. Otherwise it is very unfair.
fyi… i have a few friends who hated ‘Uttama Villain’ the first time, and changed their opinion completely on second viewing!!! Expectations almost always results in disappointment…
LikeLiked by 1 person
brangan
November 16, 2015
Pady Srini: Okay, when I said “greatness,” I wasn’t referring to a “great” movie (in terms of theme or whatever). Even if it’s a routine, generic thing like Thoongavanam (and let’s face it, this is as generic as they come; we’ve seen thousands of films of this nature), we expect greatness in the making.
What is Rajathandiram if not a generic crime thriller? But single-handedly elevated by the director. How superbly it was directed…. How much mood, style, grip, technique was there. That’s all I’m asking.
I’m not saying you always have to “magnify” your film with grand ideas and conceits. I’m just saying don’t “lessen” your film with merely okay filmmaking.
LikeLike
vijay
November 16, 2015
apala, even for survival Kamal can do an original, competent thriller. Heck, he could have been the first one to think of a script like Papanasam.To flick from an obscure French thriller in order to make a just about OK remake doesn’t make sense (It is like Ilayaraja taking a very ordinary “kasme vade” and re-making it into another ordinary “kanavu kaaNum vaazhkai”) And Rajesh Selva was bragging in an interview the other day that Kamal has reams of scripts written up. When is he going to make any one of that? After he turns 80?
LikeLike
xyz
November 17, 2015
Thoongavanam (and let’s face it, this is as generic as they come; we’ve seen thousands of films of this nature),
—-please list?
LikeLike
Santosh Balakrishnan
November 17, 2015
it is very visible that all this hand-wringing is coming from a place of respect/love only and not contempt/hate (cos any reaction/feedback out of contempt/hate cannot be sincere)
but this sudden fixation that KH working with certain directors would do wonders is very speculative (& as mentioned by few, deviates from the discussion on the movie being reviewed).. after all it might not even kick off, due to ego/sithandham clashes (not just from KH end, why else a Mysskin or a Bala mostly prefers to work with not so big stars)…
plus in Tamil film industry, it is very rare to see 2 different individuals (a writer and a director) work together.. so the question is does a Mysskin/Bala/new directors’ movie give enough scope to convince KH be a part of it (personally i don’t think they do that yet) or does KH written movie entice these directors to be part of (considering the baggage it comes with… KH & his ‘isms’)…
Also in the past most of KH best movies were directed by him or people he is comfortable with (be it SSR, S.Bharathi, KV or Balu).. I don’t think its a recent trend of his.. just that those directors were able to translate his visions on screen
IMHO, it leaves us with one other alternative (my personal wish).. the man himself direct all his movies (after all he is the best and HR! and Viruma are the benchmark for that)… as KH once said in an interview had HR! succeeded we would have seen a very different KH the director/creator.. how I wish it had succeeded..
but then for a “film watching community” that failed to celebrate the man and his movies as it should have at the right time, it might have to live with what is being dished out (still classy commercial offings) hoping something brilliant will come soon (at least he has come out of his Dasavatharam aberration)..
P.S As my cousin (KH hater) said during our Diwali chat, finally KH has managed to enter into commercial domain and attract us into his movies.. may be that’s what KH is aiming at (which means inevitable but acceptable dilution to the content)
LikeLike
xyz
November 17, 2015
why kh shud think of a script like papanasam… he thinks of scripts like hey ram, vishwaroopam, marudhanayagam… high budget… if he wants to act in quickees, instead of coming up with a script which has already worked… both drishyam and sleepless night are both hit films n the script is already tested.. so acting in those will be more reliable
still waiting to hear other generic films in TV mould from rangan sir
LikeLike
brangan
November 17, 2015
xyz: I was talking about the generic tropes — drug heist, one-day timeframe, kidnapped child, mole in the outfit, etc. A skillful filmmaker can of course make magic out of cliches. I didn’t find that happening here.
LikeLike
xyz
November 17, 2015
not seen any which combines all these elements n present a new experience in tamil…. it felt like a new experience to almost all of us, bunch of 30 who saw in us, we felt this kind of films shud be made more in tamil…
LikeLike
xyz
November 17, 2015
on actor kamal… all of us unanimously felt he is 100 times better than whoever u name as 2nd, 3rd and 4th best in tamil…
LikeLike
Prasad
November 20, 2015
“I want to make great films at great speed” This was KH’s quote recently.
In this year we got three films from him. Great speed yes…. but very average films. He really needs some serious consulting from some who can play a role of “Devils Advocate” and advice him!
We’ve done enough blaming of all the directors and actresses around him who makes the film mediocre. But some one has to show the Mirror to KH himself. He seriously needs to Kamal needs to regain his touch on the screenplay part. Period.
The touch he had in the past for Mahanadhi, Hey Raam and Virumaandi has been eluding for almost more than a decade now. Virumaandi was the last film he was in crackling form in all departments. From then on it’s a downhill. Some of the comedy comedy films which used to click in the past like MMKR, Thenali also seems not working for him. Classic example is Manmadhan Ambu. Very average screenplay. Uttama Villan…. mediocre screenplay and poor direction. And not sure if he can team up with a some of the happening directors like Mysskin or a Karthik Subburaj because of the baggage he carries
And some of films he is remaking are very peculiar nowadays. “Unnaipol Oruvan”…. not needed at all for his calibre. He just couldn’t match the fantastic original” A Wednesday”
And now “Thoongavanam “.. Of all films nor sure how at he ended up remaking this french film. If it’s thriller on child abduction there are so many great films like “Gone baby Gone ” or the terrific Denis Villeneuve “Prisoners” which has great Drama.
What we’re missing now in him is the ability to bring in the “Original Thoughts” on the “Story and Screenplay” which resulted in those great films (Mahanadhi, Hey Raam and Virumaandi )
LikeLiked by 1 person
reelorola
November 23, 2015
I guess after the financial debacle of Uttama Villain, Kamal wanted to make a quick, pulpy moneymaker with a team he trusts and which is readily available at his call. Hence the cast and the choice of director. Recently, in an interview along with UTV Dhananjayan, Sundar C said an interesting thing without revealing the name. He said “The great actor has a set of intellectuals around him, who are, without a question brilliant in their respective fields, but affect his cinematic choices. He makes movies for his cronies and by way of it loses his ability to reach out to the masses in a big way”
This could be a reason why his movies are full of the so called “Kamalisms”
All said and then, the man is still “The Man” …What charisma and screen presence.. and those minute expressions (sorry, that was the Kamaniac in me 🙂 )
LikeLike
Pady Srini
December 17, 2015
Finally saw Thoongavanam. Just a movie being focussed isnt enough. It needs to have “wow” moments. And this movie seriously lacked it. And there definitely needs to be one scene where we side with the protagonist. Which didnt exist. The “shades of grey” hero still needs the audience on his side. And this movie didnt have that scene. And Kamal is definitely not putting in the effort like before. And the mandatory kissing scene, crying scenes are just too boring. Prakash Raj was the saving grace.
LikeLike
vijeescijo (@vijeescijo)
October 6, 2016
I watched it on the flight. I liked it. So that dialog to his kid was the modern dad’s reaction to 1980s Shakthi/ Thangapadhakam dad who had way too much kadamai unnarchi. Ya? Loved it.
LikeLike