Spoilers ahead…
A few minutes into Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (Breezy Expanse), an IAF pilot named VC (Karthi) drives his jeep across a hideously twisted mountain road in Srinagar. Beside him is a girl he’s probably interested in. She asks if he’ll marry her. He says – in that smile-inducing, Mani Ratnam-esque way – he will, but after the birth of their first child.
This is the textbook example of a character introduction scene. We see that VC is a flamboyant, reckless stud. He’s a show-off. He’s a bit of a cad as well. He doesn’t take love seriously (or maybe he isn’t ready for it). He isn’t too bothered about endangering someone else’s life (or maybe he’s super-sure there’s no possibility of danger with him at the wheel). At the end, we see, through the rear-view, a truck approaching. So much has happened, and yet this is all the person seated behind me had to say about the scene: “Mirror shot.”
Every auteur keeps revisiting –and more importantly, reshaping – pet themes, tropes, obsessions. Their films are, in a sense, a kaleidoscope. Each time, the pieces yield a new pattern. Many of the pieces in Kaatru Veliyidai are recognisable. For instance, that mirror shot. The fall from great heights. The fuck-you to a father figure. The back-and-forth, Alaipaayuthey-like search for love. (Like that film’s heroine, this one, named Leela and played beautifully by Aditi Rao Hydari, is a doctor.) That unique cultural landscape that embraces Ghantasala as well as tango, meen kuzhambu (fish stew) as well as chopsticks. Kaatri veliyidai kannamma by Subramanya Bharathi as well as Bol re papihara by Gulzar.
Read the rest of the review on Film Companion, here:
Copyright ©2017 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Rohit Sathish Nair
April 7, 2017
“The Arvind Swamy character was two words: a cryptographer, a patriot. VC, in comparison, is a Russian novel.”
This made me go “WOAH!”
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Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan
April 7, 2017
The way in which VC’s character was written – too good. It always treads through the thin line which borders on him being the most lovable person or the one who can be hated the most. And I thought Karthi pulled this extremely complex character off really well, without any of the Karthi-isms that we have been used to in the past 5 years or so. He carried the arrogance and the ‘whole world is under my feet’ traits of the flashback VC and the mellowed down version of the post-Kargil VC with an effective difference.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 7, 2017
Off-topic:
Rangan sir, can you keep a blank space in the blog open for at least some of us solely for ranting against this year’s National Awards?
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Akhilan
April 7, 2017
Chapeau to Aditi Rao Hydari…!! She’s my new found love…!! She’s always been such an ethereal beauty, but right from the trailers of this movie, there was something so haunting about her…!! So glad you liked her performance BR, and I hope her career takes new heights from here on end…
And for those who’ve seen some of her interviews, man can she sing…!! (Sigh…)
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Navneeth
April 7, 2017
What a disappointing film.
All the wonderful cinematography, acting, production values and sound design in the world cannot compensate for the fact that there is no feeling in what is supposed to be a romantic drama, instead resembling an intriguing relationship sketch partly suffused with recycled Mani Ratnam moments and a recurring Gautham Menonesque vibe at certain points.
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Anuja Chandramouli
April 7, 2017
My problem with Mani is he picks loaded subjects to make films about & then pussyfoots his way around it. Instead of an explosion you get a fairy fart, which is why everything he has made in recent times is so blastedly unsatisfying.
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kris
April 7, 2017
Rangan,
The problem with the movie is that most of it is VC on a mental guilt trip remembering moments where he was a class A jerk to Leela and his physical journey back to her. We can understand that she is his other half and he does love her a lot from the dialogues but cant invest it in because they don’t show him expressing that anywhere in the flashback. But showing how you fall in love isn’t apt here because he is on a guilt trip. We literally see the couple at their worst moments and judge them 🙂
That said I loved the movie , I loved the characters and I love this new Maṇiratnam
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Sathyajit Krishnan
April 7, 2017
Wonderfully put. I really do wish Mani Ratnam doesn’t limit his viewership to Tamil Audience, for such Cinema. For the past two decades or so, very few Romantic Dramas or Dramas in general have been Critically & Commercially successful in Tamil Nadu. Action, Gangster Flicks, Thrillers & Cheap Horror thrillers have been ruling the roost here for quite a while. I’d like to know how he thinks such slow paced movies would be accepted here considering how little appreciation remains for such work.
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brangan
April 7, 2017
kris: I didn’t quite see it as a guilt trip. I saw it as “you are my one true thing and I should come home to you.”
But even as a guilt trip, there’s an issue here.
I want to know what made him change. I don’t get any sense of her being THAT important to him. So while I see her POV (she is a romantic, etc.), I don’t get his investment in her. Other than she is azhagiye.
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Karthik M
April 7, 2017
Another excellent review. I thought aditi was brilliant.What was your take on karthi’s acting? I felt he struggled to bring expressions on screen in certain scenes. Officer VC is definitely one of the most complex characters of Mani Ratnam. I was not able to understand why a man who is so self centered chose to serve the country.
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Naveen
April 7, 2017
My review on Kaatru Veliyidai:
One line: It’s an experience.
Detailed:
Karthi plays a charming hypocritical sexist fighter jet pilot. Aditi plays a regular Jane Doctor. That’s pretty much the plot of the movie. Yes, the screenplay is just the characterisation and their complicated relationship. If you expect to watch Roja-esque nationalistic flick, you will be disappointed. I believe the director chose Air Force just to give rationale behind Karthi’s rugged and aggressive behavior. Hence Kaatru Veliyidai? Music & BGM is as usual, Magical! “Jugni” & “Vaan Varuvaan” are my fav. Cinematography is gorgeous and breath-taking. Brings back “The Revenant” memories. Don’t know how editing works, so no comments on that. Technically the movie is above average. Aditi Rao Hydari is the real MVP of the film. She really pulled off her role elegantly inspite of not knowing Tamizh. Respect! Karthi has equally done his job but unable to believe due to inconsistency, if it was intent or mere anxiety. It’s a challenging and complex role, so still kudos to him. Special mention to RJ Balaji “Konja nanjam pecha da pesuna neee!! Todo toi tai.. to ta don toy! Cross talk!” Anyway it’s time to focus the elephant in the room.. Mani Sir..! There is good and no-so-good side of the movie.. I found the casting of Karthi’s & Aditi’s families to be weak & artificial.. unheard of on Mani Sir’s watch.. Guess the excuse be to relate to bilingual audience? Climax is very much predictable and also unrealistic to some extent.. ends with a low node.
Now the good side! In most of his romantic dramas, Mani Sir establishes a taboo in society as a casual norm.. being a responsible Director. For e.g.: Mouna raagam said it’s ok to have relationship before marriage, Alaipayuthey said its ok to have relationship and its worth to go against the society, OK Kanmani said its ok to live in together before marriage…. In this movie, its ok to be knocked up before wedlock.. Does he mean marriage is just a constitutional formality?
Now the best side!(bonus) Usually Mani Sir caters his romantic dramas specially for the ladies and their perspective.. For e.g: How to be a good husband, lover, boyfriend (same as in above movies).. Here in this movie, he has given a rough, arrogant, sexist, hypocritical hero who quotes bharathi but doesn’t believe in equality towards women. Boom! reality strikes hard.. Deal with it,, Enough is enough.. its been a decade since all men simulating the likes of R. Madhavan to impress the girls.. This movie shows the perspective of an old school insecure man who is genuinely in love with his girl.. He may not be perfect like the previous dramas but as long the love is pure, everything is fair. Finally, Mani Sir has made a movie for all Soup-boyz who didn’t know how to be perfect.. And that’s alright!
Rating: 7/10
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
April 7, 2017
Yet to see this, but ‘IAF officer’, ‘I’m pregnant moments’, all these remind me of the Kamal-Raveen Tandon portions in Aalavandhan.
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Navneeth
April 7, 2017
Now that I’ve had time to think about the film, here are a few thoughts (splitting them into separate posts for readability):
[Spoilers below]
Writing & Acting
1) Tremendous writing – brave, even – wrt the character VC played by Karthi, and his push-pull romance with Leela. I think all of us may have seen such lopsided relationships and characters in real life, and – to the outsider – their irrational behaviour (BR has described it very well in the review).
VC knows well the kind of person he is, fears whom he may begin to turn into, and may genuinely desire to change himself, but does not actively seek to do so. His change in perspective (if not personality) at the end happens through the external circumstances he undergoes during capture and subsequent flight.
2) Did people really lapse into English so frequently during that era?
3) VC’s occupation (IAF fighter pilot), the war and escape sequences – accompanied by the protagonist’s voiceover – reminded me of Vaaranam Aaayiram. I’m not surprised to read that Karthi’s inspiration for the character was Suriya’s in the above-mentioned film.
4) Karthi was terrific as the cocky, narcissistic, chauvinistic, borderline-sociopathic VC in one of the best performances I’ve seen in recent times. Watching him, you couldn’t once accuse him of ‘acting’; and his performance in the final scene, when he apologizes to Leela and expresses regret for having entered her life at all (what a painful line!) was genuinely the only moving moment in the film for me.
That said, his bulging eyes in the close-ups looked odd; I was surprised the director okayed it.
5) The likes of KPAC Lalitha and Vipin Sharma were under-utilized in their roles, though Mr. Sharma’s glances and body language expressed what words couldn’t.
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Navneeth
April 7, 2017
(Continued from the previous post)
[Spoilers below]
Technical Aspects
6) Certain scenes were shot so evocatively. Apart from the long take mentioned by BRangan, the snowstorm scene and VC’s dinner table confrontation with Leela’s parents come to mind.
6a) Snowstorm: One of the best scenes in the film. From the majestic opening shot of the characters seeing the mountain, to the way it progresses physically and emotionally, it is visceral. I could almost feel like I was alongside them, the wind freezing my bones.
6b) Dinner table confrontation: Was that one shot or two? This scene, though, is about Karthi doing the heavy lifting as VC, who barges in to confront Leela’s parents who are giving him the silent treatment, provoking Leela to summon the guts to tell him what she should have a long time ago.
7) The sound design is excellent throughout. Be it the roaring of the fighter jets, the howling of the wild or the swaying of the branches, it sounded crisp and so… real. Special mention to the sound mixing in the scene where Leela & VC are having a conversation while Leela’s friend and a roomful of soldiers are clapping, singing and dancing. However,…
8) The sound mix was noticeably too loud throughout, especially when ‘Jugni’ blares without warning during the flight scene. I am aware it is standard practice in our films to keep the song volume higher, but ‘Jugni’ and the wedding song (‘Saarattu Vandiyila’?) took the cake. Contrastingly, ‘Azhagiye’ was a pleasure to listen to.
9) Just like with Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada, the pacing of the first half suffers due to the inclusion of too many songs; what was the gap between the wedding song and the one preceding it – 60 seconds? Thankfully, though, it wasn’t as exasperating as AYM, during which the viewers audibly groaned when Thalli Pogathey began playing – the 5th song of the half.
10) The truck pursuit sequence was clearly copied from Mad Max: Fury Road. At times, it was almost a shot-to-shot copy (for instance, the opening shot of the sequence; the truck being pursued by a convoy; the truck going offroad).
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brangan
April 7, 2017
Naveen:the best side! Usually Mani Sir caters his romantic dramas specially for the ladies and their perspective.. For e.g: How to be a good husband, lover, boyfriend (same as in above movies).. Here in this movie, he has given a rough, arrogant, sexist, hypocritical hero who quotes bharathi but doesn’t believe in equality towards women. Boom! reality strikes hard.. Deal with it,, Enough is enough.. its been a decade since all men simulating the likes of R. Madhavan to impress the girls.. This movie shows the perspective of an old school insecure man who is genuinely in love with his girl.. He may not be perfect like the previous dramas but as long the love is pure, everything is fair. Finally, Mani Sir has made a movie for all Soup-boyz who didn’t know how to be perfect..
I felt really old reading this bone-chilling observation.
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Navneeth
April 7, 2017
I haven’t thought deeply about this yet, but am putting it out there nevertheless:
Did this story of a torrid romance between polar opposites require a backdrop of war? Could there have been a different setting and set of circumstances chosen that would have infused it with feeling, made it more effective?
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Navneeth
April 7, 2017
Naveen:
“Don’t know how editing works, so no comments on that.”
If you didn’t notice it, it means the editor has done his job well. 🙂
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TheWannabeWriter
April 7, 2017
Great review sir! I was unable to pin down why this movie didn’t work despite having a decent plot, unusally deep characterisation and beautiful making… i keep searching and searching for the reason and only you have nailed it. Bravo!
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Apu
April 7, 2017
I might never get to see this movie till I rent out a movie with subtitles, so I am a little disturbed with this line from Naveen, especially after reading the review:
“He may not be perfect like the previous dramas but as long the love is pure, everything is fair”
Does that come across clearly in the movie that his “love” was “pure”? From BR’s review it seems more like this person revels in being unkind, inhuman, and inflicting pain to “love” and is not really helpless in expressing love.
The thing is, when you say “old school”, it brings an aura of a person who is respectful, chauvinistic-because-that-is-the-social-expectation and ready to do the right thing even if it might not be right for everyone. However, this character seems to be someone who is really mean.
Full disclosure: It might be my aversion to violent love stories – a-la-Lallan, that made me cringe at this characterization. It is the moth drawn to fire story that can be fascinating, but it usually, ultimately, destructive for one half of the couple.
It also does not help when the other half of the couple (Leela) is characterized as “Romantic”. Usually that term translates to people who are “unrealistic, dreamy, and believe in unicorns”. It becomes a little difficult to empathize with that kind of a person after a point. It might not be exactly that in this movie, but i got that impression from the review. (on a side note, Rani Mukherjee’s character in Yuva, i.e. Lallan’s wife, was not exactly romantic, she was realistic, passionate, fluctuating between standing up for her husband and saving herself – so very relatable.)
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Apu
April 7, 2017
It also scares me a little when I read: “he has given a rough, arrogant, sexist, hypocritical hero who quotes bharathi but doesn’t believe in equality towards women. Boom! reality strikes hard.. Deal with it,, Enough is enough.. ”
That sounds like this is “revenge”.
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Vish
April 7, 2017
The pacing was off in the second half.. Its a hard watch in theaters.. With people constantly getting restless, making comments and noises, when a scene lingers beyond their attention span.. Best will be to watch without these distractions..
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TheWannabeWriter
April 7, 2017
Why does the heroine walk around wearing anarkalis and palazzos and those oxidised earrings which cloy every artificial jewellery store of 2017, in a story set in 1999?
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Nisha
April 7, 2017
Interested to know what is your opinion on Karthi’s take on VC?
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vijay
April 7, 2017
Both Mani maama and his musical counterpart have not been in top form these past few years.
kONa vaayan Karthi may not have been the right choice for this movie I guess. I couldn’t even stand him in the trailer. Hope the movie fares better than that.
Reviews have been mostly thumbs down for this by the way
When we talk about Mani’s pet themes, tropes and Mani’isms have to mention this thing about aking his heroes (especially if he is a familiar star already) to lose some weight and his mush as well. How many times have we seen that? From Kamal in Nayagan to Maddy in Guru to Surya in aayudha yezhuthu to Prithviraj in Raavan. When I saw the initial stills for this movie I was actually surprised to see Karthi with his mush. I was wondering how come. But eventually Mani maama ended up doing what he always does 🙂
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Sharan
April 7, 2017
It is very rare to see such real and complicated character like VC in tamil love stories. I felt movie should have allowed us to know more about vc. we get a glimpse of what makes his mental space through few scenes at his home and we are told quite a number of times by people around him that he is selfish, self centered. It would have been nice had there been more scenes of his home, his growing up years, his training period. Instead what we get is a sub plot of escaping from prison. I felt this whole war and prison break stuff ruined the movie. when we are dealing with such complicated character, what is the need for sub plots? by making it part character study and part plot driven only made viewing less gripping and the whole prison thing made viewers restless and less invested in the movie.
Even though karthi has acted well, such characters need power houses like ranbir kapoor to bring out the raw emotions. I felt the crux of the story is, even though it appears that leela is the one who is suffering in the hands of vc, it is actually vc who is destroying himself. Movie would have clicked had audience been able to empathize with vc.This just did not happen.
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MV
April 7, 2017
The movie is getting trashed by many on social media – I find the response similar to what Neethane en Ponvasantham garnered. An emotional connect is probably required to watch such intense films. Possibly Raaja Parvai also had a similar reception back in the early 80s.
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blurb
April 7, 2017
BR, I don’t know what to say — other than I think I have become “institutionalized” by your reviews. It’s after a very long time (perhaps after Neethane En Ponvasantham) that I have watched a movie before reading your review. It’s overwhelming to see the why-is-this-so aspects of the movie that one has obsessed over in the post-movie analysis being put into words so beautifully. My eyes went moist when reading about the Why did she put up with him part of the review.
Thanks.
Somethings that I felt like putting into words — in no particular order:
SPOILERS AHEAD
2a. Why the hell does she wear something like a Spaghetti-dress type thing while going on the plane ride.. and post the plane ride? It’s Srinagar, it’s cold — why does she not dress for the weather? Was it to show she is very accessible emotionally?
2b. She adjusts her earrings after she puts on the headset during the plane scene? smile smile
we get a glimpse of why he is the way he is — I felt it was more because of the equation between his mother and father than his training. He has seen his father treat his mother like this all his life. Treating women badly is deeply ingrained in him. His own cockiness adds to it. Sure, he comes to his mother’s rescue during the hospital scene, but that is because she is his mother. He wasn’t coming from the you need to respect your wife angle.
The I’m pregnant scene — I haven’t blushed in a long time watching a movie.
Why does she get pregnant? This was a WTF moment for me. Not very convincing. They didn’t show any “spur of the moment” love making. It didn’t seem like she wanted to get pregnant or wanted children. And, she is a doctor, so she should know better…? I don’t know, it doesn’t add up.
5a. And the love making scene… if one could call it that? That was at a very odd place. It happened soon after he blatantly flaunts her as his trophy to his friends. How does she not see that? Why does it not anger her? I swear I thought we’d have a fight ensuing the shot when he says “she’ll come if I call her — see she came”. But they end up making love? Didn’t add up.
Why does Leela’s father ask him to leave during the funeral? Is it because VC knocked up his daughter, or because the father thinks of VC as the reason for the death of his own son?
Somehow, the dinner scene with Leela’s parents didn’t work for me. But I was stunned at the way the scene ended. The get out changing to a please… get out. 🙂
And, doctor’s are trained to not fall for their patients, or some such thing, no? Shouldn’t it have been more professional? I felt something could have been said about this… But then again, she did know who she was treating, so maybe there was something there from her side right from the start.
The running time was something like 2 hours, no?
I should not have gone to the FDFS. Here in SoCal, there were only like 35 people in the theatre — and yet random comments at inappropriate moments colored my experience of the movie. When I watched OKK, I was one of 3 people; it was awesome 🙂
The names. Varun Chakrapaani. Chakrapaani Pillai. Lakshmi Chakrapaani. I forgot the Anna’s name. The fiance was Varsha Singh? Forgot the Thambi, and Thangachi name. Her side was Leela Abraham, Ravi Abraham, Prakash Abraham.. and no name for the mother, no?
The Telugu speaking scene was… awesome 🙂
When Leela meets Dr. Nidhi, she says “Pah.. Tamizh”. In OKK, Tara calls Adi and says “Tamizh kekkanum pola irundhudhu”. Now, that makes total sense — she is from Coimbatore. I would have bought that if Leela was from, say, Chennai. But, she is from New Delhi. In my experience, Tamilians brought up in a place like New Delhi don’t quite miss Thamizh as much as we, say, Chennaiites do. So, it didn’t add up.
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blurb
April 7, 2017
Uh.. I had a numbered list of things in my previous comment. It now seems all jumbled up — don’t know what happened.
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GoSun
April 7, 2017
My 2 cents. Make that 20.
Positives
Novelty in characterization. Showed an attractive hero can and does in reality have deep shades of darkness, misogyny and narcissistic tendencies.
It showed realistically that a woman while wanting to stand up for herself doesn’t always. Not loudly enough. Not in a crowd. Not always when she’s in love. I could completely relate to the idea of ‘I don’t get mad, I get distant’.
Great performances by Aditi and Karthi – except they were so limited by the lack of good story and screenplay.
Music. No explanation required. Spectacular bgm.
Sound engineering and editing (take a bow Anand Krishnamoorthi and Srinidhi Venkatesh),
Ravi Varman’s camera work was poetry – the one thing that did Bharathiyar justice.
Negatives.
Mani Sir tries to bring the conservative thinking to the next new level of acceptance – getting pregnant before marriage. Ok, Whatever. (Social msg. to the college crowd. Check)
Does no one think the whole prisoner of war premise has been handled in possibly the most juvenile manner?? It is bound to incense anyone who remotely understands the seriousness of that issue. Mani Sir uses a comedian in a serious role and makes a serious situation a bloody comedy. The whole escape routine was amateur.
There seemed a total lack of sensitivity in how the characters bring up the dead brother. Even when they visit the place of his falling. Otherwise the snow storm was beautifully captured. The storm brewing between the characters, not as well. No subtlety, no nuance. (Will you hit me, Yes I will hit you).
The wastage of talent. Ugh. This being a home production, in an effort to not waste money, did Mani Sir waste a lot of talent??
Delhi Ganesh – wasted (after the way he appeared in Nayagan, really?). At least he deserved to have a coffin of his size.
KPAC Lalitha – wasted
The lovely and ethereal Rukmini Vijayakumar – wasted. (And she has a crush on the dead-as-a-doorknob Ilyaas, please)
RJ Balaji – wasted.
Overall
What clarity there may have been in thought, did not emerge in delivery. Can the synopsis for netflix be: A story of love between a confused, quiet, semi-empowered new age woman and a narcissistic misogynistic but patriotic POW with a dysfunctional family that finds social unconventional acceptable.
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blurb
April 7, 2017
BTW, I was amused by the specificity of “rendu maasam, pathinanju naal”.
Assuming all else is textbook, why not reveal it, say, on the 35th day? Is it because a health care professional confirms pregnancy only during week 10 or 11? But, then again, she is a doctor…. Hmm.
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Thulasidasan Jeewaratinam
April 7, 2017
Interesting points to take away. Nonetheless, this one didn’t work out for me. The pacing issues, the jarring tonal shifts and the fact that the characters barely earns any sort of empathy. The audiences in my hall couldn’t wait for the film to end, just as Karthi follows one soliloquy after another. I could work out the characters and their arcs, but it doesn’t feel right. It’s one thing to complete a film in your brain, but another to watch it unfold as you open up to it yourself.
I’m surprised audiences were taken in to Karthi’s character; I couldn’t stand him at all, the character I meant. Egoistic, self-centered (this one is blatantly on the nose, with at least two characters announcing it like a thesis) and misogynstic. I could hardly care if the couple reunites towards the end. Karthi plays it without the slightest form of ambiguity, he channels whatever written entirely, plotting wide-eyed nuances and sorts: in other words, I felt that he overplayed it.
Aditi was a surprise package entirely, I thought she would be a sore thumb but she carries the film. A lot of people come and go, a lot of scenes come and go, but none leaves any sort of impact. We’re just watching and asked to process it in. I don’t know, jeez. I can appreciate the craft, but the film just doesn’t work.
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sharan
April 8, 2017
May be mani ratnam did not what us to know much about vc. He did not want to justify, reason out actions of vc. Had he shown past of vc and reasons for his behaviour, that would have been a selvaraghavan protogonist. May be Maniratnam wanted to avoid it. Anyway, mani sir hasn’t lost his touch. I personally feel he needs to make story telling more accessible, that way we can involve more emotionally with the film. Characters can be complicated but the narration has to be simple and clear for us to involve in the movie
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Dracarys
April 8, 2017
Brangan,
From your review, it looks like this movie is all about a chalk and a cheese in a Anthony Minghella’s Cold Mountain’ esque setup except that the chalk doesn’t know how to show his unrequited love to cheese.
From your review of flashback proceedings, it feels like cheese is a life long romantic and felt zenith romanticism towards chalk. so its easy to express its feeling. However for chalk being an asshole, this is an alien thing. It doesn’t know how to deal with this and hence, such jerky behavior.
This is still a million times better than the chalk from a Ram Gopal Varma factory.
Here the chalk is atleast a jerky gentleman, whilst there he would be a psychotic and narcissistic prickly gangster with borderline suicidal tendency.
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siddarthsen
April 8, 2017
This is getting panned in the same way neethane en ponvasantham did. It was a similar story of two flawed individuals just unable to decide whether they should continue being together. Both were beautiful character studies, albeit set back by supposed pacing issues, which is literally ALL THAT OUR AUDIENCE CARES ABOUT. I’m still glad MR is back to the Raavanan-Kadal phase where he’s trying to break new ground within conventional storytelling norms. He told you how Thiruda Thiruda’s failure hindered him from going on an all out action and comedy route. Assuming KV is going to tank, which it is steadily headed towards, where do you think MR goes from here? While he’s going to be aware that a fairly conventional Ok Kanmani is still going to work, do you think he even wants to experiment going forward?
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Shankar
April 8, 2017
Baddy, your review is really apt. As soon I got out of the theater, my initial thoughts were that KV felt like a love child of Roja and OKK! The first half felt like leftovers from OKK especially the vibe between the leads with the hero being commitment phobic. Not sure who dubbed for Aditi but it also didn’t help that it sounded a lot like Nithya Menon. The film was superbly shot, loved a lot of the frames. Leh is so beautiful and the canvas was brilliantly captured. I also liked the detailing on Karthi’s family, even though it felt a bit like intentional boundary pushing 🙂 , but helps set why VC is like this. The last 10 mins I thought the leads really aced it, though I agree it did feel rushed. Even though I wanted to, I just couldn’t empathize with the VC character in the climax, since he was an a-hole throughout the movie. I just couldn’t fathom why and how he had changed…is it the jail experience? The bgm was ok in parts, felt there was too much of “Rock On” going on especially in the escape sequences! A Mani film has so much more than the average Tamil film, so I’m happy but can’t escape the nagging feeling that this may qualify as a miss….
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Sathyaram
April 8, 2017
The second half was much better than the first one. But what was missing is the pace and the characters having ‘life’ . Take for example Alaypayuthe or KM how the characters identify quickly and seamlessly without disturbing storyline that is missing. Also looked like a journey back for Mani with some scenes like Roja/Alaypayuthe (heroine coming in bus to search the hero here….)/Dil Se (Delhi Wedding ….) but if Mani was trying it as a tribute to those movies he made a very poor job particularly the Delhi Wedding and scenes . Also surprising that this movie was not made in Hindi. Mani may be right that he makes movies based on the people he see and the new generation but somehow he has to go out of this ‘romance’ theme and move to something else.. Why not take a movie on Kamal/Rajini like how he did Iruvar….
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Sathyaram
April 8, 2017
And a ‘tribute’ to Mouna Ragam with heroine waiting in the registrar office….. surely lot of those could have been avoided as it just looked like deja vu but not with the impact we wanted….
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Raj
April 8, 2017
Not one scene works. The acting is cringeworthy. Not one dialogue works.
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Tambi Dude
April 8, 2017
“Rahman’s exquisitely tuned Nallai allai.”
I stopped listening to ARR – MR combo songs. They are way past expiry date.
I just heard this song. Few lines seems to same as the humming and the instrumental part of the Taal Song. (Ishq Bina??)
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sachita
April 8, 2017
” we never understand why he thinks she’s The One.”
Common a girl who accepts and loves him as much as that and breathtaking beautiful too? He likes her but inspite of his flaws she keeps falling for him again and again.( i dont agree with her choice) Even in last scene she comes across as if she has forgotten his flaws so much so that there is no talk of even forgiveness. Karthi was good there. that slightly confused look of wasnt i jerk to you repeatedly and here you are just showing me love.
This is one of the rare mani movies where I was able to connect the dots of why the characters are there that way.
Have to say that “she is my girl” was one of the cruelest scenes. Immediately after that he questions why she doesnt say I love you – that is how self centered he is.
I liked the movie.
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brangan
April 8, 2017
siddharthsen: pacing issues, which is literally ALL THAT OUR AUDIENCE CARES ABOUT.
I hear you. I feel terrible for people like Mani Ratnam because so few in the audience care about cinema (as opposed to a movie). When asked whether to go watch it or not, I told a couple of people how well it was made despite the narrative issues and then we got into the argument about how mere photography isn’t enough.
Because for most people “how well it is made” is more a technical achievement than a narrative one. I told him it’s not “mere photography.” It’s storytelling through the camera (as opposed to dialogue). Then they said our audience cannot accept all that, our culture is different. Every scene without dialogue is “lag” for them.
How do you argue any further? Is this a perfect film? No. But as pure cinema (not just spectacle), is it better than most of what we get? Heck, yes!
I’d like people to name one other filmmaker who could have thought of the scene I talk about in the last para. With no words from her (and just a few words from delhi ganesh), we get to know (1) she has a classical background (2) she is drawn to karthi and the world he represents (3) we see that dhe is not able to put it all (or maybe not willing to put it all) into words.
There’s such a lovely, lazy vibe about this scene. Most “love awakening” scenes don’t have this vibe. They’re more… busy, more tuned to the externals. Here it’s more about what inside her.
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brangan
April 8, 2017
sachita: Common a girl who accepts and loves him as much as that and breathtaking beautiful too?
In a sense, I see what you are saying. And this isn’t new in the Ratnam universe. Love at first sight — here, literally, first sight (she appears in his eyeball; pure cinema) — is a staple in many of his films. But those other films, it was first love. Or at least, we did not see what happened earlier with boy/girl.
Here, the first time we see Boy, he is treating the girl with him rather callously. He’s willing to sleep with her, but soon, he dumps her most callously. Plus, we hear he’s had a series of relationships earlier, a series of girls he has brought home (just like he now brings Aditi).
So what makes her different? Why her? Why does she become The One?
I know there are going to be people who don’t need this point explained. They can just say “Love knows no logic.” And who can argue?
But take Roja, a film that I like far less than KV.
This part is very clear. The couple — after a long struggle — has come at a peace-point in the relationship. And just when they have begun to lead a loving married life, he’s whisked away. So he misses her. He wants to make his way back to her.
It’s very uncomplicated.
Here, the very nature of the relationship is complicated. He’s struggling with his feelings for her.
The first time he says “Let’s say goodnight before we go any further.” I’d kill to know what he was thinking at that point 🙂
So he is unable to let go. He is also not the “relationship” kind of guy.
So some dope on how he underwent the transformation would have helped me buy his yearning for her when he is captured.
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rkjk
April 8, 2017
Was I the only one who felt the editing was a bit “off” in certain scenes. For example, the scene in the second half when VC begs for a second chance on the tarmac, the camera kept cutting to shots of the fighter jets. IMHO the camera should have just stayed on the leads and the roaring sound of the fighter jets used to interject the proceedings. Another scene is that jam session in Leh Airbase where we cut to Girija dancing as if to make a point that the leads should get away to a more peaceful place.
Another point I wish to make is this: many moments in the movie were IMHO hampered by the lack of kissing. There is something in a raw passionate kiss that is impossible to capture with a hug or even a sex scene. And this was the kind of movie that could have benefited immensely from the addition of a few kissing scenes what with the exotic background and the volatility of the relationship. The “Nallai Allai” scene, jeep in a snowstorm, after he finds that she is pregnant etc. I think Mani should have just gone with it and not worried about audience reception and all.
And I completely bought the “VC turns over a new leaf after his capture” bit. The only thing that can temper a self-centered, narcissistic, misogynistic cocky asshole into maturity is a debilitating personal experience, a transformation that cannot be expressed on screen that easily, which is why I think Mani didn’t bother. If you aren’t convinced it can happen, half-hour’s extra material is not really going to help. Ditto for VC’s attitude vis-a-vis his father’s. Clearly his misogynistic tendencies can be attributed to his parent’s relationship. A lifetime of watching dysfunctional relationships tends to screw up people’s attitudes. VC’s poor childhood (ostensibly) which is the root for his arrogance and his subsequent humbling after becoming a POW was reason enough for me to empathize with him.
All in all, I think this was one of the best romances in recent times (in all languages). The dialogue in the second half (the hand-wringing scene, the dinner scene) was so good. The two scenes perfectly demonstrate VC’s character. He starts very well and stays on track until a trigger makes him explode, something he realizes only after a while by which time the damage is done. And I loved the way the Services lifestyle was portrayed.
Big thumbs up. I hope the movie at least breaks even so that we can get more KVs and less OKKs.
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Anisha
April 8, 2017
Shankar – Krithika Nelson dubbed for Aditi. She also dubbed for Trisha in Yennai Arindhaal.
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praneshp
April 8, 2017
Just came back from watching this. Terrific movie, and my wife and I loved it, but every one of my 5 other friends hated it. One of them came in expecting an action movie, so that’s somewhat his fault.
However, every single scene that had Karthi in close up made the audience start laughing. I thought he was really bad only in one scene, but the audience decided to hate him after that. It made for distracting watching.
I hope Aditi Rao doesn’t become a tamil cinema fixture. Kollywood will take her raw, awesome beauty and desecrate it and make her act in crap role. I loved her in Wazir, and she knocked it out of the park here. There is no one south of the Vindhyas who can do that pregnancy-revealing scene.
And it was awesome/funny to see the 1980s style 2-motorbike, 2-car, 2-truck chase scene in the end.
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Filistine
April 8, 2017
Baddy, how do you differentiate “movie” from “cinema”?
Also, its interesting to note how the male characters have changed since yuva’s lallan. Till then, the Mani ratnam male would never hurt a woman physically. Since then, he has become more comfortable with physical abuse ( for want of a better word)
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Prabhu
April 8, 2017
Reminds me of a recent article about the bane of pacing in Tamil cinema by writer Jeyamohan,who apparently wrote the dialogues for Kadal.
http://www.jeyamohan.in/96485#.WOih5iNX7qA
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Thulasidasan Jeewaratinam
April 8, 2017
I am a patient film audience, but even this film has pacing issues. On that account, I’ll elaborate with further clarity. By pacing, I’m not referring to plot beat-for-plot beat filmmaking, but even in the films of laborious moment stretches, it has to culminate for you in the end.
That’s the benefit of doubt part. When you finish the film, regardless how tough it was to finish, when you recount the experience, it has to feel good. Suddenly, those long lingering moments, they don’t feel stretchy no more. Like Wong Kar Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”: it’s a painful long dissection of a couple dying to succumb to their desires in the midst of judgemental society around them. I found it a chore at times to sit through, saved by moments of intensity the couple emits, the gorgeous cinematography and the relevations certain moments brought at the end. By the end, I was completely moved and suddenly the film doesn’t feel like a chore anymore. Same goes for PTA’s “Inherent Vice” which has been completely dismissed.
With this film, the end doesn’t culminate for it. This is the kind of film where the characters are everything. Do you like the characters? If yes, the film (regardless whatever minor or major flaws it carries) would work for you. It no, the film wouldn’t. It didn’t for me. Pacing isn’t just scenes without dialogues.
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Ramesh
April 8, 2017
Iam not a bit surprised BR has given a good rating…honestly this movie is just average..as someone said a rehash of all his previous movies and a few Gautham menon kind of scenes..Mani ratnam is better than Perarasu, KS ravikumar, Siruthai Siva and Shankar kind of directors that Tamil cinema is so used to..but for man who a few years back hailed as india’s Spielberg ,is merely being better than Shankar good enough?
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Ramesh
April 8, 2017
I was also disappointed with Karthi’s performance..thot he was one guy with some potential..but he was all at sea..
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tonks
April 8, 2017
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=407063236332469&id=265528973819230
VC is abusive, his abuse is not a product of his great love for Leela but a manifestation of a troubled past, witnessing his father mistreat his mother, internalising that misogyny. It’s hugely problematic that Leela expressing an opinion and VC humiliating her in front of everyone is being addressed as a mere difference in personality.
Leela and VC could very well be madly in love, but the unequal, dangerous and abusive dynamic between them is not addressed — missing the woods for the trees. The story is not about VC escaping from a prison in Pakistan, the story is about why VC and Leela are unsuited, why do men abuse? Why does she stay? What lies in the recesses of VC’s mind? Why does Leela want VC’s approval? Why does she seek permission from him before screaming with joy in the airplane? What makes these two individuals want to come back to each other? There is a great deal of psychology that lies unexplored and the nuances of a troubled relationship (fundamentally troubled men and women) are not tackled, rendering the film and the characters woefully one-dimensional. The issues of male gaze and institutional violence lie unchallenged in this poorly edited (but gorgeous looking) film.
“…Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.” (Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride)
“Rani madhiri nadathura illa keela pottu midhikkira (You either treat me like a princess or you walk all over me),” Leela tells VC . In another instance, she says, “You treat me like a dog or a slave and expect me to be at your beck and call.” Leela asks VC, “Should I not have an opinion because I am a woman? Are women only good for making babies?” She implores, “I want an equal relationship. This won’t work out for me.”
Leela’s self-awareness is her own unbecoming as she merely mouths these words rarely able to convince the viewer that she means them. It’s not her fault — the script didn’t give her room to develop as a character. As she shivers in Kashmir’s biting cold in the light, breezy cotton dresses (Leela seems to be unaware of a material called wool), it becomes clear that these words in the movie, are words that Mani Ratnam’s heroines are supposed to say, catering to the woman with a man inside watching a woman.
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Ramesh
April 8, 2017
Nallai allai did sound like the taal song and many of ARRs previous songs..be it ARR or MR or Kamal..they were all great once upon a time…it’s time to retire..of course there aren’t any to replace them
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Ramesh
April 8, 2017
And where was VM’s poetry? Oliyin thaedal mounathil mudiyum, mounathin thaedal gnanathil mudiyum.. He has said that in rasika,kandukonden and many other songs..become stale , repetitive..
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Prasad
April 8, 2017
Haven’ seen the movie yet? Is Karthis character similar to Ranbir in “Tamasha”. An imperfect male and a ideal female. Of course Ranbir is not abusive but confused “Man Child role ” with priorities not clear.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 8, 2017
MITRON……………………………….(Sorry – No Notebandi 2.0 here)
Apologies for the minor derailment
Please log on toicartoonisthunt.com wherein I’ve submitted my entries.
Please scroll to Chennai under cities and S.RavishankEr under Cartoonist and request you to vote for my cartoons.
Ungal ponnaana vaakkugakai YENAKKAY poadumaaru kayttukolgirayn….
For queries on bank transfers please contact RK Nagar branch 🙂
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 8, 2017
BR : “The fuck-you to a father figure. ” VOW
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Manoharan
April 8, 2017
Something off topic;
I seriously have no idea why does a pregnant couple wants to get married in an over the top fashion when she is due. Are they afraid that the child would be born out of wed-lock? I feel they are not the ones who live appeasing the society. Still they could have simply registerd their marraige for constitutional formalities. Was it just an occasion artificially created to introduce leela to VC’s family and vice versa coupled with an opportunity for Rahmans song with colorful cinematogaphy.. Its simply their choice. But just trying to understand their psyche.
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lakshmi
April 8, 2017
This video review is your best one yet.
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Prashila
April 8, 2017
” we never understand why he thinks she’s The One.”
In addition to what Sachita says, I thought it was pretty clear that she ‘was’ different from all the other girls he had in his life, right from the eyeball scene(Oh, what a beauty that was!). And then when he comes to know that she is Ravi’s sister. Till then she was an azhagiye who he was drawn to and who was drawn to him in return, with both trying to impress each other(tonks, women do bizarre things, dress up in bizarre ways in the face of a meeting with a crush, so I am not surprised by those spaghetti straps at all 😉 ). But now, this shared past, her vulnerable confession of how she had always thought VC would fly her over the Himalayas, melts something inside him. Karthi was amazing in that scene, his confusion when he puts Ravi and Abraham together, and then gradually relaxes into the comfort of this knowledge and this serendipity. And then when he tells her, that the chemistry is all haywire and they should not meet each other again, his eyes are almost rolling like those of a mad men’s. I admit I was a bit uncomfortable, but she is unperturbed by it, as she only says, “maybe”. I think this explains to some extent how the attraction between them reached its fruition. He is like, this woman is going to do something to me if things go on like this, I better stop, and she is like I don’t care what he does to me now, but I don’t want this to stop.
Even in the last scene before the war, when he realizes she is going away from him, he makes it amply clear that she needs to give him a chance, and that he will come back looking for her. He has already begun to understand how difficult he has been with her, and for her, and that he needs her in his life after the war is over, assuming his bravado will get him out of the war like it is nothing. She hesitates for just a split second like she is considering it, but then shakes her head. At that instant, she walks away, and he has to walk away with the disappointment that she is not even sure what she can say to him anymore. I think he had the part realization right then. And then when he becomes a POW and has absolutely nothing to look forward to or think about (clearly he is not attached to his family, and clearly his friends were mere appendages to all his coolth),he misses her, he realizes he took her for granted, was a jerk to her even as she always came back to him. The voiceovers should have been done better to show this emotional turmoil, but they were pretty redundant.
The “she’s my girl” scene too, I did not think was him trying to insult her. He was just smug with the knowledge that she had accepted his apology, she was still in love with him, just as much as he was in love with her and yes, you cannot deny he did love her, he did care for her in his own f***-ed up way.
And I am really surprised and upset that no one else is raving about Karthi and ARH’s chemistry. I think that needs to be given due for making the characters so fascinating and props to Mani Ratnamji for keeping it PG-13. Call me a prude, but I am tired of all these force fed ‘love’ scenes, lol. I hope these two make more movies together and specially on the lines of a Hum Tum or Band baaja, or you have got mail. That chemistry needs to be utilised more.
My only major gripe about the movie too was that none of the secondary characters worked, absolutely none, especially the Rukmini Vijaykumar’s character. She does not belong to a movie like this, even if she has that body and those killer moves. Damn! And the Sarattu Vandiyilla song even if gorgeously shot was so out of place. Like why?
But my respect for Mani Ratnamji has increased. I hope he continues to make these movies with so much care and so much love and insight, even if he does miss on many other things. But this is a 2 hour movie not a 500 page novel.
And finally, I have no idea how much time it will take for me to get rid of my mammoth crush on Karthi. Maybe I should watch one of his ‘Alex Pandian’ type offerings you guys keep talking about, or maybe not. I think I will just continue to live in the Kaatru Velidiyai of this movie and my crush on him. Insert heart eyed emojis. Sigh.
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Prashila
April 8, 2017
And dear BR, I don’t know you outside the world of this blog, but for the last few years, you have become a part of my daily life, like the tea I drink, like the music I listen to, like the news websites I keep browsing. I have practically stopped watching Hindi movies(with the exception of a Masaan), as your posts are all I need to read to know what that movie was about. I hope for my sake, you never stop writing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
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Sellout Brangan
April 8, 2017
Brangan, who is your dealer? Super potent stuff you are smoking these days. Please post number here as public service…
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Shankar
April 8, 2017
Having had a bit of time to reflect on the film, I’m still astounded by the fact that the hero has such negative shades throughout the film that you just don’t want to empathize with him at all. And it’s not just negative shades….some of his actions are reviling. I can’t think of another MR lead who was written this way. That takes guts….kudos to Mani. I don’t know any others mentioned it but I had a huge problem with RJB cast in that role. He just didn’t have the presence or gravitas for that role. Somebody like Rahman or slighter younger than him would have been great, given that Aditi’s friend has a thing for him. The first half did feel like one song too many, though the songs were awesome and the situations were apt. Maybe Jugni could have just been an instrumental piece just for that reason. In the end these are mere quibbles for me. None of this mattered since this was a Mani film and its infinitely better than half the films that come out today. More power to his ilk (or ink)! 😄
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VivAK
April 8, 2017
BR sir , Catherine Teresa looked out of place in ‘Madras’ nu soneenga. Fair enough.
Aditi Rao Hydari did a great job, agreed but adhukaga avanga archetypal Christian Tamizh ponnu nu ethukanuma At least, Anglo Indian navadhu solirukalam.. Idhula vera ‘tharcheyala’ nu lan pesranga… Enavo ponga.
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Get your head examined
April 8, 2017
This is a honest review Brangan:
Not yours
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Dani
April 9, 2017
Romanticizing abuse as love is something I didn’t expect from Mani Ratnam. I would rather he arc the story around how the heroine was able to differentiate the two and come out of it instead of framing it like how film did!
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brangan
April 9, 2017
rkjk: I hope the movie at least breaks even so that we can get more KVs and less OKKs
I agree. More of these idiosyncratic mainstream movies, please 🙂
Filistine: how do you differentiate “movie” from “cinema”?
It’s not an iron-clad difference, but it’s the one between critic and reviewer (at least in my mind). Cinema is the art form. A movie is a subset, what you watch and consume with popcorn.
http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-movie-and-cinema
Ramesh: Iam not a bit surprised BR has given a good rating…
I also gave considered, sympathetic reviews to Saawariya, Mirzya, Neethane En Ponvasantham… C’mon. Be an equal-opportunity basher. Don’t just single me out for the Mani Ratnam reviews 🙂
tonks: That link. Yes. The relationship is an abusive one, but not one that endorses abuse for the most part… till the end.
The end is something I’ve been having a lot of discussions about. To my mind, if I were Leela and if VC came back after 3 years, maybe I’d be happy to see him, but would I instantly accept him? But others have said this is their favourite scene in the film.
Ramesh: it’s time to retire
Who are we to ask anyone to retire? If you don’t like someone’s work, don’t watch / read / listen. But why ask them to stop?
Prasad: I too thought at first that this was a man-child thing, but it’s very different. As I said, it’s an upper-class spin on the Inba-Shashi relationship. The man abuses. The woman (meeker than Shashi) loves him so much that she’s practically a masochist. Fascinating stuff in concept.
sravishanker1401gmailcom: Regarding the fuck-you to a father figure, was Bombay the first time we saw it? When Nasser tells Arvind “over my dead body” and he replies “I can’t wait for you to die.”
Manoharan: I have a feeling there was more about VC’s family that got cut away at the end. Otherwise it seems too large and detailed a family for just a lead-up to a song.
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Rhea
April 9, 2017
I can’t believe more people haven’t spoken about Karthi and his crazy eyes in the close ups! They were hilarious. I feel a stronger performance from the lead would’ve helped us understand Leela’s fascination for the man. I feel casting is where Mani Ratnam tends to botch up these days, reminded me of Abhishek in Raavan. Karthi was a total misfit, someone like Siddharth would’ve been better(ideally a younger Madhavan) – you need oodles of charm and swag to carry this role
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blurb
April 9, 2017
tonks It was weirdly unsettling when I found myself not having a problem with the Leela character for going back to VC again and again. In my previous comment, I only mention the scenes of the movies that did and didn’t work for me. But, on the whole, I must say that the movie did work for me. It surprised me, actually. Thanks for bringing up your point — . Perhaps here’s why I was OK with the movie for the most part.
Firstly, the film did not normalize his behavior. He is clearly shown as an ass in most of the scenes where “misbehaves” with her. (Except for the “she is my girl scene”. There, he still shown to be an ass, but it perplexed me that they slept together following that. I spoke about it in my earlier comment too).
Secondly, one cannot help falling in love with someone. Or continuing to love someone. Sometimes, that’s just the way it is. It’s not her fault that she fell in love with him, and stays in love with him.
She wants to be in a relationship with him, but wouldn’t compromise on her self respect. So she asks to be treated better, treated as an equal (PLUS). She exposes his faults of ill treating women (PLUS). And, in the end, when she is still desperately in love with him, she still chooses to end it (HUGE PLUS). Nothing matters at that point. That was an empowering thing to show. Because not always can one help falling in love with someone. But, when one realizes that it is bad for them, it is a brave (and incredibly difficult) move to choose to stay away from that person. She lets go of him. She does not even make contact when he returns (HUGE PLUS).
Think of being born to a controlling father. When you realize this, you still don’t stop loving him, do you? But, it takes a great deal of mental strength to choose to stay away from him, no?
The fact that she appears “meek” (for the lack of a better word) is because that’s who she is. She is polite by nature. She is a romantic at heart. She cannot use harsh words and hurt others’ feelings. She is someone who reasons patiently. All of this is who she is. She is just created that way.
why does she seek his permission before screaming in the airplace — wow, I didn’t read the scene from this perspective of “woman seeking permission from a man” at all
Even now, it doesn’t seem like that to me. This is the first time she is on a plane. She has this child like enthusiasm which she displays unabashedly. It came across as uber cute to me 🙂 — and I thoroughly enjoyed the response expression from her when he nods. She kind of gives his disbelieving nod, while smiling (like a goddess).
My gripe. In the last scene, when he asks “nee yean enakku oru phone kuda pannala”, she could have said something like I didn’t want to be walked all over again, or worse, I didn’t want to subject my daughter to that. Instead she says, “unakku enna pidikalena… unakku rohini-a pidikalena”. I went, “meh”..
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Dhanda Soru
April 9, 2017
Back from the film. Underwhelmed.
Throughout the film, I just had one question: Why on earth is Leela drawn to VC (and vice versa)? The film doesn’t answer this question satisfactorily. As such, the emotions are strictly surface-level. They don’t cut as deep as they could have – nay, should have.
Okay, so she knows VC from her school days. And she’s slightly star-struck. But beyond that, there’s nothing to hold on to. I also felt like there were a ton of missed opportunities. Leela’s delight in hearing someone speak Tamil suggests a sense of loneliness being in a land she’s unfamiliar with. There’s also a hint of survivor’s guilt when VC talks about Leela’s brother. And don’t even get me started on the complete pussy-footing around VC’s strenuous relationship with his dick of a father, which clearly has gone a long way in shaping VC as a person. I’m frustrated because I feel that a lot of this could’ve helped build the romance between VC and Leela.
As for the cast, it was pretty hit-and-miss. I just couldn’t buy Aditi Rao Hydari as a Tamilian working in Srinagar, especially because she looks like someone who’s a native of Kashmir (it didn’t help that her lip-sync was off in a number of places). I really wish Mani Ratnam had cast an Aishwarya Rajesh. Or a Radhika Apte. Or a Parvathy. Or a Sai Pallavi (as was originally intended, according to Wiki). Any one of these women would’ve infused a greater level of authenticity into Leela. And what was he thinking when he cast RJ Balaji as Ilyas? Wouldn’t a Guru Somasundaram have been a better fit? Karthi, though, was pretty damn good. He was the primary reason why the climax was quite moving, despite the so-so quality of the film.
And was this the easiest prison break in all of filmdom? I know that this is a romance, but is a bit of tension too much to ask? MR makes breaking out of a prison look like stealing candy from a baby.
Ravi Varman, though, goddamn. I swear, that last shot was a thing of beauty. Actually, the entire film, visually, is a thing of beauty. If only the writing was half as beautiful.
P.S: Am I the only one who felt a slight sense of LTHE- Listening Tamil, Hearing English – in the film. There were some dialogues that sounded downright odd, as if they couldn’t make up their mind as to whether or not they wanted it in Tamil or English.
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blurb
April 9, 2017
brangan
ending is something I have been having a lot of discussions about — you mean you discuss movies outside our knowledge? Who are these “people”? Sacrilege.
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blurb
April 9, 2017
Upperclass spin on Inba-Sashi. Or, an Indian spin on Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big.
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harish ram
April 9, 2017
I see a great correlation with the poem Kaatru veliyidai and the movie. It seems like Mani is trying to position a protagonist who would utter those lines and build a character around him and the beauty he describes. Seen that way, even the non-linear approach makes sense. Only in paper though. I have written in detail about this in my blog.
http://harishfilmviews.blogspot.hk/2017/04/kaatru-veliyidai.html
PS: selfish marketing 🙂
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Ramesh
April 9, 2017
BR, I wasn’t trying to imply u we’re being biased…I just meant it was a kind of movie making you would enjoy.Having followed your reviews all these years, just a guess..I rarely watch a movie before reading you reviews..it was no different this time
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GODZ
April 9, 2017
58 Comments So far…I take it back…Real movie lovers dont mind going to FC and then come back leave a comment here…Sometimes the movie, review or conversations are so exciting that you cannot stop yourself from joining the band..Coming back to the movie, where would Mani Sir go from here..My question is Simple..Mani Ratnams Nayagan movie is universally accepted in all centers A, B and C. For someone even in remote side of Tamil nadu, Nayagan is still one of their Fav movies all times. Why Mani Sir cannot recreate the same magic. Why there are polarizing reviews..? Its easy to blame movie goers but is it not that these are the same people who accepted Mani Sir and supported all these years..? May be just may be Is it that people expect more from Mani Sir? Is it time that he has to come up with a movie thats as Epic in scale and scope as Nayakan(Its been 10 years since Guru) . Its absolutely a Flilm makers choice and freedom to make movies he wants to make. But for many people Maniratnamn is Maniratnam….I guess its time for Mani Sir to come up with more interesting themes. I mean Mani Sirs last 3 movies are Romantic Love stories. Why not he make a Biopic, A thriller, A Political movie etc. Just my opinion…KV is really a true Cinema But I guess People expect more from him at this point of time..May be they feel that this movie Mani Sir is doing movies more in this comfort zone and not coming out of it…
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 9, 2017
Maybe this was the role Abhishek Bachchan really needed.
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blurb
April 9, 2017
I thought I’ll share this:
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apala
April 9, 2017
Dear BR, awesome review and I had to say that I enjoyed this cinema much more than you did – as I infer from the review! I may be wrong.
My respect for Mani grew manifolds after watching KV. I hope he continues this form and way of film making, even if he doesn’t get the response he might have expected from this stubborn audience- who seem to have completely lost the patience on investing on good cinema but wants only fast moving (at least the camera had to zoom through like a Hari film, even if everything else is stale and stagnant, it seems) popcorn flicks.
Aditi was simply fantastic and Karthy showed his limitations few places but still was good (enough, I am not sure).
I had the best of time and me and my wife enjoyed the film so much that I am going to watch it second time next week – first for me as a non-Kamal film (the ONLY god of cinema 🙂 ).
Thank you Mani- sir! Thank you for KV.
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Reuben
April 9, 2017
BR,
Regarding the fuck-you father figure, I think it was even in Nayakan when Karthika slaps Janakaraj to prove her point to Velunaicker
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Nishanth Krishnan
April 9, 2017
Apart from the book of course, is there any other agreement that binds you to write good things about Mani’s movies because this film did not have a single interesting moment or character – and you’ve just written a truckload of imagined stuff, none of which was even remotely there on the screen
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sanjana
April 9, 2017
Reverse Gone Girl or 50 shades?
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 9, 2017
BR : “Regarding the fuck-you to a father figure, was Bombay the first time we saw it?”
YES – thats the one. Our generation was chafing under the Iron fist and THAT line really touched a chord.
This one is right up there with my other favourite BR lines like :
“Is it Melmaruvathur Drive we are watching ?” (GETHU)
“This isnt movie making…this is masturbation” (REMO)
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 9, 2017
Prashila : Awesome narration !
Were you by any chance sitting in on the scripting sessions of KV ? 🙂
Seriously…. enjoyed reading your “psyche is showing” post.
As I did all the other posts here on ‘Everbody Comes to BR’s’
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 9, 2017
For Peanuts fans…….
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Meena
April 9, 2017
Good premise wasted by the director himself by unclear characterizations of the protagonists, several distractions in the form of ill-fitting supporting characters who lacked everything from genetic resemblance to reasons for their existence, bad irritating dialogues ( the few most beautiful moments were the ones without dialogues), karthi’s over aggressive ‘thiruttu muzhi’ eyes, the irritating ‘mad max fury road’ copied escape from Pak, and so on…
I am getting more and more impatient with Maniratnam’s elite society folks who don’t fit anywhere.. it’s like a westerner trying to take an Indian movie.. illogical cultural backgrounds( especially when he touches a culture we know and have experienced), unrealistic dialogues ( no one talks like those characters) irritating ‘pregnant women with bad pregnant bump make ups-celebrating songs’ etc
But the thing that troubled me the most was that he touched a great premise of abuse and didn’t care to convey it convincingly. A guy abuses a girl.. she doesn’t realize at first.. then she stands up rather in a weak way..I am ok so far.. but what makes the guy to become someone different on a day compared to a day before? Do people change like that?
I wish the director had developed VC’s character better and we would have bought him as a near psycho. I wish he was the guy who gasps for air inside that closed cell in that ruthless prison, than a guy who randomly walks out and basks in torrential rains, so that I can think that his ego is killed a little bit. I wish he saved the other 2 prisoners of war taking a bullet in his chest instead, so I could believe his narcissism is little less.I wish there was a scene with his mom who told him he cannot transfer his bullied past to another and should forgive his father and more importantly himself, so that I could believe that he has ended his self-torture. I wish he saw her in the last scene in a not so easy way or at least when he saw her, she had moved on and he realizes what he said before –‘sometimes there are no second chances’, and thus gets his redemption.
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Sathyaram
April 9, 2017
One thing that is a bit odd is that with a movie like Madras in which layers can be easily understood by anyone you were seen as ‘struggling’ to understand but here trying to provide as much layers as possible….somehow looks odd
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Prashila
April 9, 2017
Yes Karthi wasn’t all that great and struggled with all the yelling, but in his defense I won’t call him a misfit for the role. He may not have a young Madhavan’s effortless charisma but he made this role his own. Comparing him to Abhishek Bachchan in Raavan hmm not so much imo but I would say more like Ajay Devgan in Yuva. He was good there but Suriya in the Tamil version nailed that part. That did not mean Devgan was a wrong choice. And I say this as someone who is neither a South Indian nor a North Indian but someone from the quaint Goa Karnataka border region with no prejudices whatsoever. I take all casting at face value. RJ Balaji though seemed to be miscast in this even if his oh oh scene made all of us in the theatre laugh because of its unintentional hilarity. Haha
Btw i hope when this releases on Amazon prime they release the unabridged version. I have a strong feeling the movie will make more sense there
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the brangan fan
April 9, 2017
one of my friends is a tamil pet and he says kaatru veliyidai means “when the air returns”
isn’t that perfectly coherent with the film?
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Akhilan
April 9, 2017
@Dhanda Soru
I completely (and respectfully) disagree with your observation about Aditi….
“I just couldn’t buy Aditi Rao Hydari as a Tamilian working in Srinagar, especially because she looks like someone who’s a native of Kashmir.”
I had a huge problem with this… So just because Aishwarya Rajesh for you in terms of appearance, represents what an average ‘Tamilian’ looks or should like, she would’ve added more authenticity to that milieu than Aditi…??
For me, Aditi was the soul of the movie along with ARR’s music… If I was even remotely invested in VC and Leela’s love story, it was because of her… Not because Aditi looks a certain way, but because she brought the necessary fragility, vulnerability, innocence, beauty yet strength to her character so brilliantly…
P.S. I also thought her lip-sync was pretty much spot on… 🙂
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lowlylaureate
April 9, 2017
Hi BR, here is the FRS of Kaatru Veliyidai, happy reading
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Prasad
April 9, 2017
“I feel terrible for people like Mani Ratnam because so few in the audience care about cinema (as opposed to a movie).
BR /Others.
Just want to share a thought. We’re talking about visual story telling in this blog. It’s interesting how a film make like Asghar Farhadi who is exactly in the other end of the specturm and how interesting and impactful his movies.
How do you compare his story telling when compared with a visual story telling like a MR?
Just watch “A Seperation” or ” The salesman” or “About Ally’…..no beautiful locales , no costumes , just regular peeople at our homes and he focuses on just domestic issues.! But amazing charterizations .
Just take the example of “The Salesman”…. it’s not great like “A seperation” . It starts little slowly ..but the last 40 mins is absolute GEM. It works as a thriller, great chracter study and explores emotions like shame, forgiveness like never before without any melodrama. As a viewer we’re challanged on what side we take! Genuine movie making.There is even a arerial shot or even a shot of a sunrise or sunset.
No wonder he has won 2 oscars. The Point I want to make ….there are so many different types of storytelling …but doesn’t end of the day only characters matter? Irrespective of which location I shoot or how technically the shot is superior.
Again am a fan of MR movies pl dont get me wrong! Just want to know your thought on how do you compare a Asghar Farhadi kind of movie making with a visual movie making style?
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 9, 2017
Lowly laureate : Awesome writing !Reads like a What if Readers Digest did a condensation of KV . Namma Madras got talent
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sachita
April 9, 2017
In real life, a relationship with someone like VC would never work out. And yeah there are guys out there like him who are selfish by their own confession and girls do fall for them routinely. But it never works in the long run.
But the movie repeatedly acknowledges that he isnt a great person and she doesnt put up with negative elements. ( such a huge relief compared to how tamil cinema always treats utterly despicable characters masquerading as heroes).
Also on Karthi, he is a pretty good actor( yes i genuinely think so) but this bare bone-ish structure just doesnt work for his face. In couple of shots, he looked ominous. But I still liked his performance esp. in that initial date flight trip or climax or krishna arjuna scene and quite a few others scenes.
Prashila: really liked how you brought out the shared past connection. When i said cruel, it was cruel on the girl, VC is obviously unaware.
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Dhanda Soru
April 9, 2017
@Akhilan:
“I had a huge problem with this… So just because Aishwarya Rajesh for you in terms of appearance, represents what an average ‘Tamilian’ looks or should like, she would’ve added more authenticity to that milieu than Aditi…??”
Well…………..yes(?) I mean, isn’t the way we respond to something largely dependent on our perception of said thing? I’ll admit that a part of the reason I responded the way I did was because I expected something along the lines of a cross-cultural romance (at least, that’s the vibe I got from the trailer). Something like “2 States”, but with the ethnicities reversed.
I could’ve bought her as an Anglo-Indian. Or a character of mixed heritage (the way the Isha Talwar character was in “Bangalore Days”). But every time ARH appeared on screen, I had to keep telling myself: “Idhu Tamil ponnu dhaan”. And the at times iffy lip-sync only exacerbated this dissonance (at least, for a OCD sufferer like me :P).
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doctorhari
April 10, 2017
Watched this yesterday. I, for one, didn’t understand what all the negative talk around the film was about. Though not a great film by any means, it certainly was a better outing of Mani Ratnam in recent years. Both the leads had given a heartfelt and earnest performance. The affable, boyish vibe Karthi has, worked against him a bit, true. But one can’t blame him for that. And yes, as you have rightly pointed out, we couldn’t connect with his character deeply, as the reason for his feelings for the girl is never clear. Hence the film too on the whole doesn’t leave a great impact on us. Further, we have in the last few years seen far more engaging ‘delicate/headstrong female-extremist male’ stories in Tamil. (SJ Surya/Kamalini in Iraivi, Dhanush in his last outing with Selva ragavan – two films that came to mind while watching this.) But this is by no means a bad film as many reviewers have suggested.
The larger question I kept turning in my head since I saw this was, how does Mani Ratnam regain his old touch? When do we again see the magic of Kannathil or Guru? Surely I can’t agree that he is past his prime. Like a Scorcese or Clint Eastwood I want Mani to give us impactful films like those for atleast another twenty years. One solution I can think of is, he should take a break from mainstream films. Be it this film or OKK, from the story selection to the way the scenes are staged, I feel there’s the slightly nervous concern about whether today’s audience will find it appealing.
As a very long term fan, I really wish to place this request to him. He should turn away from mainstream compulsions and take on themes that appeal deeply to him at the stage of life he is. We could get existential masterpieces from this ace director then.
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brangan
April 10, 2017
doctorhari: the way the scenes are staged, I feel there’s the slightly nervous concern about whether today’s audience will find it appealing.
Really? I find it the opposite, he is working at the peak of his powers as a pure director (not counting the writing), and his stately, “classical” staging, pacing (the early hospital scenes) are the antithesis of what “today’s audience” would like.
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doctorhari
April 10, 2017
BR: I don’t know BR. Maybe ‘the way scenes were staged’ was not exactly the right term. What I meant was, having got used to a subtler film language of directors like Vetri maran, when I watch KV, though there were some staggeringly wonderful scenes (the scene you have mentioned where Aditi runs out of her house as she hears a jet whizz by, the scene where she expresses her love to Karthi immediately after she feels humiliated by him…pages can be written about both) it is also true that at several places I couldn’t help wondering ‘This could have been picturised in a simpler way.’
Take the scene where Rukmini keeps dancing with the army men in the background, the glaring and Bansalisque picturisation of Saratu Vandila song, (and what function did that full term pregnancy of the bride serve, apart from shock value?), the way the ‘jugni’ song begins as soon as they start the plane …there were many instances in the movie that felt somewhat forced to me. Maybe it’s a personal taste.
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Akhilan
April 10, 2017
@Dhanda Soru
Sure… Then I guess in this case, I have a major problem with your perception of the said thing (“Tamil Ponnu”) and we’ll just have to live with that… I just can’t accept having any pre-conceived notions towards somebody’s appearance, how they should look like or behave…
For me, it’s the director’s responsibility to make me believe the world I’m being transported to for the 2-3 hours I spend at the movies… What really matters is how emotionally invested I am in a particular character’s narrative arc… Whether they are able to make me care for them… Therefore, in KV, I completely bought Leela for who she was, and that was down to Aditi’s (beautiful) performance…
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Tanya
April 10, 2017
Branagh: they were separated for 7 years. It’s been 3 yrs since he escaped and returned and has searching for her. He says ” I crossed 7 seas and 7 lives to get here”… that’s long enough to give a person you love a second chance.
With that said, I left the theatre worried for Leela and the kid. I wish instead of the escape scenes, more time was spent on how VC changed. Also like you said, I wish more time was spent on showing how VC fell in crazy love with Lela. A kissing scene would have definitely helped, but Mani said in an interview that most of his heroes are shy and don’t want to do intimate scenes.
I came out of the movie feeling very mixed. Movie was poetic, acting exemplary (with a few exceptions when VC like to show possessive love) and yet something was missing in the movie. Still can’t place it.
And finally, let’s not call everything Love. Love isn’t flawed , it’s humans who are and MR explores that flawed humans that seek it. This movie is about a flawed human who starts to understand what true love is all about and a woman who can differentiate abuse from possessive love.
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Tanyah
April 10, 2017
They were separated for 7 yrs. He’s been searching for her for 3 years. He mentions this in the last scene
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Tanyah
April 10, 2017
I found the movie to have the perfect pace for its subject. Acting was excellent expect in a few scenes where VC was showing his possessive love. His passion for her could have been expressed through kissing but I heard MR say in an interview that his heroes are very shy and don’t want to do intimate scenes 🙂 I felt the movie did hold back something. Something is missing and I quite can’t place it. To summarize, love is not flawed, but humans who are and Mani wants to explore the flawed humans seeking love! In this movie, it’s an arrogant prick learning what true love is and a woman who is able to walk away from the man she loves before she could hate him for what he’s doing to her. Walk away from an abusive relationship
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Maru
April 10, 2017
Another terrific review brangan – like ARR you reserve some of your best for Mani Ratnam 😉 I too loved the scene between Leela and her grandfather where she awakens to her love for VC and he sees it unfold.
I found Kaatru Veliyidai maddeningly inconsistent – the yin and yang of the couple’s chemistry, VC’s characterization deepening with the film, the scenes with the families – much of that was wonderfully absorbing, however VC’s escape drama seemed amateurish, unbelievable and annoyingly Fast and Furious-ish. It felt like we were cutting between 2 different films and not in a good way.
Also for someone who seems obsessed with keeping things real, making them believable some of Ratnam’s choices are baffling – Leela is always shivering in wildly inappropriate clothes, she appears in spaghetti straps in Srinagar for the flight with VC. Neither Aditi nor Karthi look anything like the actors playing families. Given that everyone else has precious little to do why not cast actors that look something like them? Their daughter looks nothing like Leela or VC and yet Aditi asks VC which of them the kid looks like. Even if you were willing to overlook that now you can’t. Why was that line needed?
The worst was the scene in the snowstorm – she did behave like a moron in a potentially life threatening situation and he called her on it. She insisted on spouting feminist dialog where there was a real threat and he rightly threatened to club her over head and drag her to safety. I would’ve done the same had someone (male or female) behaved like a flaming idiot as Aditi did. If the point was that VC devalued, manhandled and humiliated Leela then there were other ways to write that (as Ratnam did later) but the snowstorm was a particularly poor choice.
Like many of the commentators I too felt Karthi’s casting was a huge misfire – he simply didn’t play VC with the depth needed, crazy eyes doesn’t cut it. It seemed that a significant part of Leela’s attraction to him was that she was Ravi’s sister and VC owed Ravi his life. Perhaps the confrontation with Leela’s dad was as much about his guilt/frustration at being unwittingly complicit in Ravi’s death as it was resentment that Leela’s dad blamed him for his son’s loss. VC in captivity recreating Leela’s image to hang onto his sanity wasn’t portrayed with the richness needed. A better actor – perhaps a younger Vikram – could’ve given VC the dimensionality needed to make the character convincing.
Still, the parts that worked did so wonderfully and it’s hard not to want more of it. Count me in the group that requests more Kaatru Veliyidai (even as I reserve the right to criticize it!) and less OKK.
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Tanyah
April 10, 2017
Kaatru Veliyidai could have been the progressive film that triggered a conversation about emotional or physical abuse in relationships; instead it normalises it. There is a moment of terror on Leela’s face as VC boasts to his friends about her being ‘his girl’. That moment is lost when she cloyingly professes her love to him in the next scene. And, the romanticisation of violence continues.
Mani Ratnam could have gone deeper into this psychological aspects of their relationship and made that a story! I felt he played it too safe!
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Aadhy
April 10, 2017
Actually I really liked the movie. I see it as a romance between a man-child and a woman-child.
VC is sexist, arrogant and a total jerk, yes. He is also someone who has never grown up. His eyes bulge whenever he is in a state of excitement, giving him that demented look, mostly related to the object of his attraction. I slowly got used to that look after I started looking at him as a pampered kid who’s just used to having his way around things, the objects he liked. And I say ‘objects’ here because that’s how he treats his girlfriend(s), and others around him. He literally lifts Leela out of the car like his favourite toy, before showing her off in front of his friends, claiming that she is his. Also Mani ensures the power dynamics in their relationship is made very clear. While apologising, VC jumps on the top of the jeep’s bonnet, looks down on Leela (the shot is framed in such a way) and says things like I always look up to you in respect. The irony is established right there to tell us that his apology doesn’t mean shit. It’s like how we used to apologise to our dad/mom just to get into their good books, so that they give in to our demands later. Every time he conveys his love or apology, their respective heights make sure that he looks down upon her (maybe another reason for the casting?). The only time their eyes are level is in the climax when she stands on the upper side of a slope, when she gets to decide. His obsession towards fighter planes and war is also childlike. He treats war like a binary video game, where the enemies are bots that have to be destroyed at any cost. And that’s why I didn’t feel the need to get convinced that he was in love with Leela, because he never was. She was always his object of attraction, right from the first sight. His yearning is obsessive in nature and not loving or caring. And this is not even his primary obsession. He himself lists it third, only after patriotism and hate towards enemies. This man/kid doesn’t even know if he can be in love, let alone loving a (his) kid. His behaviour is reckless, inconsiderate and abusive because this kid can’t take the fact that his object has a mind, an opinion that is contrary to his and a voice that can put it out. The way he hugs her, holds her, is very indicative of what he thinks of her. The best thing is that Mani lays all this bare out in the open and does not try to defend any of this. He presents VC’s assholery in all its glory. Some might have a problem about romanticising this behaviour by showing them ending up together. Now that the fact VC is a Jerk has already been established, I would’ve called the climax as romantification of abusive behaviour had Leela accepted VC without a strong reason or a character trait supporting her act.
But that’s where the child-woman characteristic of hers kicks in. Leela isn’t a complete grown-up either, nor is she a typical loosu ponnu . She takes childhood crushes seriously. She has a childlike excitement when she sees the Kashmir snow for the first time. She screams and dances while being mesmerised by its beauty. She’s more thrilled by the act of VC allowing her to scream than the plane ride itself. On a date, she is adamant on staying to watch the snow, even as VC tries to explain the danger they would’ve to face. She knows this guy’s treating her very badly but still goes to see him off, while at the same time trying to make him understand about their incompatibility. At the end she literally says she’s been crying like a child since the time he left. I would have had a problem had this ‘romance’ been cutified or sold as some kind of an ideal relationship. But this romance is anything but cute; there is not even a visible chemistry, which seemed quite intentional. No kisses, sex is not passionate but perfunctory (as it is to him), no proper duets (the love songs are mostly one person’s view on the other). It’s the polar opposite of OKK in a way.
Few downsides for me were:
a) Prison break scenes (for obvious reasons)
b) A totally ill at ease RJ Balaji, providing unintentional laughs, especially with his Hindi dialogues. Someone screamed ‘craaastalk’, reminding the audience of his crosstalk days (a radio show where he butchers the language in a prank call). The whole theatre exploded.
c) Sarattu Vandiyile placement. We had seen Leela just meet VC’s family and would have liked a few more interactions between them or nothing at all, rather than a no purpose-serving wedding song where Leela teaches a bride-to-be, whom she barely knows, about Tamil naatu baani
d) Some of the dialogues. There was a mild GVM-ification of dialogues in some parts. I’m not referring to the English lines, but rather the interspersing of thooya Tamizh with English, like the usage of words like Kaatrullavarai, tharcheyal and kirukki . Though not saying Kirukki is classical Tamil by any means, something like a loosu/paithyam seemed a more natural word to say. I had this problem even in OKK, where a young urban character swears using words like Makku chaniyane . I mean chaniyane? , seriously? Who talks like that?
But I think Mani has gone bolder in this film with his choices, his characters. Look at the risk he’s taken here. At one end he ends up alienating the general Tamil audience by showing Out of wedlock pregnancies, Hindi speaking protagonists, scotch-sipping rich families, all in a slow-moving drama. At the other end, he displeases fans of Mani Ratnam’s romance by making regressive, non-amiable and confused lead characters with non-existent chemistry, and still asks to take their story seriously. I, for one, certainly did.
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SingaLinga
April 10, 2017
I haven’t read all the comments here yet. Anyway, Did anyone notice that maniratnam was actually trying to narrate the story of Dhushyant & Shankuntala through KV? He did not make it too obvious by including a ring (kanaiyazhi) in the story or an amnesia story but it’s done in a pretty subtle way.
There was someone in twitter who caught this link & has explained the references here quite beautifully. Worth a read.
I’m quoting below from this link.
“Kaatru Veliyidai is also a retelling of the Dushyant – Shakuntala tale , painting Dushyant as the cruel , chauvinistic , abusive and in love male lead who has to redeem himself to get back to his love. The abhijnana shakuntalam beacons are strewn through the movie – Ravi’s letters , Varun standing Leela up at the registrar’s office , the ending and the gandarva vivaha moment in the film ,which is another of my favorites. She is dressed in a Maroon Saree in Nallai , he comes and gets her and that cruel she’s still my gal moment happens and minutes later he is spinning her round and round and round with I love you’s going around , chiseled and captured like pheras”
Kaatru velyidai – the meaning! Now that several videos have been made trying to understand what this really means. Even going by Bharathi’s poem, the phrase alludes to a time lapse (a transition period) where a lover is waiting to unite with his lady. And the movie is exactly that. Just that the time is not that short.
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Karthik
April 10, 2017
I don’t know if it’s just me, but towards the later parts of the movie ARR’s BGM, specifically in the portions where Varun yearns for freedom, was edging towards his album track ‘Naan varuven – Changing Seasons’. It would have been fitting had it been part of this movie.
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Ramesh
April 10, 2017
For me Iruvar was the last masterpiece from MR. Kannathil , Ayudha Ezhuthu, Guru were all very good movies..MR is surely past his prime..The last 4 have been shockingly amateurish..
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Nimalan
April 10, 2017
It worked for me.. because the characters were real all the way.
VC escapes from captivity, gets back to work and starts flying then during his 11 week holiday every year (!) goes looking for his Azhagi … wtf but realistic.
I liked the climax, it moved me enough to give VC another chance…again Leela finds him.. as she has been doing since high school… the mere mention of Rohini got me and so was VC, the calling of “Amma” was surreal… the audience had no clue if Leela had aborted the pregnancy…. the best was the lines when Leela tells VC he is now responsible for her and tells Rohini she is responsible for VC… there is no talk of marriage or promises to happily living ever after. It is realistic.
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B S Kumar
April 10, 2017
Would a first time director get such kindness of understanding?
That is where I have a problem with most of the newer Mani Rathnam movies. They border on the playful arrogance that he seems to be spending his reputation’s capital on.
No strong storyline that we could care about, no characters that we could root for. No motivation anywhere – to make or to watch.
But, since it is Mani Sir after all, we should put up with something here and there, and then praise it for it is a throwback to some little this and that, from wherever and whenever in the past?
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Vidhya M
April 10, 2017
Sai Pallavi was first auditioned for the role of Leela, but dint make the cut as MR wanted a mature-looking lead for this role. So one can quite get what MR was looking for in his heroine – vulnerability, both physically and emotionally, yet with innate dignity. The kind of gorgeous woman who would let the hero arm-twist her, literally and otherwise.
Dont think there are many out there in Tamil (or South) that fit the bill. Aishwarya Rajesh (like most heroines today who can act well) has sharp eyes and not “marunda” vizhigal that is needed for this role. I can only think of Madhavi or Samantha (initial days) or Kousalya (who cant act much). One shouldnt forget that it took Alphonse Putharen more than a year to find his Malar teacher for Premam.
As for the hero – this is Ranbir’s bread and butter all the way. Or even Shahid perhaps. But in Tamil, Sidharth could probably have done better – as he is capable of exuding meanness and charm at the same time. A couple of decades back, our “other” Karthik would have owned this role (remember Gokukathil Seethai?). Yet Karthi is likeable and ok for this… Maybe his last attempt to be different, given the flak that he is getting.
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NAVEEN VARADARAJAN
April 10, 2017
“VC: Take it off!…I said take it off…” is inspired from this very scene from Silver Linings Playbook.
From KV:
Silver Linings Playbook:
My theory: Being in the Air-force for a long time (from mani sir’s interviews pre-release, VC has been there for a long time), VC suffers from #PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which was ‘never’ diagnosed/ treated…and after the traumatic incident, PTSD moves into an Acute stage which again was not diagnosed properly. There are many instances in the film where VC exhibits PTSD symptoms.
People are laughing watching Karthi’s erratic behavior…but if people are aware of PTSD, they wouldn’t…somethings need not be explained but Indians and PTSD…are faaaaar away from each other – and it needed a strong mention and 2-3 scenes to explain it. That would have made it “Geetanjali meets Roja” or “Lone Survivor Meets Silver Linings Playbook” and that would have been AWESOME! Only Mani sir could do something like this!!
This is what, I think, Mani Sir would have wanted to convey but at sometime he would have felt “people wouldn’t understand and …” but that kind of backfired.
Mani sir, nevertheless, is a genius…and will definitely bounce back with his next, I hope.
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brangan
April 10, 2017
Aadhy: Also Mani ensures the power dynamics in their relationship is made very clear. While apologising, VC jumps on the top of the jeep’s bonnet, looks down on Leela…
This is there even in Vaan song sequence. See the step from the 18sec mark on. He literally “bounces” her around like a toy.
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Blah
April 10, 2017
B.S Kumar, Mani sir does have lifetime cache with some of us. We’ll pay for whatever he puts out in his life time as a thank you for a lifetime of memories. If stuff is good along the way, that’s awesome. If it’s not, he has a right to cash in on what he has earned for the last 20 years. This is not to say KV is not good, but you’re right about there being some indulgence. On the flipside, the indulgent section is tiny. “I will diss whatever Mani makes” section is way larger and louder post every release now.
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Aneez
April 10, 2017
this movie will be a flop. big disappointment from Maniratnam. all the characters look like aliens. majority of the audience cannot relate to the characters of VC, Leela, esp VC’s father who looks like a north indian sitting in pawn shop. the story telling has failed this time. OK Kanmani was nice. Karthi’s shaved look not good in few scenes esp. when he opens his eyes big. i think he is trying to imitate madhavan in this scene. i felt like karthi was trying to imitate most of the mani ratnams heroes. he also looks like Prithviraj in Raavan movie. allover i felt like a cliche character. i think this war back drop didnt work out. mani’s attempt to make this movie a pan india appeal has lost its charm and relativity with tamil audience. and i dont agree with the title for this movie review. i feel like many people are seeing through a special lens while watching mani sir and other best directors film talking about all artistic elements of film making. i agree mani is the best in our country but when it comes to review a movie we should better only look at the movie alone and not who made it or what was his background and history of his cinema. just like Kadal this movie didnt workout for the great craftsman.
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naveenkrwpress
April 10, 2017
Mani just needs some excuse to throw a romance – be it bombay riots, kashmir or SL issue. needs those backdrops in a superficial way and too lazy/cautious to get into the fine aspects.
came across a couple of comments in various reviews
ARR has taken their 25-yr relationshipt to the next level, Mani seems stuck. this is a good tribute to MR films. the problem is it is a tribute by MR to MR
this would have been a good film had it been made in Hindi give ppl from TN are too far from army/airforce etc. made in hindi with ranbir or rajkumar rao or shahid and with ARR, this would ahve taken the nation by storm like Roja did long way.
hope ARR continues to pay attention to bgm consistently and not just for MR movies
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Vinod G
April 10, 2017
I watched the film twice. The first time… the entire film went yards over my head. Had to catch it a 2nd time, being an ardent Mani Ratnam fan. It did work really better the 2nd time around. But both times I just had 1 feeling after the climax. They are not getting together for life. This is just a comma because in their respective weak moments, they took an emotional decision just as they kept doing throughout. They would separate very soon..
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raincoffeemovie
April 10, 2017
Saw the movie last night…. I loved the movie for certain bits which are unseen in mainstream tamil cinema… it felt like how I used to feel in the 90s listening to a newly released Rahman album. Requires repeated listening, a context (for which we had to wait till the release of the movie) and then again if the picturisation was bad or downright undeserving of rahman then i had to ignore the imagery nd delete the movie from my mind and just internalise the music and/or lyrics….
I had the same problem with KV. The premise was new… (like listening to Thee Thee from Thiruda thiruda for the first time) unexplored ….though MR gave us somethibg similar with Inba & Sasi in Aayudha ezhuthu…. but the idea being projected through various elements is where I guess KV failed for me..
War/IAF : I was able to accept the timeline and VC feeding his inner ego and self image of the perfect stud cos c’mon he’s a fighter pilot! But the prison break nd border crossing and chase sequence ways exhausting…. it felt like someone suddenly snatched the book of poems I was reading and switched on fast and furious 7…
I hold nothing against the fast and furious series of films… but damn not when im deep inside poetry!
Lead actors : ARH as Leela was convincing, I guess… she has the fragility and delicateness that was expected in the role but I have reached a point where good lip sync/apt costume for the heroine has stopped figuring in my expectations list. The last MR film where a heroine lip synced nd dressed for her role perfectly was Simran in kannathil muthamittal. Karthi’s pilot loo cannot save him here. Though I hate the word stereotype, somehow in hat shot where he sots in the bus towards Afghan border with that beard made me feel “this is better for this guy- the paruthiveeran look”… maybe MR couldn’t find anybody better. Someone who cud project narcissistic and possibly abusive tendencies while also giving the suave sophistication needed for the tango song and the scenes where he gives his lopsided grin driving the Willys jeep. But, really MR couldn’t? Raavanan has Vikram doing some of the most insane acts and dialogue delivery on screen… but man what a choice?! He nailed it completely! Why did MR settle for Karthi? And i agree with most of above comments about supporting actors… wasted.
Build up to where the characters are: I found this to be the most troubling part in the movie because the build up is there nd also not there! Most of MR’s characters have very short but hard hitting build up stories behind them… you take to the character instantly. Not here. The narrative felt like MR gave me a 2 page short story and said, imagine this in a poetic canvas with out of the world music and go figure if you want to love VC or not… even worse, he says figure out for yourself why VC’s family behave the way they do. (Why need for pregnant bride song and wheelchair brother?!) How does it add to this story? And also, on the side fig out why leela loves him to bits. I can see that she does. But i want to know why and i am not given a clear answer.
So here is my problem, i like the novelty of ideas, the grey shades – two very oppositely impulsive characters – he angers easily nd she forgives before he has apologised.. But all i get is 2 pages with the prison break nd chase taking up one full page… i can’t do much with what is left….
And no killer performance or dialogues to aid…. remember Iruvar’s dialogues that had so many layers nd Mohan looking t Revathi nd vice versa in mouna ragam after the accident.. they did half the job in those movies… here VC singing nallai allai on the jeep with (im sorry, they looked like) blind man’s glasses shatters any hope of us joining any of the dots. And i did not connect with the joy of the lead celebrating “I love u i love u i love u” or “just give me one more chance” or “unakku enna pidikkalaina? Rohiniya pidikkalaina?”….
Gone is the MR whose dots used to stay with me long after watching the movie and I could interpret it a 100 different ways and love the genius of it. Every romantic pair of MR I have waited to see a physical expression of their passion. Revathi nd mohan hugging on the train, Arvindswamy and madhubala in Roja in Kashmir with snowflakes on her hair, madhavan and vidya balan in guru, i can go on.. but here, i did not wait for an embrace or kiss or whatever and i realised why when they did hug – it did not work… performance flaw or spark missing in the chemistry? I don’t know.
My verdict: excellent writing and premise but bad choice of lead nd lazy execution.
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mkadaba
April 10, 2017
Thanks for connecting the destiny dialogue to why Leela falls/fell for VC… I was there but not quite while watching the movie.
Another big question the movie didn’t answer well for me was the apparent transformation VC makes toward the end. He’s no longer the egoistic abusive prick because he says so? Because he was a PoW? Because he’s the ‘narrator’? He apologizes for “loving” her in the end, which is almost classic abuser speak. I saw no evidence he’s recognised he has a problem, or that he’s ready to get help, which for me was a disappointing ending.
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Jordan
April 10, 2017
Tamil cinema audiences seem to always be averse to character studies of movies. Iruvar, NEPV, and now this. I thought KV was an attempt to get into the psyche of VC, and show how his past reflected the kind of guy he was to Leela, even though I think it failed to show how he gets away with his behaviour from Leela each time. It shows that Leela is a little troubled too, and maybe needs that affection from someone in a land where she initially felt like a stranger.
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Anisha
April 10, 2017
About those bulging eyes, maybe MR approved of it because it does fit into VC’s character. If he says “I love you” three times to really push the feeling across, why wouldn’t he bulge his eyes out too? He is an over-the-top guy, this VC.
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Prashila
April 10, 2017
Vinod: Great observation. The fact that he reaches the site of the red cross camp and yet she is the one who finds him (like the ball scene and the Leh base camp scene) though made me think otherwise. As Aadhy said the power dynamic had shifted by then. the choice was in her hands again.
And speaking of Vaan, also please to note the other kind of scene where she runs to him, he lifts her with just one arm, and then turns her around like it is a joyride, pretty much the essence of all the adventure and drama he brings into her otherwise quiet life. That scene was just incredibly romantic in the promo, but after watching the movie the complete song made so much sense as to why she said “I love you” to him even after the “she’s my girl” fiasco. Whatte beauty.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 10, 2017
Prashila : You really love this film dont you ? 🙂 🙂
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praneshp
April 11, 2017
Prashila: Are you also known as Punee?
I don’t mean to offend you, so sorry if you did.
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zzz
April 11, 2017
When I first saw the movie I was left with a sense of disappointment because I felt MR portrayed an abusive relationship through a very romantic lens. After that I was listening to the songs and found myself grow increasingly uncomfortable as I knew what would come next in the movie. If this was his intention, to show this as a beautiful relationship at first to strip it down to it’s abuse in a way that lingers, my respect for him grew by leaps and bounds
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Aadhy
April 11, 2017
BR and Prashila : Oh Vaan is a stunner. When the audio released, I just liked the haunting melody, but never paid any attention to the lyrics. The promos also seemed to me like a generic love song where the heroine displays all feminine grace while freezing in ice cold weather. But I was blown away when this song came on, especially because of the point at which this song plays. It actually answers the question Why does she love him? , as Prashila said. The lyrics, the location and the choreography gave it a new meaning now. The song has Leela swaying in a mystic trance, letting her loose body flow like wind in all directions. As BR said, the way he bounces her around depicts the power dynamics. She’s all over him like wind flowing over an airplane. He stretches his arm like a wing and she jumps on it, her whole body flying above and beneath his arm. And the lines, especially these!
Ennodirundal evalo ninaivaan
Avalodirundal enaye ninaivaan
Only after the movie did I realise that the evalo here is the country, his first obsession. National duty always came first for him when they were together, and now when he’s trapped while on national duty, he yearns for Leela. The song is full of such metaphors which detail the whims of VC’s character, while also establishing that she’s secretly attracted (the kid in her hiding her attraction from her matured self) to these whims. “En kalla kaamugane, avandaan varuvan” .
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PM
April 11, 2017
Every single close up to Karthi showed his struggle to be a top notch jerk with an off balance compassion. Rest was brilliant, fascinating and forward thinking.
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Mrinal Narayan
April 11, 2017
With his abstract film-making, Mani Ratnam is creating a beautiful pattern now. He finally succeeded here what he was trying to do in Raavanan and Kadal (I am not calling them bad movies, but felt those two movies missed something, may be editing ??!!).
With his new style, Its a beautiful feeling for a fan in me to see him break his own stereotype, outdo himself, like witnessing the life-cycle of a butterfly, each phase being beautiful. The energy level hasn’t gone down even a bit since he started making films.
Its like Bharathiyar wrote a poem about a Bharathiyar fan who respects his ideas, shows off like one who is following them but acting quite the opposite when it comes to his Kannama who is Vulnerable and Strong..
Didn’t Bharathiyar himself take his Kannama for granted ???? as shown in movies like “Bharathi”
@brangan When you mention Inba/Sashi spin-off, I feel VC is somewhere in between Inba Sekar and Michael Vasanth, who is full of confidence, has that “Yogyam” persona, fan of Subramaniya Bharathiyar but not ready for an equal relationship.
Coming to the question on why does it feel like VC’s changes or his strong love towards Leela beyond his self obsession are not portrayed fully in the movie, leaving the audience wanting for more…We are made to connect the dots like you said…And I feel this is what the film-maker intended. There is no spoon-feeding here.
I got reminded of Dennis Villanueve’s Film-making style (esp Sicario, Arrival) where the impact feels more when the audience work on the layer beneath, than what is shown to you.
There are sequences in recent Dennis Villanueve’s movie Arrival (I saw it being more of a Philosphical movie than a Sci-fi) where the protagonist’s way of life completely changes once she learns the language of the aliens with which she interacts. The significant scenes where she undergoes the process happens over a span of months in the story but is portrayed in a single shot, So, the what, why etc get answered when we try digging further, try to think about it and connect the dots and we realize the magic.
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harish ram
April 11, 2017
@Mrinal: excellent points. Let me try to push it further. With movies like Arrival, even before watching the film or at least in early portions of the film we adjust ourselves to view it in a certain way. Even for a reclusive viewer it is clear that the film is beyond an average sci-fi movie. I see that extension of hand to be missing from Mani side. He either shifts to the OKK side or to this side.
PS: Yes, this is a better film of the last four.
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Jyoti S Kumar
April 11, 2017
I have not watched the movie. But if the lay audience is not able to “get” the movie maybe Mani sir should hit the film festival circuit?
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GR
April 11, 2017
Mixed feelings.
Left with feelings akin to what I had after watching Dil Se (great ambition, so much technical genius, but somehow lacking that emotional connect by being a wee bit too abstract).
To start with, of course, you judge MR films by different-much higher- standards.
Much to like in terms of specific scenes, music, perfs (esp ARH-she is superb). And also idea behind the core story: the love b/w a very romantic girl and…a guy who is not very nice (chauvinist, serious anger and control issues etc; this is slowly and cleverly revealed: after setting you up for a typical dashing, cool dude, Casanova hero, and then wrongfooting you by peeling back his layers ). Can they be/are they in love? Can he change, and how?
The story is really his journey to redemption.
All this is v ambitious and fine on paper.
My problems were with
(1) the setting/milieu for all this: does this story need such a dramatic, expansive backdrop (Air Force, Kashmir, Kargil)? Or would it have benefited from a more intimate, Mouna Ragam like space? Found the setting (and the way the story was structured and the directions it’s forced to travel in, because of it) too distracting from the core plot
(2) Kaarthi is miscast. Doesn’t have the acting chops to pull off such a very complex role and
(3) so much time is spent on showing how this guy is not a very nice guy that his transformation-for me, the key part of the story- is dealt with very cursorily.
Overall, imho, another difficult-to-categorise misfire (but with many moments of great cinema) from a brilliant director who seems to have lost his touch w.rt connecting emotionally with his audience.
Wonder if I’d have felt more engrossed if I’d seen it without the distractions of a restless audience around me, waiting for a typical Tamil cinema plot driven story, and getting impatient with a character driven study of a complex relationship.
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Brad
April 11, 2017
There was a scene with the heroine’s parents? :O It was cut when I watched it today!
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Enna koduka sir pera
April 11, 2017
The movie was poetic.. Although I can’t fully figure out whether I liked the movie or not, am still thinking about it a day after watching it which doesn’t happen often. I so wish this was like a Russian novel with many more scenes explaining VC’s self-centered nature (instead of other people mentioning it), why Leela keeps going back to him, how VC realizes his love for her and what makes Leela leave. I agree with BR in that I too feel like some pages of this novel were ripped off and it’s hard to connect the dots. I did’t want the movie to end, I wish this was a 5-hour epic.
The prison escape and chase sequences were not really necessary and too generic, but the way they were shot was too good. The sequence where VC and the other two slide down a mountain and hijack a truck to be followed by the Pakistani army felt like watching Mad Max. The scene was shot brilliantly!
I hope MR gets the money he invested back so that he can keep making more films like this! And, our audience doesn’t deserve MR, they simply don’t have the mindset to sit through a non-fast paced lyrical movie.
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anon
April 11, 2017
Brad – I saw the movie on Saturday and it wasn’t there 😦 Can someone go over what happens?
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raincoffeemovie
April 12, 2017
Yes. I saw the movie on Sunday and the scene with Leela’s parents wasn’t there!
@brangan – just a question…. i saw the movie on Sunday and I’m still dissecting it in my head…. it is something i have no control over…. especially an MR creation! His work are like epics for me… i still watch thalapathy and mouna ragam when they play on tv or play raavanan and kannathil muthamittal on my dvd on a rainy sunday afternoon knowing well that i will dissect yet again and find something new… so it is with Kaatru veliyidai… with the song incessantly on loop in my music player the visuals and dialogs and hidden (or just unseen from my side) layers seem to emerge and I edit what the film gave me/did to me…. i still think the supporting cast was wasted and I would have loved to see more of a backdrop to the VC and Leela bond take form…. i stii feel something missing that made me feel unable to feel their love for each other…. but I have to confess even without watching again, the film has grown on me…. in 2 days !! So my question is this… if i now feel my previous comment was too unforgiving about the movie does that mean I am convincing myself that my all time favourite director is still a genius who has given me precisely what i wanted with KV or is this what real cinema does? Makes you peel layer after layer learning how things have been cleverly hidden like a treasure map and slowly root for not only the characters but also for what they do-what they are on screen? Have you ever felt that way AFTER writing a review? What do u do then? Because as a critic, i guess it isnt easy to do what i just did…..
I initially felt a discord with VC asking Leela to come to the registrar’s office and then once she tells him she’s expecting, he says “yosichu pathen…. seri varaadhu… purushan, thagappan, idhellam enakku seri varaadhu” (or something in those lines i think)…. then why did he ask her to marry him?…. she could just be another girija…. why talk about next level and then backtrack? But now, i think it makes sense…. after further dissection i feel MR need not explain VC’s behaviour here… afterall how many of us truly understand it when we finally say yes to marriage … we think we do and then live and learn…. that is what VC did too… he thought abt Leela expecting and then said no…. MR scores here big time for me…. by making VC do something hateable he makes us look deeper into him and i daresay empathise and eventually accept him?…. and i accept him now 2 days after watching the movie and he isn’t so hateable anymore…. do/can you do this as a critic, no matter how careful you are when u first write a review?
Does this mean MR’s characterisation of Leela and VC is so complex and yet shown in a very limited scale so as to let us (no, force us) to go deeper and literally get into their shoes/skin? To understand the why that eludes us while watching the movie?
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raincoffeemovie
April 12, 2017
Oligalin thedal enbathellam mounathil mudikindrathey
Mounathin thedal enbathellam gnyanathil mudikindrathey….
Been going over this for almost 48 hrs now…
VC while in prison says he remembers her face, her eyes etc but he can’t remember her voice…. her sound….
And then just as he gets closer to successfully escaping he says “un kural kekka aaramvichiduchu…”
Does anybody feel the 2 lines refer to this?
He seeks her sound while in prison and he can’t remember it thereby ending in silence (vaccum)….. and in the bus ride during his escape he searches the silence (vaccum)around him that leads him to the realisation (gnyanam) that she is his anchor… his love isn’t just his..it isn’t exclusively his…. it’s their love … and he accepts that he has been too self centered even in love…. and so changes….
Man, what did MR and Vairamuthu do with this movie? I am wondering about this at 1 AM?!
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praneshp
April 12, 2017
@anon: they show up for Delhi Ganesh funeral, dad wants Karthi out of the house.
He later goes back and asks them why they hate him, and they give him the silent treatment. I have no idea what the scene was supposed to tell us (given that we already knew VC is a jerk that wants to have his way).
I was confused if they were blaming VC for their son dying or daughter getting pregnant, but I don’t know if the director wanted me to think that.
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praneshp
April 12, 2017
Maybe Mani Ratnam should’ve added a song with Aditi in skimpy clothes. That wouldn’t have been cut.
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Green Boy
April 12, 2017
Saw the film a few days back and scenes from the film are still stuck in my head. Lots of folks are talking about the ‘Mani Ratnam Magic’ missing. Well if this isn’t the Mani Ratnam Magic then I don’t know what is; the fact that this underdeveloped and inchoate beauty of a film still haunts me. Watching MR’s films at this point is like reading Murakami (experiencing the whole thing-wise), you tune in for some semblance of a story, sure, but even if there is sth left to satiate, there is an undeniable beauty more than charm to the whole thing. This holds true even for the two films that preceded the “safe” OK Kanmani & I enjoyed this one even more than those two. I really dig the fact that MR made a romance movie that at least tried doing something else, something adult. Yeah can’t deny the fact that the movie is missing a lot but at least we don’t get out and out fluff like OKK (which was enjoyable) or even the sorta-silly Geethanjali (doesn’t hold up for me). He’s made the kinda film that someone like Gautham Menon tries so hard to make but ends up failing miserably (for real tho, when will the dude stop confusing love and lust. Simbu in VTV and AYM was a borderline creep and Jessie didn’t seem too interested in him throughout or maybe that was just the way Trisha played her). And yeah probably if it was some other director instead of MR then I wouldn’t have given a shit. Just like how I don’t read your reviews for what you have to say about the film but rather how you say it. Pramaadham…kavithai, kavithai. Karthi I felt was fantastic and brought his A game. Whatever faults I thought existed in his performance was only due to the screenplay. I grinned like an idiot when he jubilantly yells “Hindustani” upon reaching the Afghan border. Fun seeing such actors on screen. Hope MR keeps coming up with stuff like this in the future as well. Wtf did he do with the songs though. Gorgeously filmed but felt a lil weird watching them spaced so close.
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blurb
April 12, 2017
Scene with Leela’s parents
Adding to what praneshp has written, the way the scene ends was one-of-a-kind. The meeting does not go well; Leela asks him to leave; she says get out — in a normal voice. VC responds by shouting loudly hunh?! — with a ‘what the hell did you just say?! how dare you ask me to get out?!’ kind of attitude. They do this get out – hunh?! game back and forth a few times, with her get outs becoming more and more mellow; and his hunh?! becoming more and more aggressive. And finally she very meekly says please get out.
This was a WTF moment for me.
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Anon
April 12, 2017
Is that where VC is banging on some door as well? Cos there was that shot in the trailer, that I didn’t see in the movie. Also him shouting “Kaatru Veliyidai Kannamma” from trailer was missing.
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brangan
April 12, 2017
raincoffeemovie: Writing a review is not a precise science. The first time I watch a film, I have a reaction. I may react differently the second time, or when I see the movie a year later, a decade later… So a review is a record of that particular viewing.
If the film is good, then it will keep haunting us in a good way — though ultimately the decision to say “I am able to forgive the parts that did not work because the other parts worked so well” or “okay, some parts worked, but overall the film did not” is a personal one. Each person will have a different take.
With the kind of films Mani Ratnam, Imtiaz Ali etc, are doing, it gets even trickier. Because they work in a mainstream space, we expect to “feel” — i.e. we want to laugh, cry, feel emotionally moved. That’s how we generally rate mainstream films.
But the thing is that they are also working in an idiosyncratic space, with bits of art-film colour. So the “feel” question becomes tricky. If you are going to evaluate a movie only by that yardstick (and certainly no one can judge you on how you choose to watch a movie), then these films may not work.
But for others willing to engage with these films, get exasperated and exhilarated at the same time, they are rewarding in their own ways.
Let me take a terrific scene from “8 Thottakkal.” It’s a long monologue — reminiscent of the one from Onaayum Aattukuttyum” — and there’s a wonderful slow zoom-in that makes perfect “emotional” sense. But was I “moved” emotionally? Maybe not to the extent that I should have been. But the scene also pulls you in cinematically — in the sense that even if your heart isn’t having a certain kind of reaction, your head is responding positively.
And finally, a certain kind of viewer amalgamates these experiences (from the head, from the heart) and makes up his mind about a scene or a movie.
That’s what I tried to say in the title for this review… cinema vs movie, an art form vs an evening’s entertainment.
As for KV, I am still thinking about the Nallai allai scene where — for the first time in the history of apologies — the man “looks down”. 🙂
I think my response so far is as per this review. The filmmaking is great (and please, let’s stop talking just about how “technically” well-made this is; that it certainly is, but I’m also talking about how the shots are set up to convey mood and meaning). I love the characters to bits. I wish the arc of the karthi character had been better. I think the end was rushed.
I have a feeling this new batch of Mani Ratnam films will be re-engaged with at some point. I am not saying they are unimpeachable classics. Just that, shorn of the opening-weekend hype and twitter reactions, they’ll come to be seen as very interesting excursions into the Indian mainstream space.
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raincoffeemovie
April 12, 2017
@brangan – yes. The part about our head responding even if the aim was for the heart- i agree completely. You have said what i couldn’t find words for. Thank you. KV does that precisely and that’s why it’s grown (ing) on me! And also, Karthi’s character arc was a let down for me because I think that leaves a huge hole in the movie…. especially cos the movie had only Leela and VC in it… I did not come out of it remembering a supporting cast/storyline like Revathi’s father (mouna ragam)requesting Mohan to forgive him if he has not satisfied his expectations in the marriage. That silent understanding and agony that the parent feels…. or Charu Hassan’s(thalapathy) stubborn “surya yaaru. Avan kulam kothram enna?” father angle…. or the very short scene in kannathil muthamittal before the park bomb blast where the suicide bomber says to amudha “idhuvum thamizh thaan”… the conviction in his eyes… i missed that kind of strong hard hitting support in KV. And that is why VC’S character, I say, needed more to it…. i know now MR must have had it in his head… but i wanted it on screen…in dialogues… in background story…. even in one of he above would have helped… helped the movie and karthi (yeah yeah, his performance is growing on me too, but not enough, poor fellow) 😊
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Anon
April 12, 2017
I saw the movie twice and enjoyed it considerably more on the second watch. I could see what Mani was going for in his head, throughout the film and I was constantly making connections in my head but yeah it did not translate as well on screen. Even the first time, I could see why Leela feels the way she does about VC but even with mental gymnastics, I didn’t see why VC would care about Leela beyond his usual infatuation and slacking of interest. I could digest it better the second time though. As everyone has said, Karthi is spectacularly miscast. The role was crying out for Madhavan. Even Surya would’ve worked. Karthi was quite good in all the parts where he was not required to be a charming, suave, romanticky rogue. Alas, suaveness and charm is beyond him, I think.
On second watch, things that annoyed me (like Leela’s over enthu doctor shtick in the beginning of the film) started making sense (she’s taking care of VC, that’s why) and I found Nallai Allai scene hugely affecting second time, because I knew where exactly each was coming from, especially Leela (also it was super relatable, having done this same shit multiple times in life). The most Mani scene in the film was Leela humming and hurriedly finishing up making that hot water and honey for thaatha to check out the plane flying. I smiled throughout and Aditi killed it, in that scene. There’s a fair bit of discontinuity between scenes – I still don’t get why Leela chooses to say I love you and sleep with him right after that blatant bit of manipulation. I agree with Maru above on Leela acting like a total jackass in the snow storm and that scene not being a great example of VC’s abusiveness. Maybe Mani should direct a Hollywood script next, instead of wrting and directing a Tamil movie.
Feel sad at the level of bile and hostility for Mani’s films these days – they can’t wait to tear it down. I didn’t like Kadal, but I liked KV very much. Also, is this blog slowly dying? A Mani interview thread getting only 50 comments? Ye God!
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Aadhy
April 12, 2017
The last time a film evoked such a polarised response from the audience was after Iraivi, I suppose. Thinking of it, KV and Iraivi share a lot of similarities. Both are well ‘directed’ films about messy relationships. They had flawed protagonists (albeit in different ways). Both raised the question of women putting up with crap, although not in a completely satisfactory way. Both had a tackily dealt parallel narrative (disappearing goddess sculptures in Iraivi and prison break in KV). Both films triggered a flurry of debates and ideological think pieces on them.
As imperfect and idiosyncratic as they are, I would really welcome such films in Tamil. I think the current Tamil audience haven’t really yet warmed up to deep and layered relationship dramas, something in the Imtiaz Ali space, like what Mahendran and Balachander used to explore back in their days. Even among the well made, arty movies, the ones that get a good response are gangster dramas, crime thrillers with existential tinges, black comedies, and horror flicks. Whereas Coming-of-age relationship dramas, character studies, aren’t that well received, and that’s why we need more people making them. VTV and NEPV were almost in this zone, but GVM’s movies don’t leave you…(struggling to find the right words here) mentally exhausted? Maybe because he tells more than he shows. You’re not left to ponder and fight with yourself over why a character behaves in a certain way, you’re not provoked to have a debate whether the film moved you emotionally as a whole or whether it was just well-made scenes that’s having an impact. His movies don’t challenge you to connect the dots yourself and make sense out of them. I can think of a few more which came close like Oru naal Koothu, Kadhalum kadandu pogum,…but not many.
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Nikhil Mathews
April 12, 2017
Are you insane? No, really?
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Raj
April 12, 2017
Watching KV I felt like Laxman batting against the Aussies. Innings filled with exquisite cover drives, deft glances, wristy flicks, making the opponents fall in love with his shots but the problem was that he was hitting the ball straight to the fielder- couldn’t pierce the gaps.. Yes it was great watching those shots but I also want the ball to reach the fence and the scoreboard was not moving. Then I felt the pressure got to Laxman and he played a slog shot in the end( climax) and got out. A great innings for purists/technicality/artists who care about the art form of batting, a not very effective innings who want both art and result and a poor innings for those who wanted only a WIN!!!! For me it was not a very effective innings…
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SamirKasim
April 12, 2017
I really find it sad that this movie wasn’t well received by the audience, i was shocked to find the theater half empty so soon. In this movie, most people hated the character vc, but i found his character very well written, especially in scenes like in the hospital when vc’s father gets angry at his wife and vc gets angry at him for this, then after this, vc gets angry at leela just like his father did before, vc’s hypocrisy is clearly visible here. Also the scene when vc says to leela that ‘man is different, women is different’, here we see the shades in his character that connect with a lot of men in the society.
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Dhanda Soru
April 13, 2017
@Akhilan – Well, I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree on ARH. 🙂
@BR – Btw, any thoughts on the request by the producers’ council that reviewers review a film at least three days after its release (though if the tone of some in the film fraternity is anything to go by, this could well end up being a decree rather than a request)? I can’t help but think that, if implemented, this could end up being hugely beneficial to the big-budget star-vehicles but perhaps at the expense of the smaller films. After all, even in the age of social media, don’t people turn to critics to decide as to whether or not to watch a small, obscure film that’s got a lot of positive buzz around it? Of course, you could make a counter-argument that these critics play a role in many of these small films struggling to merely break even. I suppose it’s a double edged-sword. And there have been many instances where a film that’s been praised to the heavens has struggled to just break-even (and in many cases, there have been outright flops). Even so, I can’t help but feel that this could adversely affect many small films for whom critical success is a massive boost – especially given that most films, unless they happen to be massive blockbusters, can’t really match the kind of business they do on the first weekend.
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praneshp
April 13, 2017
“most of his heroes are shy and don’t want to do intimate scenes.”
Some of the shit Karthi has done (exhibit 1: Alex Pandian) is way worse than a kiss 🙂
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Nimalan
April 13, 2017
It worked for me as the characters were realistic and even unromantic all the way while the script was set in a poetic setting with romantic visuals, BGM and songs. The use of the wind and wide spaces to capture காற்று to reflect mode is genius masterstroke. One could sense it throughout the movie in the snow storm, in the fighter plane noises, the Nallai Allai song, when VC meets Leela’s parents, even the eerie quite scenes in the climax.
The discussion on the brother’s death comes up in their first ‘date’ only to let VC know she had known about him since high school. Leela never intended to treat his brother’s death to gain sympathy from VC or introduce her. She comes from a military family, she is used to it hence the ‘இது போதும்’. But one can see the weird kind of surprise in VCs reactions. He even behaves like a true gentleman, for once, when he drops her back and says ‘chemistry எல்லாம் தாறு மாறா இருக்கு – இது தப்பாயிடும்’ and goes back home.
The snow storm scene sums up the relationship between the two – it starts with a magical setting and love that escalates into an argument. VC does not reason at first, but only tells her let’s get back a storm is coming… I know these storms well and you don’t ..so do as I tell you …. Otherwise I will have to use force … I am a trained military commander etc. This doesn’t go well with the strong minded Leela. At the end, he says I am ‘worried’ we both might get killed in the storm, can we please go… to which she responds ‘இத முன்னாடியே சொல்லி இருக்கலாமே’.
It would have been clichéd and mundane if the movie had taken the route ‘true love changed him’ and they happily carried on, until VC went to war and became a POW, then the yearning and the escape. That would be identical to Roja. Kaatru Veliyidai, I believe, takes the second path as you mention – where a strong-willed woman takes on an egoistic (add other adjectives!) guy who she is madly in love with. Yes, there is ‘no blossoming of great love’ here as in Mouna Ragam or Alaipayuthey. Here the director brings out a few other, more realistic, shades in a relationship. The story is seen from VC’s recollections hence the constant ‘bad chemistry side’ comes up – yes it’s a bit repetitive which leads the viewer to have no sympathy for VC and lot of affection for Leela, which is what VC has for Leela. But the scenes with VCs family, which makes you squirm in your seat, gives us an idea where VC gets some of his traits.
There is a perceived lack of conviction in making the audience believe that VC had changed. Maybe the director didn’t intend to do this. VC still seem to love his sunglasses in the prison, showing he still is the same guy – even though the voice over says otherwise. He is intending to escape not only to find Leela, he is also not content dying in the prison his egoistic pride would not let him. When he returns, he goes to work, starts flying and then goes looking for Leela during his annual vacations. This is VC.
The scene when VC meets the parents for dinner was one of my favorites. The seemingly final straw in there initial relationship. Earlier, VC had been already escorted out of the funeral – without a reason. He was seething inside – but tries hard to please the in-laws. The silent treatment from the parents was classic Mani. Viewers are left to guess what they are angry about – is it the pregnancy? Is it because she wants to marry a military guy? The wind hustling in the background through that open door, adds more tension to the scene. In the end VC looses it and gets a ‘Please Get-Out’ from Leela. Leela basically ends it there. The final end in the
The prison escape sequence it was like a 1960s WWII sequence with motorbikes and trucks flying over. I didn’t care as I was interested to see how VC and Leela ended up. Adding drama and suspense for the escape would have been like Roja…. And it was never about the POW or patriotism. I didn’t see any harm in using the Dilip Parulkar run to inspire the escape sequence but agree Taliban might be not as friendly in 1999 as was in 1971 Afghanistan. The script also used a quote by Norman Schwarzkopf, US Commander, in Afghanistan, who said ‘that forgiving the enemy is God’s function our job is simply to arrange the meeting’ Karthi tells this to his wavering junior in the bar. It seems there has been some research put into the script… to connect real events.
Leela is a unique portrayal – she is not Roja yearning for a captured lover in the war or Divya from Mouna Ragam who gradually falls in love after marriage. Leela is a strong-minded woman – may be the strongest of all of Mani’s female characters. She is a doctor who takes her first posting in Srinagar. Falls in love with a guy she wants to be with since high school, she is not interested in marriage, has a child with him even though he doesn’t want to keep the child, she walks out of the relationship after she realizes it’s not going to work, probably has no support from her parents either, works/volunteers in medical camps in remote areas while bringing up a child as a single parent. She doesn’t bother about Varun becoming a POW or to go looking for him even after she sees him on TV when the military awards medals for him.
The climax would have been contrived if VC and Leela got back together, in a melodramatic scene with the returning POW falling in the arms of his lost girlfriend. I thought the child brings in more conviction, yes it’s a bit clichéd – but the way the climax was staged with the mention of child’s name Rohini, which Varun had picked previously, melts him to tears (!). The dialogue where Leela tells Rohini she is responsible for VC and VC that he is responsible for Rohini is simple, yet has deeper connotations and it is classic Mani dialogue. There is no mention of marriage or happily living ever after.
Cinema is a form of art. The illusive ‘story’ is what you see, feel and realize. The movie can take you so far and one brings in his or her own investment into the art – together you experience art. What works for one might not work for another. This is the beauty of art as opposed to science… there is not a right form of art nor a wrong form of art.
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Anon
April 13, 2017
Guys where is this cut with the meeting with Leela’s parents playing? Is it only abroad/outside of India or something?
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brangan
April 13, 2017
It was there on the first day. I think by evening some cuts were made and this scene was one of them.
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Kannan Baskar
April 13, 2017
A great review BR. I loved the film, as you mentioned great cinema with truck loads of style. Kind of got disappointed that the resonance between style and substance went missing. Following is my rambling take on KV.
https://kans345.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/kaatru-veliyidai-a-gloriously-flawed-study-of-ambivalence/
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shaviswa
April 13, 2017
@Dhanda Soru
No. I dont depend on reviews to decide. I got to know about Katru Veliyidai being a bomb after it’s first show. (not that it was a surprise – I knew it would bomb after seeing the trailer).
I get my feedback from friends and people I know. Sometimes their feedback would be WhatsApped during the first show itself.
Delaying the reviews has actually no impact. In fact, as you had mentioned some good film that was not promoted may lose out with the delay in reviews being published.
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MANK
April 13, 2017
tough luck for Mani. the film seems to have been universally rejected. it will be very hard for him to get financing for his next film
http://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/mani-ratnam-s-kaatru-veliyidai-crashes-at-the-box-office/story-uI7cD8Y3SRcT0tf07ldyWK.html
I wonder where he goes from here. His story is typical of every artist who wants to explore the cinematic medium, but tamil cinema is the last place he must be doing this. He seems to be in the state where Kamal was in hey Ram to Anbe shivam phase. trying to experiment with Tamil cinema and paying dearly for it. Kamal finally hit bulls eye with Virumandi which was as much experimental, but had the look and feel of a mass film and was a much easier sell to the audience. I hope Mani finds his virumandi soon
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Prashila
April 13, 2017
I have still been unable to get this film and VC and Leela out of my head even after almost 6 days. And this has never happened before. I am pained by how much flak something so fascinating is getting, with some ‘reviewers’ saying this is the worst movie ever.
Please tell MR it is not just in case so much negativity gets to him. I too hope it doesn’t get into losses, because that would just be so unfortunate for people like me and others like me who really want more such characters to come in the mainstream and not just the indie/art movie scene.
And finally thank you for this post and the base for this amazing comment thread because right from the time I had seen the first teaser for KV, I had been desperately waiting to a) watch the movie and b) read what you would write about it. And on both accounts, I was not disappointed even if a) could and should have been a more leveled experience what with all the very obvious flaws in the movie.
But that said, this movie has made me think like none before and will be one of those few movies very close to my heart (Lootera, Khushboo by Gulzaar, and Sairat being some of the others) .And all the mental engagement forced me to write down my own piece and on the very fascinating character that Leela is . Do check if you have some time.
http://www.womensweb.in/2017/04/kaatru-veliyidai-leela-choice-abuse/
P.S. I really hope with you continuing being so busy with your new FC related endeavors, your Hindi film posts and occasional Marathi/other regional posts do not take a backseat and are at least put in here from time to time. Like I wanted to know what you thought of Anarkali of aara and Mukti bhawan. Hopefully you will get around to them sometime.
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Dhanda Soru
April 13, 2017
@shaviswa:
Well, obviously, not everyone relies on critical reception when it comes to deciding as to whether or not they should watch a film. But my question was w.r.t small films. Films like “Kaatru Veliyidai,” “Anjaan,” etc – even if they happen to be bombs – will have people watch them at least during the opening weekend (if only due to the names involved). But for films like “Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru,” “Maanagaram,” “Attakathi,” “Pizza” etc, would it be à stretch to say that critical success bolstered the positive buzz around these films? Perhaps we won’t know for sure until we conduct some research into this.
As an aside, isn’t it odd how most of the people who’ve called for the postponement of reviews are people who’ve either had many of their recent films received in a lukewarm manner or been at the receiving end of a critical panning?
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Anon
April 13, 2017
What’s the point of delaying critic’s reviews when all WOM comes today from Social media and sundry youtube blue sattai like reviews?
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Ragenikanth
April 13, 2017
the comments suggestion that he should not make movies in TN is the most generic & bizzare thing to say , which i have been hearing from ages when it comes to Kamal & MR movies
let’s not pretend their best movies were made in Tamil and accepted in TN
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 13, 2017
SPOILER ALERT
Will share more stray thoughts about the film subsequently, but for those who want to watch the film in its (unfortunately) dying days, I’d tell you this:
Good or bad this film, I still don’t know, but this is a film that demands undivided concentration from you as much as say, a Kiarostami film. It’s not as if the details aren’t there at all.
For example, I’d say the scenes with Karthi’s family are the most economical ‘family intro’ scenes I’ve ever seen. Right from the ‘Saarattu Vandiyila’ song to the scene in the hospital (stops short before it really could have exploded, IMO), we get a family that is so casual and negligent about its women. Even the scene (or shot) where they’re going to the hospital says everything about the male-female dynamics in the family. ONLY the women are anxious about the delivery, but the men are already joking around with the to-be-father. It’s a whole story shown very well in a shot. Yeah, a more recognisable cast would have made a better impression here, but these add up really well to the bigger picture.
Try watching in a theatre you always frequent, or best if possible, a theatre that feels like home (Really missing you, Cinepolis Ernakulam!). This is the kind of film where you especially don’t want any externalities ruining your experience (I really wished sleep deficit and a damn cold hadn’t hurt me here).
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
April 13, 2017
Second Ragenikanth. When films like Raavanan and KV flop despite huge opening, it tells something about the Tamil audience. As for “Tamil cinema doesn’t deserve Mani Ratnam/Kamal”, here’s an anecdote: After watching Vanaprastham a french critic [who?] told, “Mohanlal was born in the wrong side; if he was from the other part of the world he would have already got a 100 Oscars.”
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ragenikanth
April 13, 2017
honest Raj I don’t think we need to judge a movie on box office nos we have seen wonderful movies getting the respect n box office nos it deserves equally seen movies like aranaya kndm , iruvar, OA n many such movies this happens everywhere not just in TN
and Ravanan & KV seems to be poor e.g.
forget about awards it’s biased everywhere
great actor hv always been respected n celebrated in India and mohanlal will always remain one of the greatest actor
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GODZ
April 13, 2017
@Honest Raj and Ragen..Third that…Here we go…I wonder how short sighted and ignorant some people really are that they think themselves like super geeky..super elite..Super cool people who always look people down just like KV sees Leela..Was not kaaka muttai a box office hit and last years BR movie of the year “Aandavan kattalai” was not it a box office hit..
Sometimes Flim makers fail to connect with Majority of Audiences..You can make great cinema but if you cannot connect to the majority of audiences or if its not entertaining..Then audience wont see it..Period..Because audience pay for getting entertained..Not to see how great is you craftsmanship or how great once sense of cinema..
i want to quote this line from BR’s review of Aandavan kattalai.. Entertainment that is about something, that says something – it’s the elusive grail Tamil filmmakers keep chasing. May be Mani Sir or more often Kamal sir – they are missing it in recent years..Mani Sirs KV may be great cinema..but is it entertaining for Majority of audiences? I doubt it.
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Anon
April 13, 2017
Hold your horses guys! This is what I meant when I said maybe he should direct in a different place: writing seems to have become Mani’s weak point right now and he’s clearly a fantastic director. Maybe he should give writing a break. Somehow, I can’t see him directing someone else’s script in Tamil at this point – so maybe some other language, some other, larger, wider film industry, bigger canvas deserving of his directing talents would be the ticket. None of that means Tamil Nadu never appreciated Mani etc.
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Vishnu
April 13, 2017
I dont think Mani Ratnam will ever be able to do a massive film like Vishwaroopam. Papanasam is a far bigger hit than Mani Ratnam has ever managed in a decade. Why Kamal is tagged along with Mani Ratnam? Stupid really.
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Altman
April 14, 2017
Thirty years from now Vetri Maaran or Manikandan won’t be doing things the way they do. They might want to experiment with the medium, push boundaries or do away with conventional norms. Then the pundits will say “Oh he used to be so good in his younger days. Now he has lost his touch. Why is he even working? He must retire ASAP etc etc.”
Mani Ratnam’s current predicament has less to do with mediocre scripts than his desire to cut loose from the mechanical constraints of plot, conventions, logic et al. He trusts his audience’s imagination to connect the dots he has deliberately left apart. Buy nay, we want clarifications, justifications, motivations…we want to be spoon fed of everything. If an off-beat movie succeeds the audience are intelligent, if it fails the director is stupid. Awesome.
Where does he go from here? I too suggest international projects. With a decent budget and competent actors, his craftsmanship complimented by Rahman’s score can create magic. I would like to see him tackle a stream of consciousness kind of stuff with splendid visuals and minimal dialogues like Terrence Malick films. One can only hope.
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Dhanda Soru
April 14, 2017
@GODZ:
Films like Kaaka Muttai and Aandavan Kattalai succeeded because they appealed to all sections of the audience – The A, B and C centres. Honestly, if Mani Ratnam wants to continue making prickly relationship dramas like KV, I think it’s best he moves to Bollywood. Because I don’t think that this kind of cactus-like romance is capable of surviving – let alone thriving – in Kollywood (and before people go around throwing the whole “people can’t relate to this film partly because it’s set in an elitist milieu” accusation, I have just three words: Neethane En Ponvasantham. That film was set in a middle-class milieu. And that too was a prickly relationship drama. And that too didn’t do well at the box-office. Coincidence? I think not).
I don’t think that we, as an audience, are ready for this kind of relationship drama. Maybe we will be in a few years. But if MR wants to continue making films like KV in Kollywood, then he’s going to have to keep his budgets super-low. I honestly don’t know what he was thinking when he made a film this prickly with a fairly high-budget (for this kind of film anyway). Or perhaps he thought that the star wattage of Karthi could draw in crowds. In any case, it looks like KV is destined to become a cult film.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 14, 2017
Stray thoughts continue…
Karthi was good IMO, but yeah not upto the mark when he really needed to be. He aces it in the climax though, bringing across everything he felt during that instance. At the same time, I got this feeling: Prithviraj Sukumaran would have done this role really well.
Now, Prithviraj too isn’t THE BEST guy to flesh out a complete character from abstractions or archetypes, if Ennu Ninte Moideen is an example to go by.
Why he is perfect for the role starts maybe with his being of the right age (He is 5 years younger than Karthi). Now to the real part – all the shades VC shows, be it that of say, the suave lover or a man who matures with time, Prithvi has done in some film or the other. Especially the cocky, narcissistic side of VC, Prithviraj would have played at a whole new pitch in the portions where Karthi came off as a little too wannabe. He would have made you (and himself) smack the smugness out of him.
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ragenikanth
April 14, 2017
Godz exactly what I intended
anon no doubt he is still the best director we hv as u put it rightly the writing is the problem
missing sujatha big time
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brangan
April 14, 2017
ragenikanth: It’s not that our makkal are bumpkins who can’t see fine art. But it’s equally true that the only kind of “fine art” they will accept is the kind that has “entertainment” in it. Meaning, it should make you laugh, cry, etc., and not get into the zone that someone above called “prickly,” uncomfortable, which makes you squirm etc.
Kaaka Muttai is on one level a devastating put-down of globalisation, but for the average audience that wants to have a good time, the film is just about two kids and a grandmother who tries to make a pizza at home. Same with Aandavan Kattalai.
But what if a filmmaker does not seek this balance? What if he says “I just want to remain true to my story and characters?”
So that’s the kind of zone MR is in. A film like KV cannot accommodate much “lightness” (save for the songs, which are intense in their own way). And this kind of movie our makkal JUST WILL NOT ACCEPT.
Also, about your comment that “writing is the problem”:
I think he is still a good writer. You cannot have “lost your touch” and write scenes like the one with the arm-twisting or Nallai allai or “she’s my girl.” With a good writer, it’s not just about content (i.e. the dialogues, the stuff that is happening in front of us) but also about the intangibles like mood and texture, which is there by the truckloads in these scenes.
The “problem”, then, is as I wrote in my review:
“Post Iruvar, Mani Ratnam has grown increasingly impatient with conventional story and character arcs, but when the protagonist is this unconventional, we need some more scenes…”
The ideal way to go about this kind of movie is to have no songs, no war scenes, just do a Blue Valentine kind of thing. But how to bring this to a mainstream format? That’s where the cracks begin to show…
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Thulasidasan Jeewaratinam
April 14, 2017
Exactly. Blue Valentine is an apt comparison. This film should have been written without the war settings and songs, just the scenes. Then the dots seems great, because it strips everything to it’s basic elements: VC and Leela. That’s KV. That’s all that KV should have been.
God darn it. So is the verdict official? Has KV flunked box-office?
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Ragenikanth
April 14, 2017
The ideal way to go about this kind of movie is to have no songs, no war scenes, just do a Blue Valentine kind of thing. But how to bring this to a mainstream format? That’s where the cracks begin to show
thanks BR can’t agree more
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MANK
April 14, 2017
Rohit, I think prithviraj would also had been a misfit. He just doesn’t have the range to pull this off . He would have looked equally funny in his clean shaven face and bulging eyes
The only South Indian actor who could have pulled this off is Fahad fazil. Remember how brilliantly he played a similar character in Artist. That film was a more realistic -and less romantic – and a more convincing portrayal of a similar relationship dynamic between the lead pair
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
April 14, 2017
With a good writer, it’s not just about content (i.e. the dialogues, the stuff that is happening in front of us) but also about the intangibles like mood and texture, which is there by the truckloads in these scenes.
Not sure even a Mani Ratnam would be able to explain the ‘Bhagyaraj – India’s best screenwriter’ phenomenon. Thanks, BR 😉
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MANK
April 14, 2017
Brangan, I don’t think Mani wants to do a barebones blue Valentine . I feel he likes the ornamentation of music, songs, gloss and i like it too in his films. He is one of the very few directors who knows how to use songs to enhance mood and texture of a scene. BV has its own appeal , but the kind of ecstasy and emotional high that he provides through a song like vaan varuvan , the way it’s placed in the narrative , how it’s shot is something that one will never get from BV kind of treatment.
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brangan
April 14, 2017
MANK: I am not saying MR should do a Blue Valentine. I too love his mainstream sensiblities. I am saying that such a story ideally works best with a barebones treatment and the problems in this film arise from the attempts to “mainstream” this idiosyncratic material and not from bad writing, as someone said above.
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Aadhy
April 14, 2017
Dhandasoru : ” I don’t think that we, as an audience, are ready for this kind of relationship drama.”
Absolutely agree. This was the point I was trying to make with my earlier comment. Even among the ‘arty’ movies, the more entertaining ones are received well. If not entertaining, the audience expect alteast some kind of warmth in the movie, or in its characters to make them root-worthy. Quoting BR from another thread,
” Karthik Subbaraj is a cool stylist whose films lack the “warmth” Tamil audiences need. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. We need all kinds of styles. But his films may find it easier to attract audiences if they had something like say, the relationship between Kaali and Anbu in “Madras.” ”
I think this perfectly fits to KV. When the relationship between the leads is this messy/pricky the audience automatically looks into the characters for some warmth. And MR makes his characters so complex to even understand, let alone to root for. This could prove suicidal with romance (in current Tamil scenario), which isn’t the case with other genres like crime thriller or gangster flick, or political drama. They automatically come with characters to root for or/and a lot of entertainment in the form of action, comedy and weird character quirks. Like for example in Aaranya kaandam and Jigarthanda, if you don’t look into the ‘cinema’, you have some riveting action moments, dark humor and even characters to root for ( sampath in AK and Simha by the end in Jigarthanda). Visaranai had the migrant workers to invest in. Soodhu Kavvum had black comedy to entertain. D16 had a Rahman character and Maanagaram had Sri and Charlie, along with some high-octane scenes. Uriyadi had action. Mysskin’s movies, however dark, also have root-worthy characters and action moments. KV has none of these. The bit of action it had was tacky and so the general audience is left just with the songs and some eye-popping (aka showy) visuals. That’s also why I think MR is getting more singular with his recent oeuvre. He detours with Ravanan and Kadal, they tank, he gets some money back with a more audience-friendly Ok Kanmani, and gets back to exploring his idiosyncracies right in his next film, and it tanks. As MANK said, it would be interesting to see where he goes from here.
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Udhay Sankar
April 14, 2017
What does nallai allai mean?
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Kannan Baskar
April 14, 2017
BR i loved Raavanan (not Raavan), it was a great film which had a layered character (the one that Vikram plays) scaffold a beautiful narrative. I guess in some ways VC’s character is the scaffolding on which KV rests. However VC’s character arc needed more screen time to sink in. At times certain aspects of his character, which needed to get resolved, seemed more like flourishes due to the hurried pace, in the jam packed second-half.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 14, 2017
MANK:
I guess I prioritised physicality a bit more when I chose Prithviraj. I thought the range of emotions this particular character requires or covers, Prithvi has covered pretty much through the course of his career. And the close-ups too, I thought he would have held well enough.
I haven’t watched Artist yet. Fahadh was on Mani Ratnam’s radar for this film or some other project, right?
Rangan Sir and Aadhy:
Could this also be about us expecting some of our favourite directors to do things only in a certain way? Especially, if you’re not just a favourite, but iconic? Why are we so wary of the experiments they do AFTER they have become established, even if their fame comes from their having experimented with the audience’s sensibilities?
Take the example of Martin Scorsese, my other ‘how-many-others-do-it-like-him-at-this-age?’ director. You ask an average 20-ish year old movie watcher about Martin Scorsese, and he’d say Wolf of Wall Street within the blink of an eye (May…be Shutter Island too). This was the kind of Scorsese movie that most people, even regulars who weren’t FANS liked, for he had returned to this much-loved and singular style of moviemaking after quite some time. But yet again when we returned to the other, very meditative segment of his filmography (Age of Innocence, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun) with Silence, he was shunned outright. Even most award shows, which may have accepted such a powerful message in a product with less finesse, thought the film was unworthy.
I haven’t watched any of Clint Eastwood’s or Woody Allen’s works yet, but again, very few say their recent films are the kind of films only they can make.
Coming back to Mani Ratnam, I think I’d like him to try something other than romance for a while, or at least, keep the romance in the right proportions. Kadal should have been something big: an atheist’s exploration of morality and ethics, yet he had to put a romance in, and worse, advertise it as a romance. SInce his best movies weren’t always romances, this shouldn’t be a problem.
We have on one side people saying ‘He’s no longer Madras Mani’ and on the other hand we hear ‘TN doesn’t deserve Mani Ratnam”. ‘Crossroads’ is too simple a word for this situation
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Madan
April 14, 2017
” But yet again when we returned to the other, very meditative segment of his filmography (Age of Innocence, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun) with Silence, he was shunned outright.” – Age of Innocence didn’t do well in its time either. It may have been re-evaluated since but at the time, maybe the fact that it wasn’t like Goodfellas/Taxi Driver Scorcese was held against it. On the other hand, while I haven’t watched a lot of Scorcese films, Age of Innocence is probably my favourite BECAUSE I was stunned by how well he pulled it off. The last scene was incredible, so much conveyed with so little. Anyway, I digress, but, yes, not only actors, but music directors and filmmakers all get ‘typecast’ to some extent. When they try to break the mould, the audience is disappointed that they didn’t get their fix. And when they stick to the tried and tested, there are complaints of predictability. The moment a filmmaker’s films leap from being ‘only’ works of art to entertainment, this becomes a problem because now he has a large following which starts to restrict his options by demanding what THEY want out of him.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 14, 2017
*Silence’s rejection has hit him so bad that his next film The Irishman (an A-lister of A-listers at least in concept), is getting a Netflix release instead of a theatrical one.
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Madan
April 14, 2017
“his next film The Irishman (an A-lister of A-listers at least in concept), is getting a Netflix release instead of a theatrical one.” – WTF man! Well, I guess all good things come to an end. Maybe it’s combined effect of Silence plus the expensive Hugo also failing to recover its costs. As much as I enjoyed Wolf of Wall Street, take Leo out and it probably tanks too.
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Arun Pradeep
April 14, 2017
I loved the film. Shame on anyone who says it’s the ‘same old Mani Ratnam masala’ cause this is a very courageous film. I can only admire someone who keeps setting his own standards despite films like Iruvar bombing. It takes a lot of guts and conviction to do what he does, both as a person and a creator. I am jus sorry that Kavan is a hit while KV’s getting bad reviews. I walked out of Kavan at the interval. The times we live in.
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MANK
April 14, 2017
Rohit, things isn’t that bad for Scorsese. he already had theatrical distribution for Irishman and had sold the worldwide rights to several distributors at last years Cannes film festival., but he choose to go with Netflix after they made a bigger offer..Netflix has been on an aggressive drive to procure high profile projects. they are also making the new Big budget scifi film Bright with Will Smith. Scorsese already has Devil in the City with Di caprio in the works at Paramount, so it isn’t curtains for him yet
i am actually happy that he is making it for Netflix. i dont think there is a market out there for a Pacino -deniro crime epic costing in excess of 100 million. this way he does not have to worry about the rating, the runtime or studio pressure . he can make the film that he wants to make with total freedom. this is going to be the future for such great directors like Coppola, Mann, etc. Fincher already has House of Cards at Netflix. we are going to see lot more directors gravitating towards this format including Spielberg whose last film BFG was a BO disaster
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GODZ
April 14, 2017
I guess its all comes to money or to put aptly Economics and personal taste finally. Improving peoples cinematic senses so that they pay money for not just getting entertained but also enjoy it in its pure Art form requires time and when i say time its a generational change. Most of us not just in tamil nadu but through out india, we spend like significant time in our life for movies. But we dont even have it in as part of education system. Sometimes good and great taste has to be taught right from young age. I mean just because you include cinema in curriculum does not going to change all in a day but its their where you start so atleast after like 15 years People will pay money for great cinema.
Coming back to the movie, not all themes can be presented in an entertaining way. One cannot Flim Holocaust in an entertaining wa.. But the problem happens when film makers try to oversell their product. The people who have fallen in love with this movie are going to love this movie no matter whether Karth is in it or not or whether their is a War/army background in it or not or other things that shoot the budget of the movie. Its pure emotional connection. People who have fallen in pure emotional love, People who failed in love, Men/Woman who have been A.Holes with their loved one and lost later changed in life can connect to this movie instantly. For them all the war stuff is just a distraction.Because a lost love can never be got back it can be resilient at its best but when it reaches it threshold and breaks its lost and one can never get back. So those people can feel what this movie tries to communicate. Its a lesson for all those men/Woman who take their relationship for granted.
Mani Sir is a Master when it comes to Potray the intricate complex relationship not just in indian cinema but in World cinema. Period
Their is definitely a market for these movies and people in those market love to pay. The challenge is how one can tap that market and make profit. You cannot rely on Theaterical income alone in this digital age. This is applicable for Small movies as well. If you want to make large money, then one has to make compromises. If not, reduce making cost, find mutiple channels of distribution,Tap you market fully and make decent profit.
Great cinema does not mean its Free cinema.
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theupscaspirant
April 15, 2017
Watched it once; read the review here; and re-watched it again in the cinemas.
Could appreciate the movie a lot better and the scenes that felt slow didn’t seem so the 2nd time.
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Rishikesh
April 15, 2017
@brangan I felt that movie was underwhelming on the whole,Mani Ratnam picked up a wrong premise – one that deals with deep internal conflicts to stage an epic romance. This combo was a terrible mismatch and resulted in an ill conceived screenplay. In the current form, the conflict feels pretty weak or non-existent even for me. In my opinion, the falling – in-love portion though interesting on a purely surface level should not have existed in the film at all. It would have been better off introducing the characters as a couple and then starting off from their problems, that would have helped to give the ‘problem ‘ part more importance.
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Arun Rathakrishnan
April 16, 2017
An excellent review. I somehow feel Maniratnam gets far less credit for his craft. I thought this was his best directed movie. Especially in the scene featuring “Nallai Allai”. When an actor go down on his knees in front of another actor, a power relationship is established between them, where the latter over powers the former. Maniratnam fiddles with this dynamic, with staging. Varun is on his knees, but kneeling atop the bonnet of a jeep. He is not looking up to her, instead their eyes are at the same level, creating a false sense of equality.
The film is about a love story where people don’t see eye to eye. This deliberately comes across visually in several scenes.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 16, 2017
My inference from the ‘Nallai Allai’ scene was a lot more basic…It’s VC being VC, making his apology as grand (or grandiose) as it could be, rather than being genuinely sorry. Leela isn’t really moved at first but she later buys into it.
Then again it isn’t VC being calculative or domineering at this instance. It could just be that he wants to correct his mistakes, but knows it’s hard and repeals the attempt
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brangan
April 16, 2017
So this is from the Vikatan review:
“ஆரம்ப பில்ட்-அப்களுக்கு பின் `இரு மன ஈகோ’ மட்டுமே பேசு பொருளாக இருப்பது…. ஆவ்வ்..! இருப்பினும் ஆங்காங்கே கவனிக்க வைக்கின்றன சில ஈகோ தருணங்கள். ‘ரவி லீலாவை காதலிக்கிறான்… லீலா வி.சி-யை காதலிக்கிறா. ஆனா, வி.சி- வி.சி-யை மட்டும்தான் காதலிக்கிறான். அதான் பிரச்னை’ என கார்த்தி, அதிதி இடையிலான ஈகோவை சுட்டிக் காட்டுமிடம்,… போன்றவை சிற்சில தருணங்களே. மற்றபடி… மணி சாரும் மிஸ்ஸிங்…. மணி சார் மேஜிக்கும் மிஸ்ஸிங்!”
This is one of the more reputed magazines and especially looked up to for its reviews, and they’ve identified the central problem as an… ego conflict.
Not liking a film is one thing — a perfectly valid response.
But not understanding the film?
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brangan
April 16, 2017
But this is very interesting:
வ.உ.சியின் கதையா காற்று வெளியிடை? – பரபர குறியீடுகள்
ஜெ.வி.பிரவீன்குமார்
‘காற்று வெளியிடை’ படத்தைப் பார்க்கும்போதெல்லாம் படம் முழுவதுமாக இல்லைனாலும் சில காட்சிகளில் குறியீடாக வ.உ.சி-யை நினைவுபடுத்துற மாதிரியே இருந்துச்சு. அதெல்லாம் என்னன்னு நீங்களே பாருங்க மக்களே…
காற்று வெளியிடை
படத்துல கார்த்தியோட பேர் வருண் சக்கரபாணி. ஆனா படம் முழுக்க அவரை ‘VC’ ன்னுதான் எல்லாருமே கூப்பிடுவாங்க. அவருடைய ஏர்ஃபோர்ஸ் யூனிஃபார்ம்லகூட VC ன்னுதான் பெயர் போட்ருப்பார் கார்த்தி. வள்ளியப்பன் உலகநாதன் சிதம்பரம்பிள்ளைங்கிற பேர்ல இருந்து வந்த VOCயைத்தான் ஷார்ட்டா VC னு கூப்பிடுறாங்களோன்னு தோணுது.
படத்துல அடிபட்டு ஹாஸ்பிட்டலிலே கிடக்கும்போதுகூட பாரதியார் கவிதையாகத்தான் பேசுவார் கார்த்தி. அப்படியே இந்தப் பக்கம் வந்தீங்கன்னா நிஜத்தில் பாரதியாருடைய கவிதைகளிலும் பாடல்களிலும் ஈர்த்துதான் அவரோட நெருங்கிய நண்பராகவே ஆனார் வ.உ.சி. அவர் பற்றி எடுக்கப்பட்ட ‘கப்பலோட்டிய தமிழன்’ படத்தினுடைய எல்லாப் பாடல்களுமே பாரதியாரோட பாட்டுகள்தான்ங்கிறதும் இதில் ஹைலைட். அவ்வளவு ஏன் பாஸ் இந்தப் படத்தோட டைட்டிலான ‘காற்று வெளியிடை’ங்கிற பெயர் பாரதியாரோட பாட்டுனு தெரியும். ஆனா அந்தப் பாட்டு ‘கப்பலோட்டிய தமிழன்’ படத்துல வருதுங்கிறது பல பேருக்குத் தெரிஞ்சிருக்காது. என்ன ஒண்ணு அந்தப் பாட்டு வ.உ.சி-க்கு வராம மாடசாமிங்கிற கேரக்டரில் வரும் ஜெமினிகணேசனுக்கு வரும். எல்லாத்தையுமே டைரக்டா சொல்லாம கொஞ்சம் சுற்றிவளைச்சு சொல்றவர்தானே பாஸ் மணிரத்னம்.
கார்த்திக்கு காயம் ஏற்பட்டு இக்கட்டான சூழ்நிலையில் மருத்துவமனையில் இருக்கும்போது கூடவே இருந்து உதவி செய்வார் இலியாஸ் ஹுசைன் என்கிற கேரக்டரில் வருகிற ஆர்.ஜே.பாலாஜி. வ.உ.சி பக்கம் பார்த்தோம்னா கப்பல் வாங்க உதவி கேட்டு ஒவ்வொருவராகத் தேடிக்கொண்டிருக்கும்போது முன்வந்து அவருக்கு மிகப்பெரிய பொருள் உதவிகள் செய்திருப்பார் முகமது பக்கீர்சேட் என்கிற இஸ்லாமியர்.
வ.உ.சி முதல் மனைவியுடன் பிரச்னை ஏற்பட்டு இரண்டாவதாக ஒரு திருமணம் செய்துகொண்டார். படத்திலும் அதே போல முதலில் ஒரு பெண்ணோடு ரிலேசன்ஷிப்பில் இருக்கிற கார்த்தி பிறகு அதிதியுடன் ஜோடி சேர்வார்.
Read more here:
http://www.vikatan.com/cinema/tamil-cinema/86099-article-about-the-relative-things-between-kaatru-veliyidai-movie-and-vocs-biography.html
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Anon
April 17, 2017
BR, so that would win the WTF comment of the thread? WTF!
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brangan
April 17, 2017
Anon: Which comment? The VOC one or the ego one?
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Anon
April 17, 2017
@BR, The VOC one 😀
The review comment – I’m not super surprised by. Guess it reflects the depth of relationship dramas and their understanding in Tamil cinema.
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GODZ
April 17, 2017
Thanks for bringing that BR..Somebody has to bell the Cat..You did it..I guess they lost their mojo long time back…Most of their articles including flim reviews are for shallow readers only. It hardly lacks any in depth analysis or anything of that sort. Sometimes they write over geeky that only few can understand or they write garbage…never hitting that median and thats the top tamil magazine..God Save us..
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Vidhya M
April 17, 2017
Reg.the Ananda Vikatan review: its been a while since they lost the “plot” (literally and otherwise)!
Relying on my memory – I think from Roja onwards, their reviews have been mundane and superficial. (They removed the mark system with Roja – for a few months or so!)
Atleast now, they have around 1-2 days to know the word-of-mouth for movies through social media, before publishing their reviews. Earlier, when movies could simmer for weeks and then pick up – these guys had laughably given verdicts (not reviews / critiques, but verdicts) that fell flat.
Their Pokkisham sub-section that used to publish past reviews was stopped because of the jarring disconnect between their reviews and the actual perception of the films today. (This struck me when I read that section a few years back, but am unable to quote an example now)
And now they are happy to award a movie like Kidaari for excellence in various departments (best debut Director, crew etc)
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Aadhy
April 17, 2017
Rohit, I see the ‘looking down’ as a recurring motif. It’s there in another brilliantly staged and shot scene, where VC and Leela lie beside each other as Leela asks VC to take a call on their child. First we see a top angle shot where VC has to look up because his head is below hers. We see VC upside down, his position reflecting his state of mind after her question. Watch how he buries his face into the ground not being able to look her in the eye when he’s at a weaker position. Then we cut to a shot where we see VC slowly rising up just a bit in the vertical plane and conveying, looking down at her now, that he isn’t ready for fatherhood yet. She then brings him back to his original position by saying she doesn’t really need VC to father their child. She wants the child. To which, he responds negatively by again lifting his head and looking down at her, voicing his decision in a more assertive way. She gets up, exits the room and the scene, while he for a brief moment, has his head hanging, before burying his face into the ground, not being able to retain the position of his raised head a la dominance.
“ I think I’d like him to try something other than romance for a while, or at least, keep the romance in the right proportions “
His romances are…well, romances, only in the broadest sense. They are much more about exploring different inner facets of human relationships, something which has been the core of his non-romances as well. As long he finds interesting and unexplored spaces to base his excavation trips on, I don’t mind a full-fledged romance, even if, frustratingly enough for us, he stops short of discovering anything significant.
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Raj
April 18, 2017
The advantage of being Mani Ratnam is people fill in with thoughts behind scenes he may have not even conceived while making the movie. The advantage of reputation!!
The movie did not work out for me because I could not feel that there was any chemistry between the pair. ARH character was confusing for me- she is this strong girl who goes against her parents will, comes to Srinagar but always submissive to the Karthi… I couldn’t buy that.. One could argue she was deeply in love with him but what really happened between them to trigger such emotions – the love at first sight romance in Maniratnam’s movie doesn’t appeal to me… The mention of Karthi in her brother’s letters were reason enough to fall in love- at best someone could be curious but fall in love?? Also if one gets to know if my brother would have been alive if not for the person in front of her, would she actually fall in love or develop a subconscious hatred towards the person? This is where I lost the plot. I was not convinced of their love, a good foundation was not laid.
I felt some critical scenes were cut abrupt and was not allowed to grow on you. The hospital scene could have been extended to show how ARH felt after Karthi’s comment. I was very interested to know but an abrupt cut to the next scene. She never even mentions about this incident in the rest of the movie. Once again a strong girl not even retaliating when she was insulted in front of strangers.
Also Karthi’s redemption was so unconvincing. What changed his mind? If anything ARH’s break up must have hurt his male ego rather than become submissive. Also he feels insulted in the scene before too [Dinner with Parent’s scene]. Could have explained this better rather than focus on a silly chasing sequence.
The Dinner with Parent’s scene was probably the most unnatural scene- ARH’s father in the previous scene makes sure Karthi is not in the funeral–He had the tenacity to kick an army officer out during ex army officials funeral. But he doesn’t speak a word when Karthi barges into their dining table. A natural reaction would have been to get mad and argue with Karthi, however the characters remain silent in the whole process– is that plausible or even believable?
The least said about the climax the better–once again failed to connect with me– no strong reason for ARH to even accept Karthi–
I dont believe in abstract format in a movie medium.. This is not a book where at the end of a chapter I can put the book down and visualize what the character thinks or feels. I don’t have that luxury in a movie medium– people should be able to connect the dots easily and the presentation should be simple.. Communicating with your audience is a key in any medium a Maniratnam has spoken but not communicated with the viewer in KV
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neabs
April 18, 2017
the movie on the whole was a different experience , it cannot be slated either as a good/bad movie. Cinematography was splendid. Especially watching the snow clad mountains in this summer was like a boon. Aditi rao was brilliant thought the movie , one of the good imports from north india to film industry. One thing i found missing in the whole film is emotional connect with the characters . Leela’s attraction towards VC is clearly visible but Vc’s Yearning for Leela couldn’t be felt anywhere. Climax was much predictable dint expect Leela saying what if You dont like me or my daughter??
the placement of the songs and picturisation worked out for all songs except the fact that the marriage happens only on the 9 th month , that dint sound convincing 😦
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raincoffeemovie
April 18, 2017
@Aadhy
Yes. I noticed many more scenes where a small but of dialog or camera angle or BGM score are so strategically placed to enhance our understanding of the characters (if we choose to, i.e.). Well, I chose to understand more and realised one viewing was not enough.
@brangan- Saw the movie again yesterday and I have to say MR was just playing hard-to-get the first time with this movie… I think he was sort of like Leela telling VC “Illa nee seriousa illa.. kalyanam registration ellam mean pannala”…
She wanted him to mean it when he said I love you. I think MR wanted to say to all of us who claim to be his fans and say we love his work “Look if you really want to understand my genius, well, take this and go figure. Mean it when you say you understand excellent cinema, my kind of cinema ”…. And he hasnt tried polishing it and presenting it. He has just left it there for us to see.
Like Nallai allai scene’s eye level MR has left pointers in so many places. The ones I noticed this time:
Leela asking VC “yesaa noova?” (she uses the same words he uses in azhagiye song… yessa yessa nova yessa… pushing probability of saying yes to 3:4 as explained by songwriter Karky).. but she doesn’t push like VC. Simply yesa nova 1:1…..cos she is not like VC in the relationship. VC says a long dialog… without blatantly saying no… Leela asks again “yesa nova?”… its an ultimatum…. the power shift has occured in the relationship.
The way in which VC shakes his head to say “No” when Leela says “vendumna rani madhiri nadathura. Illanna Keezha pottu midhikkira”… he says no shaking his head… and the second time “never”…. the tone with which he says it… is almost childlike…. he is kind of apologising like a small boy to his mother for playfully breaking a glass. He expects her to clean up the mess. And when Leela starts to walk away he complains to his colleagues “guys my girl is angry” … she keeps walking and just like that he snaps “her highness is leaving… po..idho kooda oruthar irukkar…koottittu po”… this is the shade of his character that is referenced in “garvam kondal kallai uraivan” in vaan song..
Just after Leela leaves saying “naan doctor, enakku pathukka theriyum” regarding their child. VC voiceover “Konjam konjama enna suttu erichikittu irundhen. Ippa unnayum serthu azhikkiren. Azhikkaradhu dhaaney en iyalbu” this voiceover is immediately after he says “no leela, naan serivara matten”… he knows himself and needs her to help him fight his own demons. Thats why in the snowstorm scene he says “enakku nee venum ”… VC is not dumb to not know himself or arrogant to not accept his flaws. He has simply not had an anchor to facilitate it. His selfishness is not synonymous with how the people around him interpret it. Both Rukmini and VCs father character interpret it that way. VC kku VC mattum thaan pudikkum. He is not selfish in that sense at all. He doesn’t have anybody to hold on to.
Thats why he tells Leela in Nallai allai scene “unna vitta enakku yaarumey illa…. nee enna vida romba romba mela. Naan keezha thaan.” He probably has tried to deal with his own flaws and given up thinking let someone else come and change me. I have to confess that is one of the most brutally honest emotions to lay out on screen. We all feel it. All of us change only when somebody comes into our life and makes us do it. Not that we didn’t know we needed to do it. But this needs an external force , a push. But to have your protagonist shamelessly proclaim his flaws(as VC does numerous times) and expect the girl to still love him- as a writer I think it takes a lot of guts to do that. The character might not be honest but the writing is. Also, nowhere in the movie does VC say “this is me. I wont/cant change. Take it or leave it”… he knows he wants to be someone. And that someone is what Leela deserves. But he can’t do it without her putting up with who he is now. And so he says “don’t leave me. Leela Varun made for each other. Lets get married 3 times…blah blah” .
And I also felt its not right to call Leela and VC opposites. They are both in love with being in love. She is a hopeless romantic and we see that very easily. She shows it – when she smiles as she holds VC’s hand during the tango, when she hugs his arm in the plane ride, when she follows him to Leh. He doesn’t show it but he calls her with the propeller sound, suddenly appears before a sortie and says “pathutten…” and speeds off, he sends her a proposal song video in installments. He doesn’t /can’t BE like her. But he IS like her. Only not completely.
I guess to sketch a protagonist like this in itself a highly commendable experiment. So after 2 viewings and 4 posts here and multiple re runs in my head, I declare I love this movie! With all its flaws in casting and unwanted scenes and missing out on certain key points that should have been there to help us piece it together better, the movie has managed to make me fall in love with it!
No wonder Leela falls head over heels for VC with his flaws!
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stalkerwoman
April 18, 2017
Thinking of the dinner scene with Leela’s parents even if during the movie, I found it to be an extremely frustrating experience. I almost felt sorry for VC with all that silence thrown at him. And now apparently they have taken the scene out of the movie…
Leela’s family might have once been a normal family, with a history of the armed forces, even if every generation seems to have a strong mind of its own. The grandfather after all lives a solitary existence in Kashmir and is surrounded by all locals/ their customs. He seems to know VC, doesn’t seem to be very fond of him, and yet isn’t as critical of him as his son is. He only calls his grand-daughter crazy when he feels she is beginning to be drawn to him, but never explicitly stops her, even if he says something like what will I tell your father (cue: the father does not like VC and would not like his daughter being in love with him). But given the grandfather right upto the scene where Leela agrees to VC’s proposal, I would like to think he eventually did not end up telling his son about VC, and so implicitly supported Leela.
Leela’s brother also seems to be an interesting character, talking about someone else’s achievements without being insecure at all. After all Leela’s opinion of VC is entirely through what her brother thinks.
Leela’s father though seems to be the most enigmatic one. His dislike for VC may stem right back to the letters Leela’s brother sent where VC was portrayed as this stud/hero/ whatever figure who was yet somehow the star of that squadron. Leela’s father seems to be very strong-minded, a trait she probably respects, but doesn’t quiet agree with, considering she ends up rebelling against her parents to get to Kashmir. The father also seems to be missing his son badly, by how he instantly wants to drive VC away from the funeral. In an alternate world this young man should have been dead in place of his son. The dinner scene in my interpretation after all this thought is that after VC is driven away, Leela eventually does end up telling her parents about the child, considering it is unlikely she did it during the funeral for obvious reasons (she may even be feeling guilty for what happened to VC because he was only trying to join in her grief). Maybe the father is stunned by this new discovery and so when VC comes in ‘again’ he doesn’t drive him out like before and yet cant bring himself to say anything to him. The mother seems more willing to engage and looks like someone who would have preferred that VC sit down like a normal person, have some food or if not, just bloody sit in silence, so that they could all get some time to collect their thoughts and discuss like regular people in a situation like that would. But VC being VC, he explodes, demands an explanation right then. The father is adamant he will not say anything. The mother is terrified, and Leela finally has no option than to ask him to leave. She seems tired by then, of VC, of her parents, of her grandfather’s death, and so that explains the wtf-ish “please leave” from the earlier “just leave”. And later her decision to leave Kashmir altogether and start afresh with her child, a relationship she can build on her own terms, with no baggage whatsoever.
I think Indian movies with star-crossed(or not so star-crossed) lovers have always been plagued by their compulsion in making place for the parent figures, maybe because of our social setup. Either they become ‘negative’ or long suffering characters like in DDLJ, or they just end up as props who add nothing to the story. Rarely do they end up reaching a beautiful balance like in Sairat where the parents were as much a part of the narrative, as the protagonists were.
How then does something so complex as it is here be accommodated in a movie that is already 140 minutes long. It is fitting than that they took the one scene out. Sad.
And Aadhy, yes yes, now that you say it, ‘evalo’ does seem to be the country. By then Leela might have been pretty certain that there are no more women in his life (unlike the early sandstorm scene where she asks him about Girija). That his ‘loyalty’ to her was never in question.
a.k.a Prashila
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Udhay Sankar
April 18, 2017
Nallai allai means ‘it isn’t fair’. Does that mean leela telling vc that what he’s doing isn’t fair or vice verca?
Sidenote: anyone else found the afghan driver character extremely odd. Like his truck has been hijacked by unknown people, and he could be dead within minutes. But, he seemed to be enjoying the ride. Or was he symbolising afghan-indian unity?. Anyways kudos MR for offering some lightness before the intense climax
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theupscaspirant
April 18, 2017
@raincoffeemovie
Remember the scene where Rukmini Vijayakumar says ‘it’s love’ to the RJ?
You love a girl/VC/movie, you ignore the alleged faults.
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raincoffeemovie
April 19, 2017
@Udhsy Sankar
I think it means that VC recognises that Leela is the one to change him. He wants her to stay and put up with him and not get angry or leave…. the whole nallai allai song is about how she seemingly leaves just when he is about to reach for her… imho i felt he was saying – you have shown what you can make me become but don’t leave me midway it isn’t fair”
It comes from the kurunthogai song where the girl sings to the moon calling it unfair cos her lover comes to her only by night. She says it isn’t fair the moon is there for only half the time… thats why “nannilave nee nallai allai….nallirave nee nallai allai…”
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raincoffeemovie
April 19, 2017
@theupscaspirant
Bingo!
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Kannan Baskar
April 20, 2017
Hi BR, people have been asking me wether I liked KV or not, I was never able to give a yes or no. Like most of Mani’s films it is a work of art that is deeply layered yet finds a way to charm you spontaneously. However this movie has its own set of idiosyncratic flaws. The following is my take on KV, do let me know your opinion.
This is not essentially a review. It is a rambling rumination on Kaatru Veliyidai and films of Mani Ratnam. If you are the sort that would not like to know about the story before you watch a film, kindly read it after watching KV.
A Mani Ratnam film has a charm of its own. The organic, nuanced and exhilarating visual experience the film provides stays with you, no matter, whether you like it or not. Almost all of his films are based on premises that are: tastefully conceived, labyrinthine yet sincere. The characters he writes affect you deeply; occasionally you get mesmerized so much by their idiosyncrasies that you literally start living with them (Divya in Mouna Ragam).
Cinema like other visual arts is a marriage of style and substance. The magical resonance between style and substance, at times, goes missing in his films (films such as Iruvar, Raavanan, Dil se, Nayagan and Mouna Raagam are some exceptions). This observation does not infer that the other ones are bad films; they are still great cinema, but to become works of art, which stay etched in one’s conscience, a film needs to do so much more than just be aesthetically phenomenal.
Kaatru Veliyidai (breezy expanse) is a Mani Ratnam film – from the first frame to the last – it is a stylistically accomplished production. There are so many wonderfully composed frames in the film that I stopped counting. Leela Abraham is one of Mani’s best-written female characters after Meghna/ Moina (Manisha Koirala’s character) in Dil Se. The premise is, as VC (Karthi) puts it, “naan irul nee oli, aana irul illama oli illa”. VC, our protagonist, refers to himself as darkness and his lover (Leela) as light; they are polar opposites. For light to survive it needs darkness, hence for their survival they need to find a way to coexist – interesting, isn’t it. VC’s character is a fairly complex, and kaleidoscopic one; whose arc provides scaffolding for this non-linear narrative.
Mani’s films tend to often dwell on philosophical duality, and the associated dilemma; the drama that stems from this dilemma usually acts as the essence of his narratives, this film is no different. So you have truckloads of cinematic sophistication, a complex yet charming premise, and a sensitive yet assertive female lead – so is it a typical Mani Ratnam drama? I don’t think so; this film is different, it aims to create so much ambivalence in its lead characters that it makes you feel that they could be plots unto themselves, intertwined to each other.
Leela might appear like the ever sensitive, sophisticated, intelligent and assertive Mani Ratnam heroine of lore on the surface, but there is a gray side to her. You see hints of this in Revathi’s character (Divya) in Mouna Raagam. In her relationship with Manohar (Karthik in Mouna Raagam), at one point, she realizes that he might be a great romantic but might not be a stable companion, yet she persists with the relationship. Before this aspect of her character is explored, the relationship ends precipitously as Manohar dies. In KV this gray area is dwelt upon.
As the audience we are never ever convinced that VC has the capacity to turn into a new leaf and love Leela selflessly, we intuitively realize that he shall continue to be an egotistic patriarch and that Leela would have to compromise a lot on her ideals to make this relationship work. However, Leela is afflicted with a sort of masochistic passion called VC, she is addicted to love. He treats her like a trophy once, the very next scene serenades her, and in the next demeans and humiliates her. Yet the attraction is so intense that she can’t help giving in each time (Nallai allai song is one such ignominious give in). It is almost like she is awestruck by this cubist painting called VC, never realizing that he has the capacity to pulverize her.
However she does know, at some level, that she is not doing the so-called sane thing. Leela’s ambivalence and its evolution are well portrayed and orchestrated. Some of the best scenes and shots are reserved for Leela. In one such scene, Mani employs a prop beautifully to illustrate the ambivalence. In this scene, in which Leela confesses her love, a wooden cupboard door (mirrored) is used as the prop. She utilizes it as a barrier onto which she leans on reluctantly, and also refrains from looking at her own image on it. The prop is her ambivalent relationship. Neither is she comfortable with her reckless love for VC (hence the hesitation to look at her own reflection), nor does she feel secure with his persona and attitude (hence it is a barrier that she leans on reluctantly). There are many such mirror shots in this film; it is as if the director wants us to realize that in these scenes the characters are not just interacting with their partners, but also conversing with themselves.
A 360-degree birds eye view of the ambivalence: The ambivalence in the relationship is depicted in another well-orchestrated, geometrically poetic scene. It is the scene where Leela tells VC about the baby. First there is a front on close up of Leela on the foreground looking into the camera, in the horizontal axis, while VC’s face is on the perpendicular plane in the background. As the ambivalence in their relationship gets uncovered, through the dialogues, you get a feeling as if VC’s face is dipping and rising, into and from his lover’s visage, rhythmically. This shot cuts and we have a similar orchestration of head movements; this time the scene is shot from a top angle, and you feel as if his face levitates and floats over hers, ever so briefly.
Leela’s character is definitely the crowning glory of the movie; the character arc is in a way unusual and intriguing. Moreover it is superbly cast, Aditi Rao Hydari probably has given a performance of a lifetime. We totally buy her as the multi faceted Leela. One of her scenes that stood out was the first date, on the aircraft, when she talks about her brother. This scene demands from the actor to celebrate a memory and sprinkle her emotions with melancholic nostalgia, at the same time she would have to avoid sadness; a complex task for any actor, and she delivers. The scene with its great composition and acting really hits you. As the aircraft’s engine whirr up (the frame starts to shake as well) you sense the start of a glorious bumpy ride. She (Aditi) also nails those scenes where she needs to be ambivalent about the relationship (when she confesses her love, when VC acts in a demeaning/ arrogant fashion, when she talks about marriage and the pregnancy etc.). Unfortunately, the narrative does not ride on her character arc.
VC, I felt was a good idea that got, sort of, lost in translation. He is a multifaceted character (way more complex than Leela) like the protagonist in Raavan/ Raavanan. VC is a charming, egotistic, chauvinistic, brash, patriotic individual with bucket loads of hubris. Part of his cocksure attitude stems from his line of occupation, in a way he is a miniature representation of his army (and as he puts it, personifies destruction). He has an ambivalent relationship with a like-minded chauvinistic father (and guess that experience affects all his relationships), he is aware of his capability to hurt others and hence, I feel, he discovers ways to drift away from relationships after short flings. At one point you wonder if he is capable of loving anyone else other than himself. He is surely not someone who believes in destiny, rather he is one who is convinced that he can create his own. A polar opposite to Leela, indeed.
VC’s character initially seems to be less complex, you sort of think that he is another egotistic army officer, who will eventually realize his deep love and turn into a new leaf, no, that is not the case. As mentioned above there are way too many layers to VC, and these are hastily peeled away in the second half. The complexity of his character needed a plot that unfurls these layers at a meditative pace, employing Mani’s characteristic visual eloquence.
VC is a romantic but he also has intimacy issues. He seems to have subconsciously inherited the same chauvinistic, egotistic faculties of his father, which he hates. In his relationship with Leela these characters of his make her feel insecure. The way in which the relationship disintegrates is depicted hastily in the second half. I felt the scenes where VC meets his family were important plot points; they were not dwelt upon much. Meditating more on the interactions with the family members could have helped carve out VC’s character at a higher resolution, thus better illuminating the ambivalent relationship that Leela & VC share, instead we end up with another song – Sarattu Vandiyila (granted the reds in the song kind of portend the painful experience that is in store for Leela with VC & his family)
VC, during a flight accident in enemy territory, gets a reality check of sorts, realizes his deep-seated love for Leela and has to make an odyssey to find his loved one. His character arc has content to fill 3 films, but Mani tries to stuff it all into one, and moreover he has tried ineffectively to portray this character through Karthi. This role needed a seasoned actor, with a great range, and not a star. Mani allows very little time for the character’s journey to register. VC’s reality check or his realizations had to be visually dramatized in a convincing way to make them work or sound true. Instead VC dishes out intermittent monologues, while in jail, to convey his state of mind, they just don’t work. Cinema is about showing and not telling. Most importantly, VC’s physical Journey, back to Leela, in spite of being well choreographed, did not insinuate or make us embrace the rocky inner journey that he makes (except for the top angle shot of the hairpin bends).
All said and done, I was somehow touched by the climax a fantastic composition on the top of a dune and the way in which Leela intuitively recognizes VC was goose bump worthy. In this scene there is also a confession of love, but instead of the wooden door acting as a barrier you have their kid uniting them.
This rumination’s tone is as ambivalent as the taste of the cud chewed. I tried to see the movie through Leela and VC and not just through the details. Finally, I would say that KV is a phenomenal relationship drama, which is flawed in a way only a Mani’s film can be.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 21, 2017
CARTOON : : KAATRU VELIYIDAI – TAKE ONE – DIE HARD MANI RATNAM FANS
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 23, 2017
CARTOON : KAATRU VELIYIDAI – TAKE TWO – FATIGUES
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Karthik
April 23, 2017
BR/MANK: I completely agree with both of you that Mani’s strength is bringing his mainstream sensibilities to an unconventional subject such as this one, and I do think he was almost successful- the flaws notwithstanding, this movie was easily one of his better outings post Guru. I also disagree that he has lost his writer’s touch. Right from the conceptualization of the parallel narratives with Karthi being a prisoner of war in one, and a prisoner of his personality in the other, to almost any isolated scene, the writing was so layered and by no means sub standard. It would have been easy for him to portray this relationship from Leela’s viewpoint, and it would be easy for us to root for the characters, but Mani seems to have consciously avoided it. What we see of her character is almost always through VC’s (narcissistic, objectifying) gaze, the cinematic intensity of the scenes are reflective of his intense personality.
To extend a point from your review, I think Mani has lost the patience to convey anything “uncinematically”, and it is here where he is losing his otherwise reliable urban audiences. The weakest portions, for me, in the movie were the scenes with the “normal” characters- the friends, the grandfather, — every scene between Leela and VC had such high contextual and visual intensity, that these “normal” portions felt hastily written. His high density filmmaking seems to be at odds with this “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s” fillers. I loved that we never get to know why her parents refused to talk with him, and I hated that we needed to understand Karthi’s transformation through the voice over– the prison portions, even though they were meant to let the intensity of the flashback scenes simmer, didn’t add anything emotionally to his narration. That felt more Gautham Menon than Mani Ratnam.
I did feel that the wedding song, though incredibly well made, didn’t need to be there, and the “Marry me”, again incredibly made, could have been more impactful had there been a slower lead up to it. These are just minor quibbles in what was otherwise such an impressive cinematic experience.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
April 24, 2017
‘It would have been easy for him to portray this relationship from Leela’s viewpoint, and it would be easy for us to root for the characters, but Mani seems to have consciously avoided it. What we see of her character is almost always through VC’s (narcissistic, objectifying) gaze, the cinematic intensity of the scenes are reflective of his intense personality’
Exactly! I don’t know if this device qualifies entirely as an ‘unreliable narrator’ trope, but I feel it’s a fine way to subvert the flashback, which is almost always used as a neutral, straighter-than-straight way to get the story moving. It may not be the best alternative when you’re in a multiplex seat trying to get all comfy, but here, it isn’t just the visuals and in-flashback dialogues, but also the editing choices and voiceover, all of which share the duty of storytelling.
‘I did feel that the wedding song, though incredibly well made, didn’t need to be there, and the “Marry me”, again incredibly made, could have been more impactful had there been a slower lead up to it.’
I felt something similar. My issue wasn’t with the relevance of the songs, or their placement, but more with the segue from a scene in realistic territory to the song sequence. It still confuses me because this wasn’t a problem at all in say, an Alaipayuthey.
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brangan
April 24, 2017
About the point on “rooting for characters.” I don’t think we always need to “root” for characters. We just need to understand them somewhat, get where they are coming from.
Let me take the Iruvar example. That is another fantastic example of a “cold” mainstream film, one whose characters aren’t defined through continoous scenes but through time-lapsed vignettes. But this did not prove an issue there because we know both men from earlier films. In the sense, we have seen aspiring actors, we have seen speechwriters and politicians – and above all else, we know the real-life counterparts.
But the abusive narcissist of KV is a new creature for Tamil cinema and we seek a little more in terms of the character arc. Not to “root for” him. But to understand his transformation.
We don’t have any problem getting Leela because every scene of hers shows her as a “mender.” Even after the arm-twisting scene, when she stumbles and knocks over a vase, she first puts the vase back in its place, and more amazingly, puts the cap back (just right) on it. I mean, instead of storming out, she’s doing interior decoration at an almost OCD level. VC is like a crooked picture on the wall. She can’t help trying to straighten him out.
I’m guessing similar scenes for karthi would have existed with his dad/family, which (again, I’m guessing) were edited out. So we see behavioural patterns — like even when he enters his house, he is “putting on a show,” greeting everyone as though making a powerpoint presentation on them, instead of quietly embracing them or some such thing. VC is always VC. What we don’t get is the equivalent of Leela’s vase scene.
His first point of transformation occurs at the airstrip. He knows he’s fucked up the pregnancy moment, but we don’t see why he suddenly wants her now, without resolving that pregnancy question. He says “give me one chance,” but I wanted to hear “so what have you decided about the baby” or something that says he has begun to mellow (even if the actual mellowing happens only after prison).
Because the pregnancy scene is one of Mani Ratnam’s most stunningly powerful mirror moments. First, they BOTH face the mirror and she asks him if he sees a change in her. He is happy when he realises what it is. Then she turns to him and he is left facing the mirror ALONE, and his face contorts. Without her, he sees what a monster he is.
What an amazing bit of cinema.
I had my share of problems with this film, but take the war scenes and prison scenes away and KV is easily one of Mani Ratnam’s finest films. But I doubt audiences will ever warm up to this Mani because they only like “cute” Mani, the OKK and Alaipayuthey Mani.
Those may be better movies, in the sense of having a good time, but this is much purer cinema.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 24, 2017
BR : “Because they only like the ‘cute’ Mani”.
You’ve said exactly what was in my head and probably many others.
Going back to the old “all-time favourite” Mani movies, its probably more the feelings we experienced then and the way times were then that gives us a high rather than the stand alone films themselves..
Kamal has said in many interviews (after qualifying his statement “not to take anything away from the director”) “I think Mani and I could have done a lot better.
The concluding portions of it havent aged well and Mouna Raagam would probably cause more irritation now because times have changed incredibly in the last 10 years and KV is probably a better representation of our times.
That last para of yours reminds me of a sentence in ‘How to Live on 24 Hours a Day’
“Novels are great reading that leave you breathless at the end but add nothing concrete to your existence in terms of progress. The pipe’s tobacco churns even the hardiest stomachs, Differential equations and poetry require application of the self but at the end of the day it is systematic, daily struggle with these which cultivate the mind.”
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Dhanda Soru
April 24, 2017
Just thought I’d leave this amusing ‘critique’ of BR’s review here:
“Facebook post by Rajeshwar K
On Baradwaj Rangan’s HALLELUJAH! [‘Kaatru Veliyidai’]
An amusing but frightening piece of writing that claims to be a criticism/review/hosanna to a thing that it is finding difficult to define; is it a cinema or a movie or both or neither.
Amusing for making the piece for parading intellectual deficiency and frightening because the arrogance of doing so.
‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ “Fascinating characters in an intense romance that works better as cinema than a movie”
Having written and directed films [or cinema or movie or picture] for over 3 decades I’m at a loss to find the difference between ‘cinema’ and a ‘movie’. I delved in to the etymology of the words;
‘CINEMA’ (n.)
1899, “a movie hall,” from French cinéma, shortened from cinématographe “motion picture projector and camera,” coined 1890s by Lumiere brothers, who invented it, from Latinized form of Greek kinemat-, comb. form of kinema “movement,” from kinein “to move” (see cite) + graphein “to write” (see -graphy). Meaning “movies collectively, especially as an art form” recorded by 1914. Cinéma vérité is 1963, from French.’
‘MOVIE’ (n.)
1912 (perhaps 1908), shortened form of moving picture in the cinematographic sense (1896). As an adjective from 1913. Movie star attested from 1913. Another early name for it was photoplay.
Ooph! The onus is on you to share your enlightenment on the dichotomy between cinema and movie Mr. Learned.
Then about the ‘textbook example of a character introduction scene’
This ‘text book example’ is hero’s answer to the proposal of marriage from the heroine that he would marry her after she births their child. The ‘text book’ has to be circulated to all Film Institutes of the World. But where can we get that text book Mr. Learned?
Is it the suggestion to pre marital sex as pre condition to marriage in the ‘text book’ grammar of ‘character introduction?
For all I know I understand a Character from the light thrown by Robert McKee; “CHARACTER can only be expressed through choice in dilemma. How the person chooses to act under pressure is who he is-the greater the pressure, the truer and deeper the choice to character”
Where did you see any dilemma to choose for the protagonist for you to know the character in the so called intro scene, Mr. Learned?
You, Mr. Learned said ‘in a stunning scene’. What was that stunning scene? The scene involves arm twisting of the heroine by the hero. Cambridge and other dictionaries say ‘stunning’ means extremely beautiful or attractive. Please explain what was so extremely beautiful or attractive in that scene. Is that one is in early stages of making it in to sadism.
‘In another terrific scene – though it’s horrific’ – Hamletian dilemma – Mr. Learned doesn’t know if it is terrific or horrific. Or both. If it’s terrific it cannot be horrific. And viceversa.
‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ is a romance in the broadest sense’. What’s it then in the deepest sense? In fullest sense? In latitudinous sense?
Couple of times I found mention of the word ‘Epic’, ‘Russian Novel’, ‘Complex Narrative’ I can suffer all these superlative mention as a canny, calculated and conscious act of intellectual servitude but comparing to Doctor Zhivago; you take the cake and the bakery, boy!
Breaking obnoxious wind might be olfactory enticement for our Mr. Learned but certainly not for the rest.
If granting a few interviews can drive a learned person to depths of sycophancy it’s no wonder it’s the character defining trait of our successful political clowns. Is Mr. Learned any better?
I shudder to think what more will be inflicted on us by Mr. Learned with the grant of few more interviews by you-know-who.
God save us.
“As a movie, Kaatru Veliyidai leaves you wanting, but as cinema, very little can come close to it.”
Will do a favor? Publish a leaflet on how to throw a stone and hit two mangoes. That is how to get one ticket and see two filmed entertainment items; one as movie and other as cinema.
Visit again, Roger Ebert [1942-2013] Film Critic, Historian and Author and learn honesty, truth and knowledge.”
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Karthik
April 25, 2017
My issue wasn’t with the relevance of the songs, or their placement, but more with the segue from a scene in realistic territory to the song sequence. It still confuses me because this wasn’t a problem at all in say, an Alaipayuthey.
I think Alaipayuthey was made in a different “cinematic climate”, and were Mani to make it today, he may have made it differently, and/or our response may have been different. In KV, I was a bit disappointed with the “Marry Me” song actually. This is the first instance of VC making a grandiose gesture (treating her like a queen) to make up for his hurtful behavior, but I never really felt that because i) the snowstorm fight was kinda sorta resolved (when VC admitted he acted out of fear), and literally one minute before the song, he tells Leela that he will send her a video, AND, we know exactly what to expect, given that we’ve seen part of this song in the promo.
I don’t think we always need to “root” for characters. We just need to understand them somewhat, get where they are coming from.
Its not exactly rooting for the character, but just a connection that allows us to live within the character for a while, even if it is uneasy. Well written, well acted characters, would allow us to do this, despite how little we know about their back stories or how different they may be from us. Sometimes this is just accomplished by showing the rest of the people surrounding the character to be worse. Understanding why a character is the way he/she is still secondary, in the sense that, we need to assuage the moral conflicts that arise from residing within that character. We’re all amalgams of virtues and vices, and characters such as VC are meant to toy with our balance for a while, although I would argue not as much as say, a Selvaraghavan hero, and not remotely close to a Raman Raghav. In KV, it would have been easy for us to connect with Leela’s character because she is more or less comfortable with who she is, but VC isn’t, he keeps switching between extremes, and even though he is aware of his flaws, he isn’t able/willing to overcome them– in a sense, he/we are in this “prison”, and his escape was meant to liberate us from our/his misery. It is in this liberation that I felt Mani missed something. As for understanding his transformation, it is there in theory– his literal fall from the sky he was inhabiting, and “faced with 300 guns directed to him on the ground” which sparked the long thought process that we hear in the voice over. Its just that I couldn’t feel it– maybe one scene following the airstrip scene with him in solitary confinement or something would have made the difference.
Let me take the Iruvar example. That is another fantastic example of a “cold” mainstream film, one whose characters aren’t defined through continoous scenes but through time-lapsed vignettes. But this did not prove an issue there because we know both men from earlier films. In the sense, we have seen aspiring actors, we have seen speechwriters and politicians – and above all else, we know the real-life counterparts.
Even through the time-lapsed vignettes, Mohanlal’s character provides a certain continuity (in that the jumps in character growth aren’t too big), and us rooting for him occurs also as a result of the fact that we do see/feel his disappointments when his film is shut down and he begs the producer, and later when he loses his wife. Of course, an actor such as Mohanlal doesn’t require too long for us to connect with him. Despite the title, Anandan is the character we are meant to see the movie through– if I’m not mistaken the original title of the movie was “Anandan”.
His first point of transformation occurs at the airstrip. He knows he’s fucked up the pregnancy moment, but we don’t see why he suddenly wants her now, without resolving that pregnancy question.
I thought the pregnancy question was “resolved” when she says “I’m a doctor, I know what to do”. Him not talking specifically about it when they’re on the airstrip to me is indicative of the fact that their problems are bigger than any specific symptom. Even before the airstrip meeting, he does go to her house to apologize but is derailed because his feelings for her at that moment were overrun by his ego clash with the father figure there.
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abishekspeare
April 27, 2017
“VC,on the other hand, is a russian novel”
remember irodov physics?
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Jyoti S Kumar
May 14, 2017
Got to watch the movie today finally, thanks to einthusan… I don’t know why, it should flop… I guess sometimes a person’s movie experience can be marred by all the negative talk in the theatre too… And there are always atleast a few who are waiting to give howl their immature comments any time a scene lingers.
Many were not so convinced about VCs reason to love her. I guess the hospital scenes after the accident is the key here. He is literally coming back from the dead with a head injury and all and the first person he sees when he opens his eyes is this angel (obviously helped a lot by the backlighting), who has showered more care than he may ever have felt in his dysfunctional life.
I know there is a lot of narration in the background. But the film could have benefited from one soliloquy after the she’s my girl night events… Something like in Haider that can express his mental state… Many a times in a relationship, there will always be one night where both of them talk, just talk through the night… This is when each person will open up about their insecurities, their dreams, their deep love without inhibition. Such a scene might have established the why and given more power to the I love you that Leela says for the first time…
One more scene that I felt was lovely was the goodbye scene after the plane ride (this plane ride only reminded me of fifty shades). The way she illuminates in the headlights shows how alive she feels when he is there and when he reverses out of the driveway, with his departure her glow also fades. I was mind-blowing by this picturisation.
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Dkfanalways2
May 23, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed the movie!!!
Wonderful story, cinematography, acting (aditi rao was brilliant) , direction, music. Absolutely loved the way leela’s and VC’s characters were written. Apart from a few scenes and dialogues which could have been written well, the film comes off as a very enjoyable one. Infact I would go as far as saying this movie is one of the best I have watched in recent years.
BR, only your review does justice to this superb film. And a big thanks to all other reviewers who had slated this film which badly affected its BO performance. It proves the fact that these ppl write reviews with absolutely no knowledge and depth in pure cinema. They somehow manage to write a stupid fucking review which get approvals from majority of tamil cinema audience( another mindless audience who think cinema is all about mass heroes and their senseless onscreen gimmicks). Fuck these ppl. Fuck them all.
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pranavvsarma
May 24, 2017
Hey BR! You once said that some films grow on to you and change few opinions about it, compared to what struck you at first when you saw it. Is kaatru veliyidai affect you in the same way? What’s your mind’s status right now about it? Has it changed in anyway? 😉
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Mohanlal
May 25, 2017
Finally watched Kaatru Veliyidai after all the negative feedback. I’ll be completely honest, I think this is Mani Ratnam’s best film since in at least a decade. The complex characters, the brilliant music, the atmosphere that is set by each scene.
I applaud Ratnam for actually portraying an abusive relationship realistically. Realistically, there isn’t a big speech followed by a break-up. Realistically and unfortunately, you have victims staying in abusive relationships for multiple reasons. Real relationships have clear answers or clear cut happy endings. Real relationships are messy and complex. The ending isn’t truly a happy one. Dr. Leela warns VC in the farewell that they will destroy each other if they stay together. That’s what the core of them movie is. Two very flawed individuals who are staying together in a destructive relationship(a theme echoed in Ratnam’s similarly received masterpiece “Dil Se”).
Once again, I applaud Ratnam for portraying a very complex subject in a realistic, often painful manner. The beautiful frames and excellent music support this haunting tale on abusive relationships. I’m sure that Kaatru Veliyidai will be re-assessed in the years to come, similar to Mani Ratnam classics such as “Dil Se” and “Iruvar”, movies that were negatively received upon their release.
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Kay
May 25, 2017
I was busy for the first two weeks of the movie’s release. And then when I wanted to watch it (it was the Bahubali weekend), I could not find a SINGLE show. None of the theatres in Chennai! 🙄 So I’m waiting for the pirated version or the TV release.
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Jeyashree
May 30, 2017
Loved the movie for all what it was and for all it chose not to reveal..for treating audience like sensible individuals who did not need underlining, highlighting and shouting to make a point..for allowing them the liberty to complete the arc from where the filmmaker left based on their personal experiences and sensibilities…for talking about people I grew up with and people I see everyday.. There are things I dint like and did irritate me..the recurring premarital pregnancy hint..It is no more an issue atleast not among the kind of people the director chooses his characters from..am i the only one who wondered why a bride who was quite sure about when to have a baby would choose to have an extravagant, noisy and messy wedding (the annoying ottiyaanam below the bump)when she is full term loud enough to kick off early labour…doesnt fit the population who otherwise seem to carry a heavily sulcied brain
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hari ohm
May 30, 2017
Kay it is available in Amazon Prime
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sakratalkie
May 30, 2017
@Kay Its available on Amazon Prime, if you have the subscription
@BR
Is there a possibility that the entire told only from VC’s perspective. Few of the scenes have been bugging me a lot, especially during the registrar’s office scenes. Leela waits at the office but VC doesn’t show up. Notice that people at the background aren’t so visible and at the same angle when VC came to the office with Leela. Is this simply VC imagining what would have happened? In the very next scene, he says,” This is Kargil, not Kurushetra”. Makes little sense. Is he implying the enemy deserve no empathy and when he is caught, through his reflection on his past, starts to empathise with Leela.
Also when Leela leaves VC at the bed as she walks into the light, we are left with VC. He realises how he is a monster, which is usually the first step in solving problem; admitting there is one. If this was the case, it would kinda explain VC’s overt arseholery, just a matter of perspective.
MR did a right thing for the movie by making it abstract, linearity would have made this a very bland movie.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 1, 2017
hari ohm/sakratalkie, thanks.
Absolutely loved the bus’ window scene where Karthi and his co. head towards Peshawar; must have seen it for 15-20 times. And, those lines about ‘poruppu’ in the climactic sequence was yet another ‘Aalavandhan moment’ for me! 🙂
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brangan
June 2, 2017
This film is on Amazon Prime now. I quickly checked if the copy had any deleted scenes. It didn’t — it’s the theatrical cut. But as of Day 1.
Meaning, the scene of Karthi and Leela’s parents is there. I think one more scene was cut from the print that played on Friday.
Someone above was asking about it. So an FYI.
PS: I wonder what it will take for directors to release deleted scenes. I love watching those.
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blurb
June 2, 2017
Happy Birthday to Mani Ratnam.
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Sam Mitra
June 4, 2017
I never leave comments until now. Just to note that baradwaj rangan is an objective critic except when it comes to reviewing mani. Then he leaves all objectivity outside the door and bows down in utter servitude. KV fails stunningly in every aspect of film making be it story or screenplay or casting or editing or even costume. And wastes the gorgeous landsacpe for eye candy shots most of which are regurgitated from his old films. I am glad to see that the movie bombed badly in the box office. If there was such a thing for reviews we should expect BR to stay away from reviews until he gets his marbles in order..
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Kay
June 25, 2017
Finally watched KV and promptly came here to read the review and the discussions.
I had this random observation.. Anu and Iswarya, you guys haven’t watched the movie?
And coming to the movie, I’m very much disappointed. First of all, most of the progression in VC and Leela’s relationship is rushed. I don’t understand how she can fall ok love with a guy like VC or why she would put up with the way he treats her. Why would she risk a baby in spite of knowing him well??
But then again, I think this is how people are in real life. They fall in love, they get stuck, they think they can change the person, realise they can’t, try to put up with them, then finally realise they can’t continue. I can accept till this stage. But after the way they parted, why would anyone in their right mind want to get back with the same person. Once bitten, twice shy isn’t it? The movie fails to address this.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 15, 2017
Finally got to watch Kaatru Veliyidai today on TV.
The comments and discussion here added a great deal to my experience.
Poor Karthi ! Magnificent effort considering that it was out of his range and comfort zone but clearly miscast.
And Aditi Rao Hydari….(sigh)…I can drown in her eyes – limpid pools of passion….
Life’s not fair…for the other actresses I mean.
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ThouShaltNot
August 19, 2017
Saw this movie finally and here is my quick read:
When dealing with a partner such as VC who has off-putting outer dimensions, you have to summon vast reserves of generosity and kindness to sustain love. In the movie, Leela does exactly that. In the many scenes they are together, VC comes across as lacking empathy or is a jerk. VC’s overbearing demeanor and bouts of rage give her pause, but the deep love VC repeatedly professes for her leaves her feeling ambivalent. There is a scene where he even twists her arm to score a point (a sexist point). That should have been the red line. Despite her emotional gyrations, she sticks with him and even has his kid. This obviously is baffling to the rational mind as already expressed by many here. Her maladaptive behavior though may be attributed to a phenomenon in psychoanalysis known as repetition compulsion. Had the movie delved a bit more into the family dynamics of VC or Leela or their early years, we may have inferred this (or rejected it). In the brief interaction with his family, there is a hint about VC’s psychological baggage. From the little we learn of her family, we only learn that her father doesn’t exactly exude warmth, but VC’s own impudence on those occasions makes it difficult to discern much.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/200806/essential-secrets-psychotherapy-repetitive-relationship-patterns
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brangan
August 19, 2017
I find it odd that a KV gets pulled up for its heroine being in such a relationship, while a Taramani gets a free pass and even lauded as feminist. The former is a far more plausible scenario IMO — a lot of women who you think should know better cling on to men like VC.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 19, 2017
My wife spent the better part of her life in the staff quarters of an educational institution and the couple types she told me about were astounding to say the least.
In most cases the women were ferociously endowed …both with talent, academic qualifications and good looks and the men they went for were the antithesis of the foregoing.
Truly…life’s stranger than fiction.
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ThouShaltNot
August 19, 2017
In KV, there is a clear power asymmetry within the relationship. But for the fact that there is mutual love, VC rides roughshod over her (for the duration we see them together). Althea on the other hand is no pushover and negotiates the terms of the relationship. Also, I think Prabhunath in Taramani is amenable to changing his views even if he does not start out enlightened. That may be the reason why Taramani is being lauded by the critics. I’ve only read the reviews (also seen the trailers) and might be wrong about the Taramani protagonist.
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Prashila
August 20, 2017
BR, yes, KV and Dev D were the two movies that came to my mind as I watched Taramani. There is so much I want to write, but I will stop getting all over the place and just say that I think Taramani gets hailed as a ‘feminist’ movie mainly because of the heroine. She smokes (yes that new age symbol of feminism I suppose), is a divorced single mother, and just when you speculate the reasons for her divorce, bam comes an insight into her generosity towards her ex-husband. Masterstroke, that was! She shows no bones in calling out on her tharki boss right in front of the whole office. Like how many women would do that? And then, the scene where she takes on a bunch of drunk men who ask her what her ‘rate’ is outside the bar, with her semi stilleto heel and then drives away without that heel. I had a smile on my face when I watched that scene in the teaser. With or without the crazy man, this woman is easy to celebrate.
I think people find it easy to diss KV which was an intensely personal meditation, very subtle and gathering volatility only when it came to showing us who VC was before the war. Had the movie shown Leela holding onto her spunk she clearly possessed, like in the snowstorm scene or when she gets mad at Dr Ilyas because he let VC get discharged without proper clearance from her side, maybe more people and especially women would have been sympathetic to her predicament. She cows down with each passing scene, and that may be purely because of love and concern for VC who unfortunately she is also discovering more about with each of his outbursts. It comes across as her submission to discomfort, much in contrast to what Althea does, she puts up a fight, drives him out of her house when things get nasty, even if spends her time getting drunk and wasted thinking of him… sigh.
But the biggest reason KV was dissed was MR himself. A friend told me that she did not like Leela’s character because she found it was too self-indulgently written, like the cute faces Leela makes in the first few scenes and songs. Hmm, I don’t know about the self-indulgence, but I see why people will be put off by this. Althea on the other hand is a firebrand. No cute faces for her, no asking permission to scream like Leela does in the plane ride. But that said, having watched KV three times now, I end up more fascinated with it. I am glad it was made, all its flaws notwithstanding.
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brangan
August 20, 2017
Prashila: I think you’re right. I was looking at it from the POV that VC’s “redemption” arc was as unconvincing (or perhaps the word is problematic) as Prabhunath’s (in Taramani) — I must be one of the few who completely bought Leela’s character (my issues with the film all had to do with VC). I have seen people in abusive domestic situations, and they put up with an awful lot before calling it quits (and sometimes they never do). And the things you pointed out as Leela’s timidity really worked for me. This was a fresh, feminine, girly-girl with a massive crush on an older man, and her arc totally worked for me.
But yes, had Leela blown smoke rings into VC’s face, tossed back a whiskey, said “fuck you” and thrown him out, maybe the film would have been received better 🙂
PS: Do you also get the sense that “feminism” is sometimes equated with masculine traits? A lot of people I spoke to had major issues with Leela being so frail and pretty and wearing chiffons and wanting to look pretty for VC. I found it nice that a doctor also had a sense of herself as a “girl” and wasn’t just a cold professional. Did that aspect of hers bother you?
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 20, 2017
Ha Ha BR ! Was that intended to be miiiilllddly sarcastic ? 🙂 🙂
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Akhilan
August 20, 2017
@BR I think besides you, I was one of the few or perhaps the only one on this blog who defended Leela’s character and completely bought Aditi’s performance in KV… Being a girly-girl, wearing chiffon sarees is not mutually exclusive to being a ‘feminist’… That’s just who Leela was… You cared for her because of these inherent traits… Without them, there would be no Leela for me… There was immense strength in her frailty and fragility… The ability to hopelessly and unconditionally love someone, to be that selfless if you will (a true romantic)…
And no, for me Leela “blowing smoke rings into VC’s face, tossing back a whiskey, saying “fuck you” and throwing him out,” would not have made her a ‘feminist’ either… If that’s what we begin to equate ‘feminism’ with, then we have a major problem on our hands… The problem I had with KV, much like you BR, had all to to do with VC’s character arc… It was half-baked and utterly unconvincing… And yeah, Karthi’s Gollum eyes didn’t help matters either… 😉
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 20, 2017
Akhilan : After reading your comment was reminded of Rhett Butler’s friendly injunction to Scarlett O’ Hara ” And save that determined look for those who are not of the male persuasion. I’ve seen eyes like those, My Dear…..above a set of duelling pistols. They evoke no ardor in the male breast”
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Prashila
August 21, 2017
Haha, BR. Leela blowing rings of smoke into VC’s face and asking him to F off … Wicked! 🙂 But yes, agree on the feminism bit. Somehow we have gotten to a point, and I speak within the pan Indian context mainly, where feminism is getting all mixed up. People use the word feminist in all kinds of conversations, it is baffling, and I see myself going back to check if feminism is meant to include this definition as well! Kinda makes me think of the whole butch v/s femme lesbians theory too. The Nargis character in Mother India at least to me, is as much of an empowered feminist, as the Rosie character from Guide, and they are all as feminine as they can get. The real argument is getting lost somewhere in the hype, sadly.
And no, I was not at all bothered with Leela being aware of her ‘girly’ traits. It seemed very natural given the kind of person she is and the times this movie was set in, the late 90s and all. I might have rolled my eyes when she frolics in the snow in her first scene even as VC drives at record speed, but it brought out their contrasting personalities well. this is WHO she is. Simple. But yes, going back to MR’s screenplay, I would have loved it if there were some ‘normal’ MR-esque scenes with this couple where they are like a regular couple in love. MR cannot assume that we will join the dots on our own. In this age of scrutiny, the audience does not have the patience for it, even if many of them have the intellect to do that. Even Taramani showed the gentle bonding between the trio before it went all ballistic. Many people found the early ‘romance’ in KV very generic. Not good for a movie that wants to shake up the same genre. I guess all of this and then the elaborate prison sequences were enough to make people unimpressed and call this movie all anti-feminist 🙂
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Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan
August 21, 2017
The timeline during which KV happens (2 years before and after the millineum) might have had a say in defining Leela’s character, as well as VC’s. Leela in 2017 might have been wise enough to choose head over heart and VC might have been mature enough to evolve into a better human being by the course of time and the progression in thoughts.
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Kay
August 22, 2017
Prashila, excellent comments. Made me rethink some of initial opinions on the movie.
Akhilan; Gollum eyes.. 😂
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ThouShaltNot
August 22, 2017
VC is a reckless mess. It is a personality trait which has little to do with the movie being set around the millennium. His recklessness is apparent in the way he sends his jeep careening to the mountain’s edge. That he would forget an important date in his life (one he had picked) should dispel any residual doubts in this regard. VC is more in love with high wire acts than with Leela. That said, were the movie set in 2017, there is a chance VC might have shed his overt sexism after watching VIP 2. Also, KV (IMO) is a lesser love story than it purports to be.
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P
August 26, 2017
I was watching Dil Se the other day and I thought you would find this interesting. What if Katru Veliyidai is the gender-reverse Dil Se?
The warrior (soldier/terrorist) inexorably wooed away from the obsession with fighting and rebellion by the sheer power of the love and forgiveness of the dreamer/romantic.
There is that scene where they battle it out in the face of a storm. VC/Meghna trying to save Leela/Amar from a physical danger which they couldn’t care less about. Of course its used differently because of the characterizations.
And the films also end differently because a soldier can have a life after war but a terrorist cant have a life after terrorism.
Oh, there’s also that mirror “yes/no to the wedding” scene but its with Preity(obviously not with Manisha!) 🙂
Also this comparision kinda answers your question in the review(for me at least). You said we never know why he loves her though we know why she loves him (she’s a romantic).
Thats just like Meghna, she barely talks about Amar. Its all about his love for her. But when she does she says, he’s innocent and fun-loving, and happy and that is what she likes in him and wishes for herself (or like Amar puts it, she is jealous of him). Similarly Leela is everything VC wants and wishes for himself and yet he is cruel to her just like Meghna is to Amar.
Also both Leela and Amar are not untouched babes in the wood. They work in difficult, dangerous jobs that they choose- he interviewing terrorists in far-flung corners of the country, she working in a hospital in one of the most dangerous locations in the country, that too during imminent war.
Both have also lost close family members to wars- she her brother and he his father yet neither of them have let that affect their world view. This is unlike VC and Meghna who are so focused on everything that is happening around them that they forget that they can have inner lives. Both VC and Meghna are cynics and manipulate the more innocent and romantic Amar and Leela.
Yet in the end its the (seemingly) passive, loving, forgiving nature of Amar and Leela that rules the final decisions of both films.
Leela gets what she wants- a repentant, softer (he’s no longer wearing glasses despite it being so hot and arid in that desert!), “I’ll do as you say” VC who actually apologises for ever even coming into her life! Her principles win! And she gifts him a beautiful life in return.
And Amar decides that if she is going to die, so is he (though she keeps wanting to save him and tells him to go away and let her be and not touch her) and of course he saves the world in the process. His principles win. And he gifts her a blameless death together in return.
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brangan
August 26, 2017
P: What a spectacular comment. Thanks!
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P
August 26, 2017
Thank YOU BR. I am venturing into scary waters again after a long time due to your encouragement!
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Honest Raj
April 13, 2018
Finally, a Mani Ratnam film wins a National Award after 15 long years!
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mrinalnarayan
July 6, 2018
@brangan:
Watched Coen Bro’s “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” yesterday. Its been on my list for a long time. The movie deals with this self-centered convict’s ( Everett played by George Clooney) own road to redemption. He convinces two other convicts to escape with him promising a treasure that doesn’t exist. Everett’s plan is to meet his wife who is leaving him and remarrying someone else.
Self-centered Everett, Road to Redemption, The three convicts escaping, reuniting with the wife sort of reminded me of KV.
Irrespective of how these movies play out, found some interesting similarity.
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brangan
July 6, 2018
Mrinal Narayan: So ‘O Brother’ is a reworking of the Ulysses/Penelope story, and I saw KV as something similar too. (Think I mentioned this in the review).
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mrinalnarayan
July 6, 2018
Yes, it is and I forgot that you mentioned about the Ulysses-Penelope connect 🙂
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ini
December 6, 2018
While watching Cold War recently, I was heavily reminded of this movie – an epic romance between two lovers destined to destroy each other with even a backdrop of nations at war, etc. A more striking resemblance is that both of these films do not clue us in with a classical motivation for why these two people are in such passionate love. The traditional romance scenes of two people in love (that usually help us root for them) are sacrificed for… brevity, and worse, scenes showing why these two should not be together. But I think Pawlikowski does succeed very well in telling this “story by omission” (I mean, as soon as I see the characters after a blackout, I can very well imagine what they have gone through in those missing times in between, and why they need each other after all) whereas Mani floundered. Anyway… I have been very unforgiving towards KV, but I guess I should at least appreciate the brave attempt here.
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shemz
November 2, 2019
Watched the movie today for the second time, after catching it during the time of its release. Hated it the first time, I am not so sure this time, so obviously came here to see what BR had said about the movie! 😀
First off, what a beautiful movie!! That is the extent of cinema I understand from a making POV. So many beautiful shots that I could not get enough of them! The scene where Karthi bids her good night and she is lit by the headlights of his jeep.. Wow!! The way she was lit in a bright-orangish glow reminded me of metal on fire, like she is about to be tested or something! and in the climax when she embraces him, against the backdrop of the mountains, one in the shadows and one lit brightly by Sun, such that even the mountains were a sharp contrast against one another, just like the embracing pair!
When he asks her out on a date at the dance, she says something to the effect that she won’t be showing up and he asks if she won’t have change of mind. When the registrar office scene pops up, it is him who has had a change of heart and doesn’t show up. Similarly, she tells him she would believe his love if he crosses the 7 seas blah blah (its sounds almost like a penance) and he does that (kinda sorta) (and i had crazy fun imagining this) and in the end, he is cleansed of his sins and the boon is his daughter !! (Not buying this, but just having fun with interpretations!)
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shemz
November 2, 2019
The pair was almost always dressed/drenched in red, in the scenes they are together. He is drenched in blood, he has a red jacket on for their first date, she has a red jacket on in the snow storm, her red saree for nallai allai, the burst of red in the wedding song, and in the climax that gorgeous red anarkali!! If i remember right, Inba and Sashi’s color in ayudha eluthu was also red!! So, may be that’s what Mani was actually thinking? Or, may be not! 😀
I didn’t mind the elaborate scene with his family; it made two effective points. The way he snapped at her, just as he was reprimanding his father for snapping at his mother, went on to show that he may not do much to change his ways even if he realizes the folly of them. Next, when he introduces his mother, he says that she fed him Bharathiyar along with her Fish curry! What a cruel joke! She may have tried to make him a better man than his father by teaching him Bharathi, but nature trumped nurture in his case. Also, just as the scene ended, I wondered, why should we think Leela would be able to make a better man out of him where another woman has obviously failed? We are to believe in her true love or something and that’s where my problems with the movie begin.
She had known him from 12th std making it roughly 7 years before she meets him (not sure, just guessing here),and it is also approximately 7 years he spends searching for her? So the poetry is beautiful, but I saw no growth in the time they spent looking for each other. She remains a smitten teenager when she meets him, he remains the arrogant, self-centred, abusive man he was when he left her (Nothing I saw on screen convinced me to the contrary).
This is a movie i want to see a sequel of! Leela and Varun in marital counseling, dealing with the demons of their past, Varun taking off on a road trip to find himself again and Leela trying to get her commitment-phobic daughter (because, obviously!) to love and trust, who is now Tara from Ok Kanmani! The timelines kinda match, it might work 😀
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Kay
November 3, 2019
shemz – for a change I’d like to see Leela take off on a road trip to get away from an abusive husband. VC should be left to handle his teenage daughter and in that process realises his mistake and becomes a better man. 😂
Seriously though, you have raised a relevant point. Maybe because the film rushed through his redemption part, I don’t buy that he changed at all. Sadly, abusers rarely change. So I’m sure Leela and VC won’t have a happily ever after. But that’s another movie for another day.
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brangan
June 22, 2020
Got this mail from a reader in Singapore. Has anyone else seen these scenes, or know if they are out on the web? Scene 2, especially, sounds very intriguing.
I watched the movie in Singapore on the first day it was released. Before the movie was trimmed.
I’m writing to check with you if the version you saw was the one with or without the following scenes. DVD and online versions of the movie don’t have the scenes, which added more complexity to Karthi’s character and I feel should not have been edited.
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N Madhusudhan
June 22, 2020
Wow. Having the murder attempt thing in the final edit would have polarized the audiences further. The current version shows him as a problematic character. This scene makes VC a monster. It would have been suicidal given how the film ended (the film faced an early death anyway). His brother does later tell Leela that she’s not the first girl VC has brought home.
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Rishikesh
April 17, 2022
@brangan Have you watched ‘Koodevide’ written and directed by Padmarajan . I caught it lately once again and enjoyed it much more. It was one of those early films to address the topic of toxic relationship. That was between an army man (Mammooty) and a School Teacher played beautifully by Suhasini. The nicely conceived character drama was well ahead of its times. I wonder whether that movie featuring Suhasini had sowed an inspiration in Mani Ratnam’s mind while working on this project. It was also actor Rahman’s debut project. He was extremely endearing in the movie. Would like to know your thoughts on the same
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cinemaparadesio
June 16, 2023
“That unique cultural landscape that embraces Ghantasala as well as tango, meen kuzhambu (fish stew) as well as chopsticks. Kaatri veliyidai kannamma by Subramanya Bharathi as well as Bol re papihara by Gulzar.” as mentioned by BR here.
@baradwajrangan I am not sure if this was discussed earlier. Tried searching through the comments. Here’s the thing. We were listening to “Bole Re Papihara” song yesterday and my dad started telling the story of “Guddi” which has this song.
The story is about a girl who lives with her father, brother and sister-in-law, and has a crush on a movie star, whom she almost worships. And how she later realizes the difference between the reality and the glam world and how she has been seeing things through that filter.
It kind of makes sense why of all the songs, MR had to chose “Bole Re Papihara” for Leela to sing at that moment, when she is head over heels with a man, completely fascinated by an idea of a person. Its poetic, meta, etc…
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