Spoilers ahead…
Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/article/anbanavan-asaradhavan-adangadhavan-movie-review
Most star vehicles give you one hero-introduction scene. Perhaps in acknowledgement of the tripartite nature of the title, Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan gives us three. The first is the usual fanfare around the reveal of the hero. It’s a prison-escape sequence, rather unexcitingly shot. But the end is what you’d call pure “mass.” ‘Madurai’ Michael (STR, aka Silambarasan) clambers over a human pyramid of fellow convicts and reaches the top of the wall, which is when the camera stops to stare at his face, with snapped electric wires crackling in a corner of the frame. Somewhere in between, we get one of the many, many, many, many nods to the star’s career: the song, I am a little star.
All of this is in a flashback, and as though alerting us to the chaotic narration that awaits us, we jump into a second flashback, this time with a hero-introduction song (never mind that the hero has already been introduced), with the mandatory Rajinikanth banner in the background. Then, the third, as an old man valorises Michael with each word in the title: anbanavan (the loving one), asaradhavan (the unflinching one), adangadhavan (the uncontrollable one). And then, STR pops into the frame. We await a character, if not a film, that lives up to this tripartite hype. What we get is a title in search of a movie.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2017 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Amit Joki
June 23, 2017
The posters of the film all have Tamanna flexing out her muscles in various angles as if it is enough to sell the movie 😏😏😏
A must watch.
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Maybe it isn't a.a.a. rather aaaahhhh
June 23, 2017
I feel you br. I can see the exhaustion in your review.. not wasting your sarcasm on this one.. you’ve been simbued!
Get well soon.
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Viswaram
June 23, 2017
At this point misogyny in Tamil cinema has moved beyond being annoying to just being downright dangerous. When you think that the director of this movie or the “virgin pasanga” in the audience cheering for the sexist dialogues, will all have a woman in their life eventually, absolutely terrifies me!
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MANK
June 23, 2017
My god, some movie this
. And the wife-to-be chirps, “If young men can find ‘aunties’ attractive, why can’t young women go for ‘uncles’?”
Man, you can’t make this up. I was LOL ing all the way through the review. And it’s not even you being sarcastic , you were just describing the scenes as they are
Simbus career seems all but finished. Can’t believe this was the guy who was running neck and neck with dhanush not long ago
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 24, 2017
And the wife-to-be chirps, “If young men can find ‘aunties’ attractive, why can’t young women go for ‘uncles’?”
Nalla padam …. Nalla padam 😀
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MANK
June 24, 2017
What is even more dangerous is that stars like simbu – whom people like ishwarya was working towards sensitising to the issues of misogyny in film- going back to this kind of archaic star tropes , thinking that this is the only way he canresurrect his career.
Imagine if this one succeeds, god help us
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oneWithTheH
June 24, 2017
All the proclamations of ‘divine interventions’ and ‘wisdom’ in his interviews to Bosskey and others has come down to this – “I will make only movies to please my fans!”
Aren’t spiritual experiences supposed to alter something fundamental?
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Anisha
June 24, 2017
No way, this movie can’t be real. Another Remo. Simbu feeling unapologetic about being an “Ashwin Thatha” and thinks he can hook up with the young Tamanna?!
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praneshp
June 24, 2017
@oneWithTheH: Kudigaaran pechu vidinja pochu. Your fault for trusting.
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Aadhy
June 24, 2017
” This director has the singular talent of imbuing his women with agency, while at the same time suggesting sluttiness.”
I think the whole point of giving the female character agency is to make a Inda ponnungale ipdi dan kind of moral commentary. Tamil filmmakers generally do this Neelambari-fication of female characters, making the female actors believe that their character in the movie is highly empowered, while the director and the hero slyly have a conversation with the horny-yet-hypocritical male audience about the ‘error of her ways’.
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GODZ
June 24, 2017
If Mr.AAA has a problem with girls, he should better love a man, marry him and leave all the woman in the world alone for God’s sake. I am not sure how a person with such a misogynistic cancer sickness spreads his sickness and still survives as a mainstream actor. I guess it’s time for Tamil girls and woman to take some action to stop this cancer. They should either break up with their boyfriend or divorce their husband if they again watch this cancers movie. That’s the only cure to stop this misogynistic disease. May sound overreacting. But it’s a bit late reaction considering it been 13 years since the “psycho madman” movie.
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Srinivas R
June 24, 2017
What is puzzling about Simbu is that, in spite of featuring in one mediocre movie once in 3 years, he still has fans. I hope he doesn’t go the way of his hack, a man who is a cinema legend in his own head and a butt of jokes to the rest of the world
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Srinivas R
June 24, 2017
Oops.. I meant his dad, not hack
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Madan
June 24, 2017
“I think the whole point of giving the female character agency is to make a Inda ponnungale ipdi dan kind of moral commentary. ” – Check out the lyrics of Oru Nayagan (Dhavani Kanavugal), Raja Kaiya Vachcha (second charanam), Oranga Sriranga for prime examples of this “pomblaingana lakshanama podavai kattikanam” ‘social commentary’. Oru Nayagan is hilarious because it has Bharatiraja acting as director and looking on admiringly as Bhagyaraj gives his unsolicited advice. I know those songs were in the 80s/90s (an argument I have myself made) but there’s another way to look at this. What if this just shows how deep-rooted the misogyny in Tamil cinema is? It was Bhagyaraj in the 80s, now it’s Simpu. Why is it good for the box office to tell women to know their place (presumably in the kitchen)? Doesn’t that suggest that there’s a large constituency that also has similar values?
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 24, 2017
Oru Nayagan is hilarious because it has Bharatiraja acting as director and looking on admiringly as Bhagyaraj gives his unsolicited advice.
Madan: Perhaps, our director-who-peaked-the-Himalayas was busy with his Godard cuts while filming the scene!
Bhagyaraj’s 80s/90s films reek of benevolent sexism. Frankly, such “family entertainers” must have done a lot of damage to Tamil cinema than films like Remo/AAA.
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Amit Joki
June 24, 2017
Men need to know that it is not their job to give sermons to the women. But I find that the greater onus is on the women to confront them and tell them that they’re not going to simply take it in.
The only women I know (I stress the word I) to retaliate against such misogynism are the ones who comment here aka Rahini, Iswarya, Anu and the like but they constitute a very small percentage of the women in general. We need more of them.
I am reminded of this brilliant dialogue from Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum: “Sanda podu. Nee adampidciha thana adhoda importance engalku theriyum”.
http://imgur.com/a/dCvvR
(BR if you can, please embed the image)
Take Kalakapovadhu Yaaru for instance. The whole show revolves (mostly) around stand up comedians lecturing what women ought to do or what women are. In the other sense, ponnunganale ipdi than kind of generalization. The audience which also includes girls seem to have no problem (or they don’t make it noticeble), while the boys cheer on.
What adds on to these problems is the extremely skewed gender ratio of people going to theatres. Men always outnumber women at least 7:3 which is a very considerate figure. The theatre in my area has come up with some reformatory measures like waiving off 50 rupees of the price of a ticket if you’re a woman, time will tell if that will help.
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Madan
June 24, 2017
“But I find that the greater onus is on the women to confront them and tell them that they’re not going to simply take it in.” – Easier said than done. Usually, men do this sort of thing because they are in the more favourable position in terms of power and know they can impose their will on women. If women do stand up to them, no guarantee they will listen. Having said that, yes, I would like women to call out men on their sexism in whichever form it appears. For example, I have found that Jagan, the host of the programme Connection on Star Vijay, routinely puts down women in a supposedly ‘harmless’ way. In one show, he kept referring to actress Askhara Gowda (a participant) as ‘mini’ because she was wearing a somewhat short skirt (have seen much shorter in Vashi’s shopping hub and those weren’t actresses but anyway..). Why didn’t she call him out on it? Or does she really need so badly to be on the show for self-promotion that she will put up and shut up? I mean, it makes my blood boil when I see how he talks to her (or other women). In the worldview he presents on the show (regardless of whether it’s what he really believes), attractive women are too dumb for the show.
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Ram Sedhu
June 24, 2017
I feel you, BR. 🙂 There is no way to “review” this film in the usual sense nor is there a point. Much like the inexplicable Simbu fandom, you can only accept it as a fact of life and move on with a sigh.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
June 24, 2017
Madan : “Ive seen shorter in Vashis shopping hub.” Ha Ha
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Pavan
June 24, 2017
Nearly twenty years ago, there was a Kannada film named A (Trust me, that’s the name). A and AAA share three things: a very peculiar protagonist, an abused female lead role and a non-linear screenplay. A had a depth in it and a reason to exist, though the title never makes sense (Upendra, as a filmmaker, never named a film properly till date IMHO). AAA was a huge title with some meaning. I felt there must be something justifiable. Then arrives Rangan’s line: We await a character, if not a film, that lives up to this tripartite hype. What we get is a title in search of a movie. So, will the sequel roll out? Will it be any better?
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Rahini David
June 24, 2017
Dont virgin boys get offended by all this talk? A man may remain without a gf or wife because he has dreams to be successful in career or life without the burden of a family to take care of and an entire industry is operating under the assumption that men like this need massages to their broken egos by putting attractive women down on their behalf.
Any man who gets off on பொம்பளைங்களே இப்படி தான் jokes, is ipso facto a loser. When are men going to wise up about this?
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Amit Joki
June 24, 2017
Madan: Yes. I agree. It can be difficult for a new comer undoubtedly. But in my mind when I was making that statement, I was screaming the name of Tamanna.
She’s been part of Padikkadhavan, The one with Vishal directed by Suraaj, and this. All three which are misogynistic.
She doesn’t get called names at all. As long as there are heroines to accommodate such misogynistic scripts, then theatres will accommodate such films too.
New comers can’t do much but someone like Tamanna can but they play along which is what is keeping me irked about this whole thing.
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Madan
June 24, 2017
“Dont virgin boys get offended by all this talk? ” – It works differently; it appeals to a more primal instinct. Why do you think it was so important for conquering armies to also rape the women of the soldiers and civilians of the enemy? Because, ‘conquering’ a woman is also part of the conquest. There’s no nice way to say this but there’s a certain predatory instinct that comes into play for men when it comes to sexuality. Hence also the objectification that is so offensive to women but appeals to the most base instincts of men. There is literally a beast inside the man which, um, has to be tamed via an appropriate mix of action/war films, martial arts, extreme sports (like car racing) and porn. Better that than to let him want to seek out the real deal. But in that case, porn is preferable to dressing it up as a supposedly sensible, mass-audience film and instead appealing to these same instincts. That is kind of the vibe I got from Vethalam; it was just an endless orgy of violence for the sake of it. Macho in a very in-your-face way.
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praneshp
June 25, 2017
@Rahini: I think when they target “virgin boys”, they don’t mean the ones that are virgin out of choice.
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RAR
June 25, 2017
Madan, if there is a filthy beast in men as you claim, it’s a good idea to strip these men and whip them until pieces of flesh fly by and finally shoot them twice to be sure to get rid of them.
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praneshp
June 25, 2017
Blue sattai review that adds more context about how Simbu behaved:
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Sifter
June 25, 2017
AAA sounds like the Misogyny Addicts club that rules our Cinema. They know it, deliberately exacerbate it and are aware that but for a few who protest, most others won’t. Or say it is only entertainment. Though, how it is, is still a puzzle.
Women who vehemently protest are called dirty words and threats. Men, gay or spineless.
These unfortunately rule the world…as they say.
Kudos to you bearing to watching crap like this
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Sifter
June 25, 2017
If there is literally a beast inside men that makes them act like shites, then they need to be taken to a place where they exorcise such beasts out of their bodies. May I suggest ‘Galikere’ in Chikamagaluru for that!
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 25, 2017
Adhukku [Veerasamy] kuda thaguthi iladha oru padama irukku.
praneshp: Idhukku mela kevalama thitta yaralumae mudiyathu. 😀
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Madan
June 25, 2017
@ RAR: So how about getting rid of all the men on the planet, how does that work for you? This instinct is there inside mostly any heterosexual man, it’s only a question of to how much the self control he does or doesn’t have (and of course, the instinct itself may not be so dominant inside everyone). I think good sex education would go a long way in establishing the boundaries early on and also letting boys and girls experiment with traditionally non-boy/non-girl activities (like allowing boys to play with crockery and dolls), but what this govt regards as good sex education is something very different from what I have in mind, so God help this country.
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Anonymous
June 25, 2017
An echo’s echo, this movie is!
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Anuja Chandramouli
June 25, 2017
Amit Joki: I agree with you. It bothers me that even successful heroines are more than happy to play along as long as they are given adequate remuneration (the disparity in pay of course is an argument for another day). It’s not just Tamannah. Most of the top heroines are guilty of being a part of the misogynistic crap fed to the audience.
In Tammu’s case it is worse because she called out Suraaj for being a sexist pig before happily signing up for more of the same with the likes of Adhik. Which means she loses credibility. It is pretty much the same with Nayanthara. Given her holier – than – thou attitude and belittling of strippers, she seems to play the feminist card mostly to land herself female centric films and bigger cheques. I have nothing against making hay while the sun shines but not if it means a slap against those who work tirelessly to make the world a safer place for women.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
June 25, 2017
Anuja : Great observations.
But people gotta make a living right ? That always comes first.
I’m not being judgemental here.
Why does Nestle make Maggi ? Why does Pepsi make Pespi ?
Guns kill thousands people year after year but people gotta make a living. That always comes first.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
June 25, 2017
Madan : “This instinct is there inside mostly any heterosexual man”.
Good one.
What is required in the new age is a role that would be culturally the sole preserve of men just like child bearing is done only by the women.
The loss of the earlier role of food gatherer, hunter and bread winner has left a big void and this needs to be replaced
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Anu Warrier
June 26, 2017
I agree with Madan – violence against men is not the solution to violence against women. It takes education; it takes systemic, early education for both boys and girls, and it takes a seismic cultural shift to allow that to happen.
Fact is, a girl can wear ‘boy’s clothes’ or play ‘boy’s games’ and will be called nothing worse than a ‘tomboy’, and be exhorted to be more ‘feminine’. However, a boy playing with ‘girl’ss toys’ or wanting to learn to dance, etc., will be shamed by both boys and girls. Sexism works both ways – telling a boy who cannot bowl well that he’s ‘throwing like a girl’ is an insult to both genders. Shaming a boy who likes to cook is insulting to both men and women. Choodiya pehan lo is often said to men to shame them into acting more ‘macho’ – the problem is that women also want men to be the protector at the same time they want agency. These are all cultural patterns – and both genders buy into their prescribed roles.
Ask women, for instance, if they would be okay with having a house-husband? Not many would, while there are some I know who are perfectly happy being stay-at-home wives. Men really do not have that choice because ‘men are the providers’ is ingrained in them when they come out of the womb.
If we want change to happen, it has to happen at the basic level – from before our children start school. We have to teach them that social roles can be fluid. That it is as okay for a man to like to cook and stay at home as it is for a woman to want to be ambitious. Or vice versa.
@Amit – I agree with you; as long as topline actresses continue to accept this misogyny, we wil continue to feed into it. Men and women should both want change. It would be nice if the top heroes refused to further misogyny unless it is in the context of a character that furthers the story, and actresses refused to be at the receiving end of it.
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Madan
June 26, 2017
@ sravishanker140: Yes, much of the problem is down to the hunter side of man yearning for an outlet. We have to reorient gender roles so as to quash this side permanently; in modern society it is not required and when it finds an outlet, is usually destructive (also leads to wars, riots, etc).
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Amit Joki
June 26, 2017
Madan: Speaking of the non-boy activities multiple orgasms and vibrators are the things I am extremely jealous of. Govt should do something on this front 😣
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GODZ
June 26, 2017
Although I appreciate the conversation here, Let’s keep this simple. How can we stop a madman like Chimbu. You can bring all the change you want but one Weak link like the mighty STR is enough to poison the entire Society. But what’s is more disheartening is this. Our free speech has certain restrictions. You cannot trash a religion in movies, You cannot trash a political party or political persona in a movie. You cannot draw an art depicting certain gods in certain forms. You cannot write a book offending certain business group.
But you can trash an Entire Gender and no restrictions. Is that not ironic. And guess who is the chairman/Officer of the Censor Board?. Elite intellect People who passed the IAS exams. Shame.
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Madan
June 26, 2017
“Ask women, for instance, if they would be okay with having a house-husband?” This resonates with me. One of my uncles settled in the States after marriage and got fired from his first job. After several unsuccessful interviews, he got discouraged and has remained a house husband for most of his life since. Even his mother once called him a nikamma. Once his wife (my aunt) took his case for being unemployed and he was like, “Why don’t you pay me for the services I have rendered in bringing up the children while you were busy at work?” He has never good relations with the children thanks to his status and I cannot help but think that but for the social stigma, things could have turned out differently. The children had to go through a lot just because their father wasn’t working. Why should it be a matter of shame for THEM if their father for whatever reasons was unable to find work and had stopped trying? Maybe it was his fault but still why should society judge the family for this.
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MANK
June 26, 2017
i agree about the hypocrisy of heroines, but its also a fact that they hardly have a choice. If tamanna wont do it then nayanthara would, if not then trisha else Kaajal, if nothing else they will find some one new. Tamanna’s role was completely cut from Bahubali2 and yet it made no difference to the movie. Again none of these actresses are remotely thespians. they are there only to look pretty and be eye candy . that’s the best they can do. . To be brutally honest , all these heroines are interchangeable and expendable. the south indian film industry is completely dominated by male stars. And i dont see that changing any time soon. if any change has to happen as far as the portrayal of women goes , it has to come from them.
Unlike in Hindi where the status of actresses have increased considerably due to the combination of several factors.- waning of male star power at least to an extend where female stars can have their own space , emergence of multiplexes providing an opportunity to make and distribute different kind of cinema where females have substantial leads, emergence of new breed of actresses who are not just talented , but are multi talented , who wants to involve in the business of filmmamking as opposed to mere acting. so actresses like Alia, Deepika or Anushka have more clout than any of their south indian counterparts have or hope to have in the near future.
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Anu Warrier
June 26, 2017
MANK, I agree with your point about Tamil heroines – I think, my argument is that if you are going to call out misogyny, then don’t be part of it. If that means you lose a couple of films to other heroines who do not have the same stance, that’s a sacrifice you must be willing to make. If you have already compromised your principles to accept such a role, then no fair crying about it later.
There’s a difference, I think, being arm candy, there for the four songs and the five emotional scenes, and actively taking part in a misogynistic song or scene. I have no issues with the former – lots of pretty is good sometimes – but the latter always makes me cringe. Hindi films had a surfeit of those songs/scenes in the 90s.
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lowlylaureate
June 26, 2017
Hi BR and all, just leaving the FRS here: https://lowlylaureate.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/frs-aaa/
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Iswarya
June 26, 2017
Hi all. Happy to be back here and I happened to see my name mentioned a bit.
It’s mind-boggling that this movie got made in 2017 and was held up as Simbu’s hope of bouncing back to success. I see the frequent comparison to Remo and the cruel irony of its release on the day before Swathi’s remembrance just offends me personally. That this movie has been trashed universally both by critics and general public is the only bit of relief right now.
I do hope that the ultimate end to this trashy misogyny in Tamil films comes in the form of consistent BO failure, especially after the expected ticket price hike after GST is rolled out.
Not able to say anything more now since the last few months have been very taxing. Thank you all for your support of our campaign and effort to build a conversation. We will try to keep it going until we see some real change.
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shaviswa
June 26, 2017
It is sad the way Simbu’s career has progressed. He started off with obnoxious movies. I thought he turned it around with VTV thanks to Gautam Menon. Looks like he had regressed beyond redemption now.
I would like to be a fly on the wall when the screenplay discussions happen in such movies. How do they write these kind of scenes? Is the misogyny planned into the script to cater to the front benchers? Or is the misogyny a reflection of their actual thought processes? I suspect it is the latter.
Good to see such movies being panned and rejected by everyone. Will definitely make the directors think.
And to think that the director made a movie which, despite the generous “virgin boys” storyline, actually portrayed it’s leading ladies being pretty strong. Simbu’s presence destroys even such small respite in these movies.
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Amit Joki
June 26, 2017
I am seeing quite a few comments which are content with the film being panned universally. But make no mistake that it is because of misogyny. We are not at that stage yet.
Remo became biggest blockbuster of 2016. It is just that AAA was not a good film or handling was poor. If AAA had any of the commercial elements going, I am pretty sure it would have raked money in.
By the way I don’t think Baddy reviewed Motta Siva Ketta Siva. Easily the worst manipulative film which uses rape as an extremely cheap device to move the film forward and the heroine whose naval (which I have no qualms in watching) plays a major part than her face.
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praneshp
June 27, 2017
@Amit Joki: Thanks for reminding me of Motta Siva Ketta Siva. The makers had the gall to criticize online reviewers, claiming that “they worked hard to make movies”.
You might like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ7ZdrfOCJ8&t=243s
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Venkat Ramanan CS
June 27, 2017
Having read through this entire comment thread. First thing came to my mind is watching this episode from the recent tamil web series livin’ which subtly contrasts two different outlooks that co exists. Definitely a worth watch, at least something hopeful amidst all this.
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Srinivas R
June 27, 2017
Amit – good point about Remo. I think in our prevailing Tamil film scenario, a movie only has to be less crappy to a comparable counterpart and it will be hit. That explains the success of Remo Vs AAA. I am also inferring that, for all out ranting against Remo, Siva is perceived as a more likable star than STR, for an average tamil film’s target audience.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 27, 2017
You cannot trash a political party or political persona in a movie.
It’s okay if you haven’t watched any of the recent Tamil films, but what about Manivannan’s?
But you can trash an Entire Gender and no restrictions.
Have you come across educated young women who are of the opinion: “I’m not a feminist but I believe in equal rights.”? Trust me, there’re many!
And guess who is the chairman/Officer of the Censor Board?. Elite intellect People who passed the IAS exams. Shame.
IAS officers are not saints; they commit far more heinous crimes.
Chill down mate. The world is like this only!
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Rahini David
June 27, 2017
Have you come across educated young women who are of the opinion: “I’m not a feminist but I believe in equal rights.”?
I have.
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Rahini David
June 27, 2017
“There’s a difference, I think, being arm candy, there for the four songs and the five emotional scenes, and actively taking part in a misogynistic song or scene. “
Well said. The problem is that while many people do feel women in movies are short changed, not many people think that the problem is in the misogyny per se. From what I used to see in Weekly magazines, most people thought that an actress is short changed if she was not given a glamorous song or sometimes if she was delegated to “second heroine” in spite of being pretty. Ex. Roja being shortchanged in “Veera” because one of her songs was cut off and Meena’s songs remained intact.
But a girl who is lectured to, or tamed or even insulted is fine as both men and women buy into the whole shrew taming trope and even the validity of “girls are like this only” thought. Why? Because many people, both men and women, believe in these lectures.
So what will happen if an actress, say Trisha, goes out saying that she’d from now on not play such scenes? For one, people would call it a stunt as she was doing it only in her thirties.
If it was someone really new, she’d disappear. Meera Jasmine did. I have seen Meera mention that she’d not be accepting movies that did not offer any scope for acting. I have not seen Suvaluxmi play nonsense either. She disappeared soon enough too.
Yes, Nayantha can put her foot down. It will be considered riding the wave of feminism to her advantage. But let the haters hate.
But most of all, older actresses can speak out as Sinead O’Connor did. Maybe an older actress cannot lecture to specific younger one as Sinead did to Miley. But a certain extent of dialogue will help.
What does Revathy or Radhika or even Saroja Devi feel about it? Enough of giving interviews praising the old actors and filmmakers. Some of them should kindle dialogue.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/03/sinead-o-connor-open-letter-miley-cyrus
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MANK
June 27, 2017
And look what happens when they try to start a dialogue
http://www.accesshollywood.com/articles/miley-cyrus-sinead-oconnor-is-the-original-amanda-bynes-138312/
http://www.accesshollywood.com/articles/miley-cyrus-sinead-oconnor-feud-escalates-138345/
No wonder the older generation refrains from speaking their mind on these issues.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the reaction of tamannas and Hansikas is the same as Miley’s. Maybe it might get a discussion started, depending on how much the media wants to play ball. If the finger starts pointing towards the top male Superstars of the day, then you can count them out.
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GODZ
June 27, 2017
Why blame powerless Actress/woman for inaction rather than blaming woman with powers? We are so proud when woman ranks top in the Public service exams. I do understand they bring real change in lives of so many people. But if any one of them reading this blog post, Please take some action. I understand you are bound by law. How you do it? I don’t know as I am not that aware of the inner workings of this system. But should you do it? Absolutely. “indhe ponnungale ippadi thaan Ejaman” We don’t know how much this single line generated or influenced crime against woman for a generation. At least you can stop such dialogues to stop poisoning the minds of current and future generation.
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MANK
June 27, 2017
But a girl who is lectured to, or tamed or even insulted is fine as both men and women buy into the whole shrew taming trope and even the validity of “girls are like this only” thought. Why? Because many people, both men and women, believe in these lectures..
yes and this goes for heroines who had refrained from turning themselves in to sex objects. in the heydays of the late Soundarya, she had this ‘dress code’, where she wouldn’t wear those ultra glamorous clothes – which was actually a very courageous thing to do especially if your are a major star in Telugu which i feel hyper sexualises the heroines even more than Tamil – but even she had no qualms in playing her share of sexist, misogynist roles. Pelli Chesukundam (remade in hindi as hamara dil aapke paas hai with Aishwarya) was the worst of the lot. But the heroines never seem to question the ‘politics’ of the characters they play at all. Soundarya would most probably describe her role in that film as powerful and brilliant or with some such adjective .
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Kay
June 28, 2017
While we are discussing about the misogyny in movies, there is a separate medium which reaches millions of households and poison the minds of men and women alike every single day. TV serials start by 10.30 in the morning and go on till 10.30 pm with couple of breaks in between. Every one of them has the same story of a vamp (one who applies lot of makeup and wears western clothes), a holier than thou heroine (kudumba kuthuvilakku) and a few good and bad men thrown in. The stories, the dialogues, the costumes, everything drips misogyny and propagates gender imbalance and stereotypes gender roles. What do we do about it? I’m clueless.
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Kay
June 28, 2017
Madan: you have brought up some very valid points. I have personally witnessed one such example. My brother in law quit his underpaid job and stayed at home to look after his kid while his wife kept working. After a point of time there was so much pressure from the family and relatives, which involved a lot of name of calling, asking him to start working again. Then his wife got an opportunity to go to Sweden and they have now shifted there and it turned out to be a very good decision.
And there is the case of my mum’s maid whose husband is an alcoholic and he doesn’t work. His only job is beating his wife black and blue, breaking the stuff at home and taking the money from her for more drinking. And when she tried to walk out of the marriage, their relatives intervened and prevented her from doing it.
Weird workings of the Indian mindset!
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Kay
June 28, 2017
“I think good sex education would go a long way in establishing the boundaries early on and also letting boys and girls experiment with traditionally non-boy/non-girl activities (like allowing boys to play with crockery and dolls)”
I have been thinking about this for quite sometime now. My three year old son loves putting on my lipstick, hanging out with me in the kitchen and he loves girly stuff – Pink sunglasses, flowery shirts, etc. He’s also not very interested in sports much to the disappointment of my husband and my brothers in law, who all excel in one sport or the other. Often I hear lighthearted comments on how he’s good for nothing, that he’ll be interested only in makeup and cooking and he’ll become a sambar. I’m not sure if he understands the implications. Moreover, I keep second guessing my decision to let him explore what he likes and choose for himself. Often while shopping I find myself asking for a car instead of a doll or shirts in colours other than pink.
We still have a long long way to go to erase the boundaries and the stereotyping. I feel more people should open up about their experience and discuss the pros and cons. This would help many parents in allowing their kids to experiment. Right now it’s the fear of what others would say about our kids, the fear of being a cause for the kid getting ostracised that results in conforming to the predefined roles.
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Anu Warrier
June 28, 2017
Kay, the problem is that the demographic that watches those shows is mainly comprised of women. As is the misogyny in films which is mainly tageted at ‘virginal’ men. Sexism and patriarchy are pertuated by both genders.
I think the the key is education. This has to start at the beginning. Unfortunately, as ong as ‘cultural values’ are being espoused, I see no hope at all.
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Kay
June 28, 2017
You’d be surprised Anu. Their main target audience is women, but I’m coming across many men who start watching them because the women don’t let them change the channel, and then they become addicted to it. Some of them binge watch the serials on weekends and discuss them at work. Scares me out of my wits.
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GODZ
June 28, 2017
Those who speak on Sex education. That experimentation is already happening in WhatsApp and Instagram. So I guess it’s too late to speak of sex education at this point in time as many believe in Self education in this regarding especially with current resources available at their disposal. So what needs to be taught is Emotional intelligence and maturity. What’s the fundamental problem with Chimbu? He cannot accept rejection. What’s the fundamental problem with men who throw acids on a woman once they reject their love? They cannot accept rejection. For them, Rejection is something of an ultimate denial of their own existence and manly hood. Handling emotion is very difficult and this is not gendered specific. And I know men/Women in 40’s have the maturity of 20-year-old. We cannot even handle basic conversation in the forum when faced with resistance and conflicting views.
Many in our society are not even aware that they are in depression. And even one who are aware seek sex and drinks as a temporary relief.
Mental health is one area that’s even considered as a taboo even at the educated class level. Exhibition of Violence is also form of mental weakness. So to change the thinking and mental maturity of society at various levels, only God Save. Yes. Honestly I dont know. One must accept that they have a problem to get help or to be treated. If not, Then we have to live and keep this conversation alive even after 50 years. The other part if mental maturity for young adults to handle various life situations. I guess mental health program and handling of emotions should be part of all college curriculums in India. But I challenge no one will do this..
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Hari Krishna Bharadwaj
June 28, 2017
Would it be so bad, if the audience appreciates a simbu film for the sheer ballsy ego-centricness of it all, that it almost transcends into an art form, where the lines between the actor and the role he plays seems almost irrelevant? Just a thought
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Srinivas R
June 28, 2017
Rahini, I doubt if someone from within the Industry will talk about misogyny in movies. They are neck deep in that culture and “institutionalized”. They probably don’t see anything wrong in depiction of women in movies. Khushboo, who has a strong woman persona, happily defended Remo when it came to the question of anti stalking petition. It will take someone like Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, a person with life experience outside the film industry, to hold a mirror to the Industry. I recently saw a fiery interview of her, ripping apart misogyny in treatment of women in the industry. Revathi maybe another one but she is also too deep in the industry I feel.
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KayKay
June 28, 2017
“There’s a bit about Selvi’s father (Y Gee Mahendran) who has a tendency to keep getting electrocuted, and needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from the men around. Another bit places us in a panchayat scene, where the accused is… a blouse thief. Yes, he steals blouses from the women in the neighbourhood. When asked why, he gives a mini-Shankar-flashback of a reason. His wife’s dream was to wear blouses of different colours, but she died before this could happen. So how can he let the other women around him walk around with blouses.”
Ouch!
Stomach Cramping
From All The Laughing
B, you really need to negotiate for Hazard Pay as part of your perks.
Asinine, Abhorrent, Appalling.
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Anuja Chandramouli
June 28, 2017
Wow! The Warrior is on fire. Loved the points you made Anu. Have been reading and rereading them. Could not agree with you more. However, I don’t think we should give up hope. I look around and there is so much evidence of sexism perpetuated by men and women, it seems so hopeless. But that said we are fortunate in that we have it better than our mums and grandmums and hopefully things will be even better for our daughters and granddaughters. Change takes time but it will happen as long as we have faith and refuse to stop fighting inequality in whatever capacity we can manage.
MANK, Madam, Kay, and the others brilliant observations all around. Loving this thread!!
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brangan
June 28, 2017
GODZ: So what needs to be taught is Emotional intelligence and maturity.
Brilliant!
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Sundar
June 28, 2017
On a lighter note here is the brilliant louis ck on why sexism is never going anywhere
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Y17YG63B4
“That’s why sexism and racism are different, I think. Because racism is just like a mistake. It’s just like an error, we don’t need it, and it will probably go away at some point. But sexism is not going anywhere. Because even though it’s wrong, it comes from way the fuck deep down. It’s mixed in with love and lust and we can’t help it. We blame all of you all at the same time.”
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Rahini David
June 28, 2017
MANK: I am so out of touch with commenting that I forgot to mention the main thing.
I am not saying that an yesteryear actress should lecture any one on short skirts which of course can be disastrous. In fact, Saroja Devi mentioned that her reputation as a “Kai padatha Roja” itself annoyed the heck out of other actresses.
I am talking about something like this.
“In our time many of us including iron-willed women like Jayalalitha had to act in shrew-taming movies. Some of us didn’t know better, most of us didn’t have a choice. But the current generation is more educated and most of them are not pushed into this profession at 16 or 17 as we were. Many are in their late twenties and in enlightened times. Why can’t they put their foot down at least in this world of twitter?”
What will the current girls say? “It is my right to be lectured and talked down to by the heroes I dance with especially if the money is good. so you shut up, old lady?”
Can you imagine that happening?
I am aware that an old retired actresses voice is not going to be heard unless someone else more recent amplifies it. But it is much better than the “Sridhar-sir was a genius” interviews these women usually give.
Surely a twitter handle isn’t going to be hard for these ladies.
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Sundar
June 28, 2017
Just realized . his “we blame all of u all at the same time” translated in Tamil is “indha ponangale ipdi than”
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Naveen
June 28, 2017
TV serves as the primary channel for the numerous re-runs of the notorious movies which the impressionable have easier access too. dont want to mention movie or star names as it would take the discussion offtrack.
yes, lot of men watch the serials regularly, though they would blame their mom or wife as inducing them to watch at prime time.
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Uma
June 28, 2017
Someone here noted that if Tamanna did not do this move, some other new actress will do. My question is when will actress like Tamanna who has been in the Industry for 10 plus years say NO to such roles. A top heroine agreeing to play such roles is truly disgusting.
On a side note: I think each one of us have to play a role at home to ensure misogynistic/ sexist attitude is not passed on to our little ones. My MIL passed away recently and there was so much conversation going on about Sumangalis among adults that my husband’s 6 yr old niece was asking what is a Sumangali. I happened to witness a cringeworthy discussion between my SIL and her daughter about how another patti couldn’t keep pottu because the thatha passed away before her and is therefore not a Sumangali. I just wanted to pass out.
We keep telling our daughters that they will always be secondary citizens in so many different ways and then want governments to do something about violence against women. Before we ask filmmakers to change, change needs to happen at home first.
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Anisha
June 28, 2017
No wonder Tamil Cinema’s A-list heroines are from Mumbai like Tamannaah and Kajal. A lot of them don’t understand Tamil well enough to understand the double meaning and misogyny behind many dialogues, so directors and heroes seem to easily get away with it. If today’s top heroines had more Parvathys and Revathys who can reject and walk away from this crap, the situation can improve.
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Anu Warrier
June 28, 2017
@Kay: May I respectfully suggest one thing? As the mother of a son who is ‘different’ and wears purple shirts because ‘I like it!’ and who likes to dance and sing and does not play any sport competetively, I would warn you against calling his toys ‘girly’ toys in his presence at least.
Also, while you may think he is too young to understand the implications of ‘being a sambar’ you bet he will pick up on the tone and the fact that whatever it means, it is derogatory. My husband and I were both competitive athletes while at school and college. I represented school, college, district and state in both athletics and badminton. Our older son captained state football for three years running. For us to have a hop-out-‘o-the-kin kid like our second one, it took some adjustment.
My husband, too, felt disappointed that our son wouldn’t play competitive football like his brother. He, too, said things like ‘Boys don’t dance’ when he saw our son put a towel on his head (his ‘dupatta’) and twirl around to Pyar kiya toh darna kya</I< and jiving away to Helen’s songs. I had to speak to hm privately to get him to stop. Funny, because my husband really didn’t mind boys dancing; he minded boys dancing ‘like girls’. Son was 3 when he told his father off – ‘Acha, boys dance! I am a boy; if I put a dupatta on my head to dance, then that is a boy dance.’ My husband laughed and never said a word to the kid after.
But it was okay because our son has a very strong personality of his own and will not stop doing something he likes because people tease him. If he had been a quieter, more fearful boy, it might have damaged him to the point where he felt he had to hide who he is. You are his mother; you are his strongest advocate. Please do not give up advocating for him, even if it is to his father. My son has been learning ballet for 6 years now, and last year added Irish Step to his repetoire. He sings for a choir, as well as takes vocal lessons. He’s still not interested in sport though he plays a wicked game of volleyball.He continues to be different, Life is not going to be easy for him, or kind to him, but at 12, he is confident in his ‘weirdness’ (His words).A lot of that confidence stems from the fact that we let him flourish, and supported what he wanted to do.
Re: ‘girly’ toys – I know it is tough (mothers get judged for everything – and you will be told you are tying him to your sari pallu) but let him have the toys he needs. Let his home be a space where he only sees unconditional support; the world is cruel enough.
(@BR: I’m sorry for the epic essay; the topic is so close to me I felt I had to share my experience.)
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Anu Warrier
June 28, 2017
Thanks, Anuja. (blushing) do agree that we need to have hope; we definitely have made huge strides forward, but the more I read about what’s happening in India today, the more frightened I get that we are going backwards at double the pace. Keeping fingers crossed that my fears remain just that.
Seconding Anuja’s appreciation of MANK, Madan, Rahini, Kay, et al. Love this thread, and the shared experiences.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
June 28, 2017
My question is when will actress like Tamanna who has been in the Industry for 10 plus years say NO to such roles. A top heroine agreeing to play such roles is truly disgusting.
Probably after her retirement, just like Khushboo did. She is a ‘top’ heroine (really?) because she’s been a part of such films. She cannot be choosy (unlike a Revathy/Rohini) because she’s far from that league as far as the ACTING dept. is concerned. And not to forget that Khushboo, AMMA, et al, were a part of such films for most part of their careers.
No wonder Tamil Cinema’s A-list heroines are from Mumbai like Tamannaah and Kajal. A lot of them don’t understand Tamil well enough to understand the double meaning and misogyny behind many dialogues, so directors and heroes seem to easily get away with it.
Not really, but most heroines get to read the scripts (in order to get their lines right). Do you think Kajal Aggarwal was left with no clue about Kavalai Vendam (as someone who loved Yaruda Mahesh, I couldn’t sit through this one) even after its release?
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Apu
June 28, 2017
Some great discussion here about stereotyping, something after my own heart.
Stereotyping genders harms both sides – and I am totally with Madan about the onus placed on males to be the earning member. That is what also leads to them demeaning the working woman as “you are not the bread earner, and can stop working now that I earn well enough”.
Anu/Kay: So with you about not dividing toys into “girly, “boyish” etc. My daughter is totally “girly”, so I have a slightly different issue of thinking that she might not explore stuff that (according to her) “is boring like fire trucks and police”, or not play some games because that makes her sweaty and dirty and we are trying to give her options as much as possible.
The reason why I do that is – I think it is also very necessary for her to understand that people do not behave in a certain way just because they are from a certain gender. Boys might like to try on nail polish and wear pink/purple just because they like the color and it makes them “happy” (same as it makes her happy), and love pretend-play with dolls. There is nothing weird or wrong. They might be few, but that is not wrong. In fact, I have noticed that most little boys love kitchens.
The more we push our children to be comfortable with their choices, be it in or out of line with their gender, and also be acceptable of other people’s choices, as long as they do not harm others, I think we will contribute towards a more accepting world.
Ok, I got carried away.
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brangan
June 28, 2017
I get a lot of comments on my writing, but I think the biggest validation of my work has been the fact that this site draws this kind of quality when it comes to people and discussions. I feel truly privileged to host these thoughts, and it makes me really happy when I think that my writing is the glue that brought this little community together.
Seriously, thank you all.
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Anu Warrier
June 29, 2017
@Apu – it’s a fine line to draw, but if I am advocating letting children who are ‘different’ be who they are, I am also a strong advocate for ‘girly’ girls being allowed to be girly without shame. (Same with the boys who are more prone to stereotypical boyish pursuits.)
very necessary for her to understand that people do not behave in a certain way just because they are from a certain gender.
Change that to ‘ people need not behave in a certain way….’ and I’ll sign on. The reason I say this is because you can’t push your daughter into liking something because it is okay for boys to like ‘girly’ things. Because it is also okay for boys NOT to like girly things, as it is for girls to both like girly and non-girly things.
I especially agree with your second and third paragraphs, though. And I will admit that I wouldn’t have known what to do with a daughter who liked only girly things. I assume I would have looked at her the same way I initially looked at my younger son – ‘Who exchanged my baby in the hospital NICU?’ 🙂
I have to admit he helped me get over the social conditioning to a great degree because while I was a complete harum-scarum in my youth, I had no idea what to do with a boy who wanted to dance and sing, instead of kicking a ball around, or hike or… But he’s extremely comfortable being who he is, and had no trouble telling me or his father to back off if we ever made even the slightest push to have him behave ‘like a boy’. I’m glad to say that we didn’t need much pushback.
@BR, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you. 🙂 (I am verklempt!)
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Naveen
June 29, 2017
with the arrival of linen, i often youngsters going for all sorts of colors – shades of yellow, pink,red. gr8 discussion on this thread, thanks to the legends and some new commenters
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Apu
June 29, 2017
Anu: You are killing me with proof reading – yes “need not” it is!
” am also a strong advocate for ‘girly’ girls being allowed to be girly without shame.”
Same here. I have no issues with “girly” girls and “manly” boys. The only reason I push her to try other things is to let her have a peep into a different world which she is otherwise ignoring and is presently outside her comfort zone. It is like trying to learn a new language. She is very young and at the age where she has lots of questions, and it is good to get her exposed to various parts of the world. (Last Sunday she asked me what “Pride parade” is about and whether she and we belong to that “community” who is doing the parade. We told her that we are not sure about whether she belongs or not, she would have to tell us if she thinks so some day).
BR: Yes, that is the same reason why I come to this to board to read comments. There are passionate discussions which usually do not become rabid and people do not get personal even if they disagree. This kind of “listening to the other side with an open mind” debate is slowly disappearing courtesy social media being mostly an echo chamber.
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Anu Warrier
June 30, 2017
Apu, considering that I’m cringing at the mistakes in my last two posts, I am the last person at present who should be proof reading anyone else’s posts. 🙂 The only reason I said I would sign on to ‘need to’ is because sometimes, we are so engrossed in bending over to be fair to the other side, we forget to be fair to the first.
We told her that we are not sure about whether she belongs or not, she would have to tell us if she thinks so some day.
Much respect. Truly. That’s a very good answer to a young child.
Yes, I completely agree that exposing them to as many experiences as possible in the most unprejudicial manner as possible is the best way to go. From what I’m reading here, I’m sure she (and you both) will be perfectly fine.
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Anu Warrier
June 30, 2017
@Apu – Typing ‘girly girls’ and ‘manly boys’ in a previous post reminded me of what my husband calls it – in deference to Poil of Casper Comics fame. (Anyone remember those?) ‘Goily goils and boily boiys’. 🙂
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Kay
June 30, 2017
Those were great comments Anu and Apu. And I can’t tell you how much your comments put my mind at ease to know I’m not alone in facing this situation. I mean logically I knew there must be other parents out there facing similar dilemmas, but it’s only when I’m reading your comments I realise how much this has been weighing on my mind and I’m feel much lighter..
And Anu, I stand corrected. I was not even aware I was using the word girly while describing his choices. As much as possible I try to support him in his likes and dislikes. I’m facing a Herculean task being a sore thumb in a conventional joint family and being a working mother too, which means most of the time my son is surrounded by people who expect him to behave in a certain way.
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Kay
June 30, 2017
BR, thank you for giving us this space to interact. I really admire your belief in encouraging free speech. I start and end my day with reading this blog. It’s like an island of sanity in a sea of meaningless words and post truth discussions.
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Amit Joki
June 30, 2017
Great comments and kudos to all parents who are letting the kids be kids they want to be.
The comments here reminded me of this amazing song which manages to give me goosebumps everytime I watch it.
It is worth recommending to people who talk derogatorily about the kid’s choice.
Also, I think the following tips will help to circumvent the stereotyping that people indulge in. Of course, I am myself a kid here, relatively speaking, but here are my two pennies.
If your boy is playing with cookery items, you could say he’ll be a professional chef (and may be to the kid himself) to the people who try to judge your kid by saying it is girls who cook.
If he’s dancing like a girl, tell him he could be a choreographer for females only. Depending on the age he is of, he will be excited to train a room full of girls (I know because I will be).
If your girl is acting like a boy, you could say she’s Arya Stark.
If he’s interested in makeup, he could be a makeup artist for celebrities. I mean it is always a man who puts Diana Penty her make up in that ad. (What a job that would be!)
To people who say boys don’t cry, why man? Don’t we have tear glands?
It is not a bad thing to do considering there are more male fashion designers designing fabrics for the female, more male chefs than females, more male choreographers who choreograph Deepika Padukone and win National Awards for it.
It is almost always possible to see things in a positive way and imbibe it to them but we generally take the easier route of judging and pouring out unsolicited advice. Kids should be able to reply to such jerks with “STFU! You do your thing man, why me?”
Also, it is high time parents realised that their offsprings aren’t an extension of themselves; just that they happen to have their genes. Guiding those genes is a work best left to the kids themselves and it would help if parents aren’t judgemental.
Anu Warrier: Whoa! Your whole family can participate in America’s Got Talent.
Kay: Is there anything you can do about your maid? An anonymous tip-off after a discussion with your maid will come in handy I guess.
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Kay
June 30, 2017
“We told her that we are not sure about whether she belongs or not, she would have to tell us if she thinks so some day.”
That’s the perfect thing to say, Apu. Respect you for that.
Amit: He is in rehabilitation centre now. And she takes leave when he visits so that he doesn’t know she’s working and thus the money is safe.
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Prashila
June 30, 2017
I agree with Uma. ‘Our’ roles in propagating and then unknowingly enforcing the gender stereotypes simply cannot be denied. I grew up in a fairly modern family, and yet not without subtle chidings from relatives like “girls shouldn’t laugh loudly” or “girls shouldn’t stamp their feet while walking in the house”. I am all for women celebrating karva chauth if they are doing it out of genuine love and respect for their husbands and what their marriage means to them, but still cannot help but wonder how the custom is silently reinforcing patriarchy despite the cutesy short films where the man in the relationship is shown fasting for his woman. Even now there are households where menstruating women/girls are not allowed to use the kitchen and worse still use separate bedding because these are ‘those days’. And then the general lack of interest in ensuring that cooking which ought to be a basic survival skill for anyone irrespective of their gender, is somehow a girl’s domain. I remember seeing the first winner of Masterchef India advertising a ‘Bridessential’ program from her culinary academy, where she will teach brides-to-be how to cook, how to plan parties, equipment planning… argh! I know of very sensible seeming men claiming things like their mothers would hand them a glass of water no matter where in the house they were and then even come and take the empty glass back into the kitchen. All the ‘raja babu’ has to do really is drink the frigging water and dream of a wife who would carry his mother’s legacy. And so on… Sadly this mentality only proliferates as the social stratum goes lower. Is it really difficult to see why our mass movies/television have done nothing more than all along build on these long standing tropes from our society.
One of the most horrifying experiences in my life was a short ride from Kurla to Bandra in the ‘General’ compartment of a local train. I travelled in a general compartment because my male colleagues were in it and I thought it would be easier to travel with them considering my direction challenged brain. It has been over a decade and yet the incident scares the daylights out of me. I was told by well meaning Mumbaikar friends that this is the precise reason ‘ladies’ compartments exist and I was a fool in the first place to even think I could get by untouched(no pun intended) travelling in a general compartment at such a peak hour. And so as fascinating and enlightening as this discussion is, like BR said on another thread, in a country like India it will still be a long way to go till we reach out to the grassroots or the bigger India that needs to read this the most. I hope that someday we will have some answers to how that can be done, but till then I hope to derive an element of sanity by being on this site and admiring this little community chaired by our veritable host BR. 🙂
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Anu Warrier
June 30, 2017
Prashila, has Mumbai changed so drastically? I always travelled in the general compartment when I was returning late at night from work. It was safer than the the mostly empty ladies compartments. Never had an issue. I mean, there always were/are general creeps who try to cop a feel, but on the whole, the men were only interested in getting home after a tiring day’s work.
On that note, I wonder what it really does for these men – to grope a woman. They get off on that? All the woman feels is disgust.
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Madan
July 1, 2017
@ Anu: Late night would be ok because it wouldn’t be crowded…and also not so empty that one would be at risk from anti social elements. In rush hour, everyone gets crushed absolutely to the bone. In just the ten or more years I have been travelling to work in rush hour, I have seen the suburban crush get worse. I used to travel in general compartment when I started working and moved to first class because the crowd in the former was unmanageable. Now it’s unmanageable in first class and I have nowhere to go. But the point is in a crowd, vile elements would feel more comfortable groping a woman because she wouldn’t be able to pinpoint who. If a woman must use a general compartment in Mumbai rush hour, please use first class. These days, there seems to be barely standing room in ladies first class at least up to 8 in the night. Maximum city is running at or beyond maximum capacity. We wait for metro to open in more routes (beyond the already operational Andheri-Ghatkopar).
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MANK
July 1, 2017
Adhik ravichandran’s interview about this film is ROFL comedy. An excerpt:
What is AAA all about? What kind of film is he offering to the audience this time?
All I know to make is straight commercial films. I think we need such films today. This movie is targeted at universal audience, meaning one can enjoy it as much with friends, as with family. I have also made certain changes to suit the lead actor’s personality and also kept in mind the expectations that fans have of him. In fact, I do not think that any other actor would have been so sportive when it comes to being the butt of comedy in their own film, or their close ones being used as comic fodder but he was great. Even when it comes to the dialogues that you see in the trailer, where he mentions his father T. Rajendar in a dialogue, he was completely okay with that. There is a two-and-half a minute sequence in the first part that I am sure will have people whistling in the theatre and clapping for it
😂😂😂😂
And this is what he has to say why Tamanna chose this role
. So, even before I started to narrate the script, she said that she will only work in the project if the role is good. She had pointed out that content was important for her. So, I was hesitant. But once she heard the story she said that this was like a Bollywood commercial film and she was convinced that the role would work.
Hahaha,……
The full interview is here. Please keep you coffee cups far away for I won’t be responsible for the consequences
https://www.google.co.in/amp/indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/anbanavan-asaradhavan-adangadhavan-director-adhik-ravichandran-audience-reaction-is-my-review-and-their-claps-are-my-star-ratings-4717342/lite/
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 1, 2017
There is a two-and-half a minute sequence in the first part that I am sure will have people whistling in the theatre and clapping for it
Just curious, can somebody please tell what the scene is all about?
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Godz
July 2, 2017
A Zero star review
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-transformers-5-is-2017s-most-toxic-movie-w488595
Please consider if you can give zero stars for trash like this… As mentioned in the review above movies like this kill the joy of movies as well
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boredguys
July 2, 2017
In Tamil cinema , even a feminist, or a faux feminist movie cannot be entirely progressive ,because every normal woman is a shrew in our great Indian minds and this thought is ingrained even in those movies.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 2, 2017
boredguys: Ha, true that. KB’s earlier films used to have this problem. Aval Oru Thodarkathai, a sort of feminist movie of its times, has this famous line: “கல்யாணம் ஆகிறதுக்கு முன்னாலே கர்வமா இருக்கலாம், கர்ப்பமாக தான் இருக்கக்கூடாது”. How on earth can this be considered a progressive take on womanhood?
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brangan
July 3, 2017
Honest Raj (formerly ‘V’enkatesh): Two things about that line:
(1) It’s more a ‘punch dialogue’ of its time. Those days, this kind of ‘vaarthai jaalam’ was a big draw, and KB was a master. eg. in Arangetram: இங்கே யாரு என் கதையை தேடி வறாங்க. சதையை தான் தேடி வறாங்க. (Quoting from memory, so may not be the exact line.) So the point here is more the garvam/garbam rhyme.
(2) You cannot judge an old movie by today’s times. For that time in Chennai, a person saying “an unmarried woman should not be pregnant” is perfectly par for the course.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 3, 2017
BR : Good one !
Reminds me of our “dear’ AL Narayanan the master of alliteration.
Actually I cant stand KB…just like Sydney Sheldon.
But he keeps the viewer engaged and I’m not sure heis an expert on women the way he projects himself to be.
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boredguys
July 3, 2017
Not to mention every “strong woman” has no sense of humour in our cinema. That ‘s why wonder woman was so refreshing to me because the humour stemmed out of her innocence (a trait often abused in Tamil cinema) whilst consistently balancing with her badassery. Her characterization was an antithesis to say, the women of Baahubali where grumpy yet strong female characters are subjected to submission just so the men come across as awesome yet less self important people. There is an inherent “boys vs girls” debate espoused in these movies and WW did’nt get itself involved
in it.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 3, 2017
BR: Of course, I get the point about wordplay. But the problem here is the line – apart from its “messagey” undertone – is considered “revolutionary”, unlike say a “Life/File” (from Iru Kodugal?) or the one from Arangetram that you’ve quoted above.
You cannot judge an old movie by today’s times.
If this is about “form” perfectly fine, otherwise gotta disagree. This way we can give a clean chit to movies like Pattikada Pattanama, Sakalakala Vallavan (and those numerous MGR/Rajini starrers which become a matter of ultimate concern whenever a discussion about misogyny comes up on this blog). At least, those films were “commercial” by nature and simply followed the templates set by films from the rest of India. But the headstrong protagonist of a wannabe feminist movie speaking such lines cannot be excused. Also, if we consider that Mahanagar and Charulata were released a decade earlier, AOT was a substandard effort, IMO. I know, the Bengali society has been far more progressive than ours, but still …
sravishanker1401gmailcom: I’m not sure heis an expert on women the way he projects himself to be.
That’s precisely my point. With all due respect to him, Aval Appadithaan would put some of his serious films to shame. I think Mahendran’s female protagonists are a cut above the rest. Seriously, I’d put him on par with Ray as far as this area is considered. More recently, I chanced upon Poottadha Poottukkal (the second half is still pending though) – a fantastic film that was at least 30 years ahead of its times. No wonder, it flopped big time and was reduced to a mere “bad film” back then.
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brangan
July 4, 2017
Honest Raj (formerly ‘V’enkatesh): What matters is whether the film is espousing this garvam/garbam thing or whether the character is espousing it. The former is a problem. The latter isn’t — because we are surrounded by all kinds of contradictory people. That’s what makes them human.
AOT has a character saying this, while the film goes on to show her as supporting family etc.
Pattikada Pattanama is not about the character. The film itself — the underlying theme itself — is about the taming of a shrew.
A big difference.
This is what I was saying in the Raanjhanaa thread. The character is a stalker, but the film shows how wrong he is, how he wrecks lives. So this film cannot be lumped under the “Remo” category, where the film itself says “stalk the girl and she will smile and be yours.”
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 4, 2017
AOT has a character saying this, while the film goes on to show her as supporting family etc.
But the character happens to be the protagonist (a revolutionary kind) of the film.
And yes, I understand the difference that you’re talking about. Never had a problem with Raanjhanaa. 😉
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 4, 2017
Honest Raj : You took the words right out of my mouth(s) (sic)
All the renegades from my childhood loved Aval Appadithaan.
And mahendran’s movies have aged very well.
The cinematography in ‘Udhirippookkal” borders on japanese style painting.
Though I hate the guy from the bottom of my gluteus maximus have to give it to KB – he knew his audience inside out.
I thought the relationship between Sivaji and Radha in Mudhal Mariyadhai was streets ahead of KB’s work.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 4, 2017
“Balachander padathla naraiya ENGLISH vaarthai ellaam varum !!”
(My grandmother circa 1976 on KB’s films – said with a mixture of pride and astonishment – the (expletive adjective deleted) sure knew how to capture the imagination of the Tambrahms)
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 4, 2017
sravishanker1401: Why so much hate for him, sir? 🙂 Yup, he knew the audience’s pulse very well, and in this regard he was an ideal successor to Sridhar.
I can’t agree more on the cinematography aspect in Mahendran’s films. He made three films in 1980 – PP, Johnny and Nenjathai Killathey. Each of them are startlingly different – in style – from one another. NK in particular is astounding at so many levels. Mani Ratnam in his latest interview to BR talked about the responsibility of a cinematographer to “elevate” each and every scene in a film. Ashok Kumar’s work in NK is a classic example of that. IMO, Mahendran’s biggest achievement is that he brought both Balu Mahendra and Ashok Kumar (both of whom were reluctant to work in Tamil films back then) from Malayalam to Tamil.
As for Muthal Mariyathai, I used to have a strong dislike for the film. But after repeated viewings, I can’t help but appreciate BR. 🙂 I still have a few problems with the film, but honestly it’s leagues ahead of Sindhu Bhairavi in its treatment.
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Rahini David
July 4, 2017
Being a Feminist is not a single dimensional index running from 1 to 100 with people who don’t believe in allowing women to vote or participate in Olympics placed at 1 and those who KNOW better being placed at 100.
Personally I believe that a feminist should apply the same yard stick to measure both male and female behavior. So the same person who believes that an unmarried woman should not get pregnant should believe that a man should not get an unmarried woman pregnant. Non-feminists usually think that “men will be men” so rules don’t apply to them. If a person believes that a woman (or man) accepting cash for sexual favors is wrong, he/she should feel the same about the man (or woman) who is buying the service too. It is basically a question of not keeping vastly different scales to measure the same thing.
When a child was born to an unmarried woman in the 70s, the child undergoes a lot of untold miseries and so it is safe to say that it is an imprudent thing to do.
Nobody says KB was an expert on women as there is no such thing as being as expert on women. Even women are not experts on women. No matter what Sushmita Sen said on her pagent Q&A round, there is no essence of being a woman either.
Women are not vanilla flowers. Each individual woman is very different from other women and KB liked hard-working women and seemed to think they were misunderstood and under-represented in movies and featured them in his movies.
In Thamarai Nenjam Saroja Devi is completely unable to get over Gemini Ganesan and thinks of him as the husband. When she finally decides to go on with life, Nagesh advices her that as a writer she should never permit “Pangajam” character to go on and marry anyone else. She is manaseegamaaga his wife. Tamil women should not dump maanaseegamana spouses who are unaware of their imaginary/non-existent marriage. Saroja Devi commits suicide. Squick Index: DAMN high.
Why is Thamarai Nenjam any better than Pattikada Pattanama? IMO, JJ is this woman who embodies all things bad. Foriegn clothes, English education etc and is not a real character at all. She exists in that movie so that she can be corrected by Sivaji who is not a real character either. He only exists to embody Tamil culture. It is a basic Ramu and Somu story where Somu is a woman. The difference being that Ramu and Somu are otherwise created equal and “Shrews” are NOT in ANY way equal to the “Tamers”
But Saroja Devi in Thamarai Nenjam does not exist to die spectacularly in the climax. She represents a self made woman, a resilient woman who has seen a lot of ups and downs, a successful writer who keeps her readers spellbound and an intelligent person who can engage in thoughtful conversations. In short, she is a swarasyamana character as KB is wont to put it.
Even FILE/LIFE scene and the entire movie Iru Kodugal is basically misogyistic. Gemini is basically synonmous with Vaalkai in that movie. “En Vaalkaiya mattum vittu tharamaatean” means that the woman who gets Gemini gets life and the woman who does not get Gemini does not get life. Iru Kodugal was a “family subject” movie and was not one of his feministic work. He was not a single minded warrior for women’s cause. He was a story teller.
That said, KB’s movies became more and more feministic as time went on and he explored his own thoughts and revised them. It is more than I can say about, say, STR.
In Vaanamean Ellai, Vaishaali Kannathasan uses drunken casual sex as a weapon to hurt her step-father. It would have been interesting to know what he thought about it a decade or two later.
BR: I am reposting as the comment seems to have disappeared.
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brangan
July 4, 2017
In this interview I did, he talks about Arangetram being a product of its time and that he’d have given the character a happy ending today:
Rahini David: I don’t like Thamarai Nenjam as a movie much, but I don’t see why a self-made woman cannot be a hopeless romantic. One’s successes at a professional level need not imply similar strengths on a personal level.
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Rahini David
July 4, 2017
I completely agree on the that part. Men commit suicide because of similar situations too. And while I am not the hugest fan of long-drawn out verbose suicides, I’d never categorize it under “Misogynistic plot twist.”
I am talking about Nagesh’s dialogue when he hears that “Pangajam” is going to be shown as going on with her life. He insists that Pangajam’s fans would never accept her marrying someones else. “Pangajam epo avara manasaseenga kanavara eathukuraalo appovea ava kalyanamanavalla aaita illaya. Tamil kalacharathula oru ponnukku rendu kalyanama. Vendam sister, avala konurunga. Pangajam character ku athu thaan nalla mudivu. Ava fans atha thaan ethir paarpaanga”, is what he says.
This is something I heard about 27-30 years back so give or take a few details there. But the fictional character’s name is Pangajam. I am very sure.
I found it interesting that we apply different rules for fictional characters. Since they don’t exist in real life, we toy with the possibility of “killing” them off to suit the plot. We inadvertently allow our prejudices to show. So IF a person who is contemplating suicide actually pretends she is just wants to tie the loose ends of a novel she is writing, then maybe even we will say such retarded things. I don’t know. Just saying.
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Madhu
July 4, 2017
BR: Yes, self-made woman can be hopeless romantic. But that does not translate to hopeless romantic who does not get her man commits suicide, which is extremely disturbing. I get the part where she cant get over him, even if the guy she wants is married to her best friend. But why the suicide? Why can’t she go on living thinking of him as her maanaseega purushan, I would have taken that. But committing suicide because you couldn’t get the person you are in love with is NOT a thinking of a self-made person, irrespective of gender.
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tonks
July 4, 2017
Madhu, imo successful, self made pople who are doing well professionally sometimes do commit suicide. One of my classmates did, last year. For either sex, lack of a close confiding relationship is a risk factor, as is single status (in addition to various other factors including depression which is most often due to a genetically determined chemical imbalance). So I believe it plausible.
The problem however, of course, lies in romanticizing, glorifying and stereotyping.
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Anu Warrier
July 4, 2017
I think there was a time when ‘strong women character’ meant that the story revolved around her – not to give her agency, but to deify her sacrifice and her martyrdom. Because sure as hell is hot (not that I have personal experience of it), you can bet your last (insert coin of your choice here) that if it is a love story, she exists only to love the man, and to die in the end because he chose someone else.
I agree with Madhu – self-made women can be hopelessly romantic, but strong women do not go off and commit suicide because the man of their dreams does not ‘belong’ to them. (I would say the same for men who commit suicide because the girls of their dreams do not marry them, either.)
What is problematic about many of these stories is that it does not show this character in this situation commit suicide; somehow, between dialogues and characterisation, it is implied that that particular character stands for all of thaai kulam and that her behaviour is one that’s worthy of emulating.
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Madhu
July 4, 2017
Tonks: Yes, I understand what you are saying in the real-life context. But, in the context of that movie, where she commits suicide because an idiot of another man tells that the character she created in the novel (which is her, in essence) cannot have her marrying someone else because the audience wouldn’t accept it. Okay, so 40 years back it was considered romantic for a woman to be Aandaal, so let her be Aandaal, instead, she decides that she has to die and kills herself. Nope, doesn’t work for me.
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Madhu
July 4, 2017
Ah, Rahini: ‘Sister’?? Isn’t Nagesh character in love with Saroja Devi’s in the movie? Or am I confusing this with another movie?
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hidnana
July 5, 2017
I feel KB’s women protagonists purposefully made to exhibit an air of superiority, intelligence over the male characters. With his trademark dialogues and touches and a few specific gestures they adopt, all make it a bit over the top. But coming from a theater background his transition to social themes was a good thing to happen in 70’s. Surely Tamil film industry saw such different stories (AOT, Avargal, AR, MM etc). Even early 80’s saw TT, AA and his forays in Telugu and Hindi were better than many commercial movies made at that time. For better cinematic craft Mahendran will surely rank above him (even BR was better to treat cinema as visual medium than KB) but KB (and his predecessor Sridhar too) was responsible for offering a different cinema when Tamil industry was being ruled by MGR and Sivaji.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 5, 2017
I feel KB’s women protagonists purposefully made to exhibit an air of superiority, intelligence over the male characters. With his trademark dialogues and touches and a few specific gestures they adopt, all make it a bit over the top.
And, he thought that’s what women’s empowerment is all about. His self-made (read hard-working) women are pretty much sacrificial lambs who work just for the sake of their ungrateful families. Compare Sujatha’s character from AOT and the Madhabi Mukherjee character from Mahanagar (although they are poles apart in characterisation). The latter is a submissive wife who wants to work not just to support her family as the sole breadwinner, but to make a career for “herself”. Also, I don’t understand how can any self-respecting woman sacrifice her “life” (read boyfriend) just because her boyfriend falls for her widowed sister (the love is of course mutual). Contrast this (or his female leads in SB/Kalki) to the Ashwini character in Uthiripookkal. Above all, his biggest problem was that rather than letting his characters (and the plot) to “flow” he constantly “forced” them into a mould. This made his characters look like puppets rather than down-to-earth ones.
Agree with the point about his transition as well. I’d prefer his political dramas – Thanneer Thanneer and Achamillai Achamillai – to his women-centric films.
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brangan
July 5, 2017
Honest Raj (formerly ‘V’enkatesh): And, he thought that’s what women’s empowerment is all about.
But what makes you think he wanted to empower women, as opposed to just telling a story about a woman/women? I think it’s only later that people started analysing his films through an empowerment lens. I don’t think the man himself saw his heroines as anything more than “interesting.”
I’m not saying you have to like him. But you can’t take him to task for something others said about his work.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 6, 2017
But what makes you think he wanted to empower women, as opposed to just telling a story about a woman/women?
BR, I never meant he was an activist (like Ghatak/John Abraham). But one cannot deny that his women characters are being regarded as “Bharathi Kanda Pudumai Penn” kind. Interestingly, BR’s Pudumai Penn seems largely inspired by KB’s earlier films. Anyways, this interview should hopefully make things clearer:
Also, found this article very interesting (not that I’m fully in agreement with the author though, especially about NN):
I have to add, I’ve always said good things about him everywhere. You wouldn’t talk about Idhaya Kovil and Mouna Ragam in the same breath, would you? 🙂
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blurb
July 15, 2017
Anu Warrier – the first comment in this thread. Wise words.
Not that anyone would have missed me or anything, but I just emerged out of the rock I was living under for the past few months 😀
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blurb
July 15, 2017
sravishankar — the swearing line has a nice ring to it with a thamizh expletive 😀
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 15, 2017
Blurb : The expletive was used not once but thrice in Aboorva Raagangal and the censors didnt touch it. Odd thing what ? On the other hand more than a decade later we had Nayakan and Agni Natchathram where it was either drowned out or the soundtrack was switched off. Weird.
Actually it became a fashion with us in college to mouth it without the sound.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
July 15, 2017
Blurb : Its okay to crawl under a rock. Ive been there myself in protective mode
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praneshp
December 1, 2017
Post release drama:
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