From the high melodrama of ‘Thanga Pathakkam’ to the subtleties of ‘Uthiri Pookkal’, his filmography saw it all.
Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/mahendran-tribute-baradwaj-rangan-rajinikanth-mullum-malarum-johny/
On the surface, J Mahendran seems to have had a strangely schizophrenic career. On the one hand, he is one of the seventies’ directors responsible for the transformation of Tamil cinema into cinema, a visual medium and not just a photographed stage play. On the other hand, you have his writing credits for, well, photographed stage plays – ripe melodramas like Thanga Pathakkam and Vaazhnthu Kaattugiren. The former, which features Sivaji Ganesan in one of his most legendary roles, is a power struggle between a father and his wayward son. The latter is the kind of four-handkerchief weepie Sujatha specialised in. She’s married to Muthuraman, who begins an affair with Padmapriya. So she moves out and turns to what appears to be sex work. As she puts it: Naan andha kaalathu ponnaa irundha, purushan kai vitta odaney aathukko kenathukko [tharkolai pannikka] odiyiruppen. Naan indha kaalathu ponnaache. Adhunaala tharkolai pannikka padukkai araiye podhum-nu theermaanam pannitten.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this line, of course. It’s the kind of stylised (and heavy) wordplay Tamil cinema has always specialised in, and it’s not easy. It takes skill, and this skill may not be available with a more “cinematic” writer or filmmaker. But here’s the thing. When Mahendran turned to direction, with the Rajinikanth-starring Mullum Malarum in 1978, it was the most artfully cinematic of outings. (See Flashback video below.) How did this drastic transformation occur? Was it due to the cinematographer, Balu Mahendra, who guided a newbie-filmmaker out of the thicket of photographed stage plays and into a new terrain called pure cinema? Or was there something in Mahendran himself that pointed to this transition?
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Jeeva P
April 2, 2019
Rangan,
I am not sure when was the last time you caught Thangapathakam. I had a chance to view it recently and I found, that it was a well shot melodrama and I really couldn’t call it a photographed stage play. It approached very much what one might call ‘cinema’ and the way the camera was used to exploit the space in the frame was, IMO, very effective, especially in scenes when Chowdhury and Jagan enter into arguments. I am sure, if you have time to re-watch the film, please focus on these ‘Father-Son’ scenes alone, you might be pleasantly surprised. You don’t see this kind of ‘direction’ in old movies and I am sure you will buy my contention. Thanks.
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Arun Pradeep
April 2, 2019
In his interviews he came across as an extremely refined, dignified man and thoroughly decent. You don’t see people like that every day. It’s hard to believe he’s gone.
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Niru
April 2, 2019
Fantastic write up as always but why that title? It looks like an incomplete sentence, as if you forgot to add “passed away” at the end. Also it looks like you are trying to define him in terms of a Rajinikanth movie. Was it meant to be like this so that all the film companion readers who don’t know who Mahendran was could benefit? As I said a beautiful article with a bizarre title.
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Sifter
April 2, 2019
I adore Mahendran for that one song Metti Oli from the movie of the same name.
The whole song plays out the love of a mother for her daughters, love between a mother and her daughters, love of the daughters towards their mother, love between each other, their innocence, their mischievousness, their care… The way Vadivukkarasi carried Radhika and dropped her just a few seconds after 🙂 It just plain floored me that he took a typically romantic song and chose to capture it in the way he did! Haven’t seen anything like that before it or even after it.
RIP Mr. Mahendran!
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MANK
April 3, 2019
Johnny is my favorite Mahendran film. I consider it to be Rajni’s best performance as well. The romantic scenes between Rajni and sridevi was so brilliantly written, staged and acted . I have watched the film several times and this proposal scene never fails to move me
First sridevi , and now mahendran, this scene is doubly painful to watch now
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bart
April 3, 2019
Thanks for that scene, MANK. Writing, acting, staging and music – brilliant. RIP Mahendran Sir.. My vote is still remains with “Mullum Malarum” 🙂
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MANK
April 3, 2019
Bart, you are welcome. the way i see it. In Mullum Malarum there was a rawness to both Mahendran and Rajni, Its still a great film and performance, but when they got o Johnny, both of them were fully formed as director and actor. You could see that confidence in staging of the scenes in Johnny, Just check out the introduction scenes of both the Rajni characters. we get to know every thing about them from their first scene itself, and that without a word being spoken. Of course his greatest film remains uthiri pookkal. ever frame of the film is just pure genius and the casting of vijayan. he must be the most silent villain in movie history, fully complementing the subtle minimalist style of Mahendran’s filmmaking
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bart
April 4, 2019
Hmm. Johnny was a breeze until two-thirds of the movie with some great dialogues, scenes and acting – the minor hiccups involve the conning sequences and the weak flashback of Johnny. But the last 30 to 40 mins, once the chase is on, it slides downhill.. The redeeming scene involving the barber (acting as Johnny) and Sridevi, where she stays awake and says, “I am not sure when I would see you again. I thought I’ll stay awake watching you sleep”, being an exception. IR saved the movie along with Ashok Kumar to a large extent.
In “Mullum Malarum” the rawness adds to the movie. The punches are way stronger, the climax is perfect high, the characters are earthy, distinct and relatable (Winch operator, engineer and the small hamlet). The seething hatred, unbridled love, innocence – all beautifully portrayed. The quibbles involve the comedy. I am a sucker for sentiments – this is a movie that brings tears everytime I watch the climax. The heavy orchestration when Valli walks off initially keeps building up until the moment she comes back and then when she runs back to him it pacifies and the flute theme takes over. The pride in Kaali when he says “ippo engada unga moonjiya vachukka poringa” and then he says “I do not like you Engineer Sir. But I will give her to you out of the pride and arrogance that my Valli has given me by showing you all that she likes me the most than anyone in the world”. Wow, thats the best climax of all movies till date.
Uthiripookkal – I completely agree. The quibble involves the second marriage sequences with a song. The subtlety in cruelness was masterful. Again, the climax was brilliant.The dialogue he says when goes into the river to his kids, “Appa Kulikka poren. Veettukku ponga” still remains.
But MM stays closer to heart 🙂
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vijay
April 7, 2019
Sridevi was just 17 when she did that scene in Johny. How many 17-yr old actresses can pull that off today? Rajni was just 28 when he did Mullum malarum. It just seems like both actors/actresses were far more mature in the older gen of actors. These days it takes a Nayanthara or Samantha to hit their thirties to get that maturity and wisdom on choice of roles etc.
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MANK
April 7, 2019
Vijay, but that’s true about their physicality also no?. Saroja devi, srividya ,Jayaprada, sridevi,… they were all – or looked like – fully formed women by their late teens. Today, many actresses in thirties look like teenagers. Srividya was just 22 and same age as Kamal, when she played an older woman in apoorva raagangal. Same with actors , except Ajith maybe , Can you imagine vijay or Surya , who are in their forties now, looking remotely as convincing as Rajni was at 28 in that Mullum Malarum role.
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Madan
April 7, 2019
Haven’t seen all his films but of the ones I have, Johnny is my favourite too. And yes, his films were so different from the 70mm nadagam format. RIP.
@vijay: You say they were more mature. It could also be they were simply more obedient and followed the director’s instructions to the letter. This seems to have been the case with Sridevi.
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V
April 7, 2019
vijay: Well said. Even when playing those cutesy roles in Guru, Thaayillamal naanillai etc, Sridevi was so in-character. Which one cant say for even the 30+ heroines of today – for eg, I did cringe when Trisha mouths “Aambala nattu kattai” dialog. I felt it wasnt something Jaanu would have said, atleast not in that tone. (The young girl who played Jaanu, on the other hand, was superb). Even Nayantara seems to be very conscious of her looks in serious roles like Aramm (except the character she played in Airaa) – the careless abandon which Sri had is missing & is missed a lot.
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MANK
April 8, 2019
Sridevi was one of a kind. Someone born to be an actress. There will never be anyone like her again
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brangan
April 28, 2019
MANK: Its still a great film and performance, but when they got o Johnny, both of them were fully formed as director and actor. You could see that confidence in staging of the scenes in Johnny,
This has got to be our biggest disagreement so far. 😀 A few scenes apart, it’s such a random movie — terrible, terrible writing. One Rajini steals to pay off the debts of a father who lives in a mansion. The other other Rajini “falls for” his domestic help so quickly and so deeply that he kills her when she “cheats” on him. Everyone has the depth of a cardboard cutout — which wouldn’t be a problem if at least this was a crackling action movie, but alas, even that is badly done. The film was made in a rush and it shows. Thankfully, Mahendran made a comeback with NENJATHAI KILLATHEY.
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MANK
April 29, 2019
Brangan, I thought the randomness or the choppiness added to the film, because it’s a weird movie with Rajni in a double role. Right from the opening, it’s a very strange film.Then you get the introduction of the Two Rajni characters, it’s really crazy. It’s a film that is less depended on a tight screenplay and more made up of moods and rythms. So the lack of good writing didn’t bother me. It’s more Avant Garde, while mullum malarum or Nenjathe killathey are classical in structure.
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Srinivas R
April 29, 2019
The thing that made Johnny was the chemistry between Sridevi and Rajini. My enduring memory of the movie is the proposal scene with Rajini and Sridevi arguing and proposing at the same time.
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