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#AskBR – Jagame Thandiram
Posted on June 23, 2021
MANK
June 25, 2021
You make some good points here. it’s the attempt at being both a pulpy genre film and the serious ‘social issue’ picture that made the film less effective. i wish the film had been fully in that pulpy genre mode, because i had lot of fun watching it when the film was in that mode- the pre-interval sequence of the killing of the gangster- part “The Godfather” part “Pulp Fiction,” with all that flashy camerawork is really the height of it. it’s really the 40 odd minutes or so in the second half that muddled the film. And btw, i would love to watch a film where it’s only about a Madurai gangster going to London and taking over the underworld there, that would be pulp heaven right. I was surprised that you looked confused how to answer that question. being such a masala fan, it thought you would say ‘yes’ right away. 🙂
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krishikari
June 25, 2021
From this video: “Why do Tamil film directors feel the need to talk about social issues in a film?”
Maybe they actually are affected by these issues? Why do you feel that their films should not deal with social issues? India’s social problems are so numerous, deep and wide that you have to live in a very disassociated state to not be touched by any of them or to think that a film without issues can even be made. What should films be about? Should all films be KJ films? I’m in favour of the genre blending even if it doesn’t always work perfectly. The first of these was Raees with SRK, which I really enjoyed and was critically dismissed as far as I remember. That one also had a gangster hero trying for redemption.
Totally agree about your view on the need for non-egoistic writing and direction separation, however. The question should be why the social issue that is actually the spine of the film could not be better incorporated. It is a writing issue not a subject issue.
I would ask this question of Quentin Tarantino films too but his films that have racism themes leave me so repulsed because his attitude towards the topic is “I know better than the actual victims how to respond to racism.” He should have stuck to gangsters just being gangsters.
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