Ilaiyaraaja - 2009 - A summary

Its year-end and boy don't we all love the annual rituals - round-up and awards!

A 'mind', a brain, physically 66+ old, stretched and squeezed constantly for the past 33 years in the art of 'creation', conjuring musical piece after musical piece, in arguably the most mundane and non-conducive of environments for an artist, which will yet show no dearth of creative juices - this post is born out of utter
awe and adoration of this grey matter. A humble dedication to the man Ilaiyaraaja (IR).

2008 was a seemingly dull year with just an Uliyin Osai towering sky high amidst some uninspiring stuff. Eager but apprehensive followers (and blood-thirsty detractors) watched on as IR set foot in 2009.

And the year began with a smack! Naan Kadavul, the first album to be released - song: Om Shivoham - Raaja sent the ball flying out of the park! A straight six over the bowler's head off the first delivery! I sat puzzled, with moist eyes and goose bumps. 'How and from where did he pull this one out?' I pondered. And how would he follow that up? A classic and elegant cover drive - Kannil paarvai. Complete surrender! I simply didn't have a choice!

One significant difference between the outputs of 2008 and 2009 is his association with certain films, which were superior not just in the context of budget but also in their quality. Naan Kadavul, Pazhassi Raja and Paa despite being just ok films, managed to have a good run at the box office. Whether these movies were convincing cinematically remains a questionable affair, but one very apparent fact is that Raaja delivered big time in all these three biggies, be it in songs or the background scores. These apart, there were also a number of deplorable films, but the overall quality of music in these seemed better compared to similar duds of the past few years.

Alright, now let’s get down to business – what the post promised to deliver!

Interlude/prelude/postlude of the year:

Enter the king’s abode; the world where the man reigns supreme, undisputed and unparalleled. He unleashes his wild creativity in these little durations in songs; an imagination beyond the grasp of many Indian film composers. Irrespective of the film and the album’s quality, there’s one thing that can be assumed for granted - a couple of interesting interludes. This year, with several solid albums to his credit, the quality of the interludes only got better. Collaboration of talented musicians almost always yields in creative and exciting outputs. So was the case of the partnership this year of IR and Hungarian musicians Attila Lazlo, Bela Lattmann and Janos Nagy. The usage of the electric guitar, bass and the keyboards in Paa stands out with mint fresh quality with several brilliant jazz passages in the interludes and in the background vocal accompaniment. This has added another dimension to IR’s already multi-layered music and has left fans yearning for more. (A similar dash of experimentation could be traced back in the song Kathum Kuyile from the movie Kizhakkum Merkkum which had some magical guitar work by Prasanna.) I sincerely wish for more of such collaborations as it seems to bring out a more inspired IR. The dashes of jazz apart, some of the other styles that featured this year in the interludes include the characteristic string-ensemble, tribal, folk and classical.

Listed below are some of my personal favorites of the year:

a) Om Shivoham (Nannavanu - Kannada, unreleased): prelude and second interlude –Fusion of Vedic chants, folk devotional songs and carnival music - it takes an IR to conceive something of this sort. The most striking part is how he gels them while still retaining the authenticity of each of the individual components. In the second interlude, the transition from the Vedic chants to the folk chorus (some mesmerizingly authentic folk singing) and then on to the ubiquitous Naadhaswaram and Thavil section is goose bumps stuff in totality.

b) Om Shivoham (Naan Kadavul): prelude and second interlude – IR conjures up images of boundless intensity, a Rudrathandavam like energy here. The Udukkai, drums and conch along with the frenzied chorus chant of Harahara Mahadev gives the song a catapulting start. In the second interlude he chooses to give the thandavam effect using an incisive Veena solo with Udukkai and Tabla keeping rhythm. He very grippingly winds up the interlude with a crisp solo Tabla mukhda. The flow of musical ideas in this guy’s mind seems inexhaustible!

c) Ilavayasu pasanga (Madhiya Chennai) – This piece struck me like a bolt of lightning when I heard the song for the first time. The song, frankly speaking, is quite ordinary and the dumbass lyrics only add to the listener’s irritation. But the second interlude stands testimony to one of Indian film music’s most creative minds. A mind which does not differentiate and classify music into genres and one to which all musical forms seem to unify and blend into a unique sound. In this interlude, what starts off with a funky western style violin backed with a catchy rhythm guitar, suddenly but seamlessly progresses into Indian classical style with Mrudangam beats. The whole piece, though short in duration, is one of the funkiest interludes this year.

d) Paa – in terms of instrumentation, this album screams of class, quality and experimentation. I just cannot get enough of the prelude and interludes of Gum Sum Gum and all the versions of Mudi Mudi. The way he orchestrates the three version of mudi mudi - damned may I be, but I would’ve returned home happy had he given me an album with just 6 different versions of the same tune without any other songs! It’s startling and also saddening to know that a number of people, including several alleged ‘music reviewers’ have failed to identify, understand and appreciate the stark differences in instrumentation in these three versions. I do not intend to undermine the musical sensibility of the masses nor do I wish to project an elitist notion, but how hard is it to differentiate an electric guitar+bass+drums combo from a violin ensemble+guitar one? It makes me think if we will ever get to see the true musical genius of this man, for a large portion of his potential could well go untapped due to lack of fair recognition and encouragement.

e) Enge Sendralum – Kannukulley: the prelude and interludes of this song are made of the stuff that makes IR so dear to many fans like me. The inimitable, intricately woven, quintessential western classical music (WCM) styled strings section. The brilliant harmonies and the violin solos quite easily puts to rest any doubts about IR running out of steam. This one is as good as any classic from IR’s younger firebrand days.

f) Kannil Paarvai (Naan Kadavul) - Sticking to the adage ‘saving the best for the last’, I reserve my personal top-favorite interlude to finish the list. The second interlude of this song has had me hooked right from the very first listen. Life momentarily halts and everything around me diminishes into a mute oblivion when the strings section starts playing. In trademark IR fashion, the WCM string ensemble gets to play Carnatic raga based notes. This time around, to elevate the experience further, it is the intoxicating Raskipriya scale. The piece starts off with a section of the violins bowing a constant Ma note while another section traverses a short but poignant Rasikapriya passage. The notes, from what I understand, roughly appear to be:

Ni Sa Ni, Sa Ri Sa, Ri Ga Ri Ma

Ma Pa Ma, Ga Pa Ma, Ga Ri Sa Dha…

To me, during this brief sustain at Dha, a deep sense of sadness builds up in the heart. The rest of the interlude is like the violins conveying the remorse of the situation and its characters, telling me their pain and sorrows. It might be a small and simple strings section, but I personally find so much soul and life in it.

Song of the year:

Om Shivoham – Naan Kadavul

If I’m asked to give a one word answer explaining the reason for picking this song, it would be ‘ferocity’. Naan Kadavul, as claimed by its maker, was supposed to be a film based on Aghoris, Some of characteristics that are generally attributed to Aghoris are their fierce devotion, aggression and anger. Did IR bring out these emotions in his music? Oh yeah and how! The selection of instruments (udukkai, table, veena, drums, cymbals, conch, etc), the base ragam (Panthuvarali?), the style of singing, the inclusion of Vedic chants, the song’s tempo; every aspect of the song seemed bang on target. To me, Raaja’s forte is his ability to push the boundaries of a genre, while still staying faithful to its roots. Some reviews had labeled (or ‘written-off’ to be precise) this song as just another bhajan/devotional song. One can only pity the naivety of such ears (and hearts). In some sense of the term (a rough one that too), this song does fall in the Bhajan category. But is that all the song has to offer? The orchestration, its power and aggression are unlike any other devotional song of Raaja. And for the manner in which the song was treated in the movie, which to me is the year’s most ‘emotionally convoluted’ film, only reiterates the ill fate of Raaja’s music on screen.

For this power chord which struck a chord deep in the heart of this atheist – a bow to the King.

Just-missu - Kannil Paarvai (Naan Kadavul), Kunnathe Kunnakyam & Aadhiushas (Pazhassi Raja), Mudi Mudi (Paa), Idaya Baagilu (Suryakanthi), Kooda varuviya (Valmiki)

Female vocalist of the year:

Shreya Ghosal - Kannil Paarvai

On many occasions, IR’s choice for vocals of a song has left me puzzled, disappointed and even irritated. Why would somebody want to compose a Endrendum Aanandame and then pick Malaysia Vasudevan of all singers to render it? If I were left wondering thus in the past, this only appears to have increased off late. Take for example this year’s ‘Oli tharum sooriyan’ from Valmiki. What on earth is Bela Shinde doing in this master-stroke of a song? With her current Tamil diction, how does she manage to find a place in it at all?

Such blemishes notwithstanding, this year also had some fine singing in solos and in duets. But who walks away with the cake? Shreya Ghosal for Kannil Paarvai. Be it on the musical front or emotional, this song is sublime. Like an intricate pulli-kolam, Raaja weaves this deadly base using a divine Rasikapriya ragam set to an interesting Rupakam beat. And Shreya so beautifully joins the dots to finish the lovely kolam! Her diction is near perfect and her singing even better. ‘Yaarkum pole vizhigal irundhum, ulagamo irullil’, this line has many lessons to offer in its emotions, pronunciation and singing. For the Tamilliterates, this line contains three unique but similar sounding letters – poLe, viZHigal, iruLLil – which even many native speakers/singers fail to differentiate. Hats off to Shreya and IR for this.

Just-missu – Chitra (Kunnathe), Shreya (Shrungara bangara, Nannanne nodovanu, Idaya baagilu), Shilpa Rao (mudi mudi), Sunidhi Chauhan (Hichki hichki, Chinna polike), Rita (Unnai patri sonnal)

Male vocalist of the year:

Vijay Prakash - Om Shivoham

If this selection was to happen based solely on versatility, one man would effortlessly have taken the top spot - Raaja. Sampling the variety of songs rendered by him: the longing and sadness of Thaalaatu keka naanum, the playfullness of Rangu rangu, the classic Oru kaatril alayum, the naughtiness in Muthuthu, the tribal joy of Ambum kumbum, the pitch-perfect Chennai dialect in Ennada paandi – I doubt if any other singer could have done justice to the different emotions and styles in such varied genres.

However, edging past IR, leveraging on the impact of the song of the year is Vijay Prakash for Om Shivohum. His power-packed rendition elevates the song by several notches and his clear Sanskrit pronunciation helps. He did disappoint in Ambum Kumbum’s Tamil version which was only a shadow of IR’s original. But then, Om Shivohum turbo-charges itself ahead of all competitors and puts Vijay in the Numero uno spot for the male vocalist.

Just missu – IR, Yesudas (Onnukonnu, Aadhiyushas), SPB (modhalane baari), Sriram Parthasarathy (yaar ivalu), Karthik (Mouni naanu)

Quick picks – top 3:

Albums: Pazhassi Raja, Paa, Valmiki

Duets: Idaya baagilu (Suryakanthi), Nannanne noduvanu (Bhagyada balegaara), Rangu rangu (Prem kahani)

‘Group’ songs: Ambum kumbum (Pazhassi Raja), Gum sum gum (Paa), Sullikuppam ganapathikku (Mathiya Chennai)

A few nit-picks - some not-so-pleasant developments/trends this year:

Disastrous pronunciation: there were quite a few songs that had cringe-worthy pronunciation, particularly in Tamil. Wrecker-in-chief unanimously elected as Bela Shinde, this crew consists of Udit Narayan, Kunal Ganjawala and other seldom heard names like Ujjaini and Bonnie. Other than the songs which had messy pronunciation of Thamizh syllables, there were others which had a much ‘anglicized’ style of singing. To me this stuff is too hard to digest in IR's music. Even in the very recent Suryakanthi, in addition to the irritating accent of Kunal Weedfellow, there’s Solpa soundu in which the female singing is nothing short of atrocious. I try to pacify myself telling it could have been deliberate, tongue-in-cheek, a satire by IR, but considering that this style has shown up in some more songs this year, it becomes difficult to buy the argument. IR is known for extracting precisely what he wants from his singers. It's surprising to see this attitude wane and get replaced by, what appears like, an unassertive approach towards right pronunciation. Another issue that stuck out sorely was poor selection of singers. Well, this problem has managed to live on almost throughout IR’s career, but there were worrisome turns in this regard this year. To quote a few: Tippu being chosen for most of the ‘fun’/fast paced songs, Bela Shinde getting numbers, which in my expectation, should’ve gone to Shreya, increasing usage of non-native singers (especially those from Hindi film music) like Kunal Ganjawala and Bela Shinde, in south Indian languages, who in spite of having sung a fairly good number of songs already, do not appear to have come to terms with the diction of south Indian languages.

Sudd-Suddenly #4

A lazy, aimless stroll inside ‘Temptations’, an understated, humble video/music store on Brigade Road.

Storeguy: new album saar. Today only it came.
Joblessguy (not paying much attention): hmm…
Storeguy puts back the album. Joblessguy sudd-suddenly spots a familiar font on its cover.
He picks it up with a sense of urgency and stares at it and it reads in big bold guitar-head fonts ‘MEGADETH - ENDGAME’
A massive chord from a Jackson-electric sounds inside his head. His pulse seems to have taken off on a lead guitar solo.
Joblessguy: you do accept card right….

Mustaine… dear god.. loyal friend…
News and rumours of a nervous breakdown and retirement… uahahaha… I can hear you laugh at us silly mortals through your album, through your guitar.
You have held the dying veins of speed/thrash metal and jolted it out of coma.
Oh lord.. thank you for coming back.

The beginning of...

Scene: UVCE college, front foyer - an open space cordoned off by the library and rows of classrooms and offices.

It generally stays empty, thanks to the rule prohibiting students sitting or forming groups in the place. And since its a govt college, it retires quite early almost everyday. It would be tough finding a person or 2 by 4PM.

Its a weekday, around 8 in the night and the foyer is almost full, bursting with students.

'Perot Systems' have just conducted their written round of tests for campus selection. I'm seated in a corner of a corridor with a bunch of friends. I know very clearly the outcome of my test for I've confidently messed it up. We are sitting there, discussing random topics - formula1, rock music, Applied Thermodynamics, adult movies, C++... and what not! While some in the gang are their usual self, a few others look almost lost. They do blurt out a word every now and then, but they primarily appear pre-occupied.

I found the scene very interesting. An attempt to give a poetic account of it...

Shedding its usual nakedness,

the place appeared draped in a polka dotted gown.

People, people and more people,

sat there in a state of conscious coma,

fixed and settled like the dyed dots on the gown.

The night was dimly lit,

by the prayers,

those said silently inside,

and the others said aloud outside.

Hopes hung everywhere,

like bats and spiralling cobwebs,

cautiously balancing between imagination and practicality.

Eager souls awaited,

what could be called, a predictable twist of fate.

The chanting mouths longed,

for success' sweet taste.

The judgement,

the announcement arrives,

like a sudden downpour,

bringing soothing bliss to some

and flooding sorrows to the others.

The ambience transforms into little muddy pools;

in them sadness sediments slowly.

We are all hitch-hikers on this road,

this road called life.

If accompanied by the fortune fairy,

one gets a ride to destination.

But what if not... dont bother to worry.

we will walk our way...

Awaiting the Long break /"Did you watch a ‘Kannada’ movie??!!" – Views on contemporary Kannada cinema and ideas for resurgence.

During many day-to-day conversations with various people, if I said ‘I watched this kannada movie last weekend…’, I happen to sense a feeling of amazement and even disgust in the other person. There have been occasions where I have even directly had my sanity questioned. Sadly, this appears to be the image Kannada cinema has created for itself over the years. Movies being one of the most popular and accessible forms of art and entertainment, its audience is understandably large.
The way I see it, this audience, more specifically Indian audience, can be roughly categorized into 3 types: A) I want to be entertained (read time-pass); creativity, technicality or content-quality do not necessarily qualify as parameters. B) I want to be entertained but expect a good story and decent performances; no garish violent/sexual content. C) I need food for thought and want to see something high on creativity and technically sound. This cannot be seen as a rigid structure or framework though. A mix-and-match of these (plus the one’s that swear by the unique types alone) is what more or less, makes up an audience on the whole. What needs to be understood and acknowledged is that type A does not mind something technically good as long as the entertainment quotient is still high; type B could accept a complex subject which has some spirited performances and good songs; an ordinary story handled deftly with a fresh narrative could still be ok for type C. Often what happens is that these get wrongly interpreted as type A: masala/sleaze, type B: family/feel-good and type C:art/award-winners. The effect of this is that the scope for attempting good movies gets badly hampered. This brings us back to where we started - the current state of cinema of Karnataka which seems to be hemorrhaging from such misinterpretations and false notions. For a decade or so now, the average quality of the produce of this industry has been so dismal that it has almost permanently tainted its reputation. ‘What reputation?’ some might ask. For such less informed, it is necessary to explain the glory of the state’s cinema that has produced some of the country’s best movies and is home to several exceptional talents in the field. Sample this for a list of
movies: Tabarana Kathe, Vamsa Vruksha, Hamsageethe, Ondhaondhu kaaladhalli, Dweepa, Ghata shraddha, Adi Shankara, Nagara Havu, Bangarada Manushya, Gejje Pooje, Accident, Belli moda….and this for
technicians/artists: GV Iyer, Puttanna Kangal, Girish Kasarvalli, Girish Karnad, GK Venkatesh, Vijayabhaskar, Shankar Nag, Anant Nag, Rajkumar, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni … a quick lookup would clarify the standards we are referring to here.

In today’s internet age, the culture of movie forums - websites, blogs, film clubs, local film fests, etc - plays a significant role in breeding a healthy film culture. Discussions on movie making, reviews, analyses and the likes can be stumbled upon quite easily on the web, about classics as well as contemporary cinema, prompting enthusiastic participation from critics, movie-goers, film-makers and technicians alike. Discussions on current Hindi cinema are seen covering works of promising film makers like Vishal Bharadway, Anurag Kashyap and Sriram Raghavan with movies like Johnny Gaddar, Black Friday, Dev D, Omkara, No Smoking, Aamir, etc being some of top favourites. Down south (my acquaintance so far with contemporary Malayalam and Telugu cinema is inadequate for me to make any observations in them) though not as fervent as its Hindi counterpart, Thamizh cinema seems to have its share of passionate movie buffs with young directors like Ameer, Mysskin, Raam, Sasikumar and Balaji Shaktivel keeping them excited with movies like Paruthiveeran, Katradhu Thamizh, Anjadhey, Subramanyapuram and Kadhal. These are movies that have not relied on star power or hefty budgets. Their success (not necessarily box office
collection) can be accredited to aspects like newer subjects, unorthodox non-formulaic narration, unique screenplay, thoughtful camera work, interesting editing techniques and inspired performances.
These are not art-house cinema per se (Andrie Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Satyajit Ray, Adoor Gopalakrishnan,et al) but are mainstream commercial films that have strived to venture beyond run-of-the-mill ideas and methods, blending experimentation with ingredients for entertainment. An item number or a dose of melodrama or a bloody fight sequence could very well feature in them. But they seem 'pardonable'
when compared to several other aspects of the movie that do more than manage to compensate. What pains me is the near absence of Kannada cinema at forums like these (Girish Kasarvalli seems to be the only exception). It is not mandatory that Kannada cinema be present here.
These forums might not bring about any radical changes. Popular mass-driven cinema will thrive by and in itself. What these forums do is encourage alternate cinemas. While the intent or the quality of content in different forums may vary, this culture definitely seems to be helping: in building an audience base beyond language barriers, in understanding thier likes and dislikes, in preparing/setting them up for experimental themes, in communicating a maker's point-of-view of a creation to the viewer ...and in general helping a creator connect better with the audience. Unfortunately for current Kannada cinema, it seems to be an empty house on either side of the screen.

Resurrection of good, meaningful Kannada cinema is the need of the hour for Karnataka's movie industry. These are some ideas, that I think could help in this.
Utilizing literature - the literary culture of Karnataka is very rich and boasts of an array of renowned writers like Kuvempu, SL Bhyrappa, Maasti Venkatesh Iyengar, Shivaram Karanth, DVG, Poornachandra Tejasvi and UR Anantmurthy, among who are many Sahithya Academy and Jnanapith awardees. Despite such wealth in literature, the state's cinema seems to have rarely leveraged from it. Book-to-movie adaptations have never been high in numbers and the last decade has seen this decline further sharply. Again Kasarvalli stands out as alomst the lone exception in this regard, with most of his movies being based on literary works.
There have been a few others like Avva but these have lacked sincerity and conviction in reproducing their source text. Projects need to be undertaken with the view of an honest adaptation of a literary piece.
By honesty, what I mean here is that compromises (for saleability), modifications or alterations in adaptation, should not be at the cost of losing a book’s soul/character. Otherwise it would eventually become a lost cause. I vouch for increased number of adaptations and feel it would make a healthy trend because not only does it ensure for the film a strong backbone in its story, but it could also open new avenues for artists to perform in well written characters. The state government and organizations like Kannada sanghas, could invite film-makers to make adaptations of culturally significant literary works. Benefits like funding and tax concessions could help boost such initiatives.

Burying the clichéd - the current cinema scene screams of a drought of fresh ideas and new techniques. The odds of coming across an original, less-crass movie like Aa Dinagalu or Cyanide are too few. The rest can be safely categorized as remakes, either of successful movies from other languages or rehash of formulaic concepts. Remaking, which firstly is not the healthiest of ideas, when attempted, should look at replicating not only the concept but also the sincerity and effort of the original, thereby doing atleast some justice to it. In the current Kannada cinema, one does not see a Drohkaal becoming a Kuruthipunal, or even something like a Don taking the form of a (mildly watchable) Billa. But on the contrary, what one gets to see are movies that are mere carricatures of their original. Karnataka, especially Bangalore, sports a multi-ethnic, cosmopolitan culture. Good cinema made in other languages, Indian or international, has been accepted and endorsed by its people. Given its highly receptive culture, decently strong economy and sufficient spending power of a large portion of its population, it becomes difficult to understand the doubt of whether newer concepts in Kannada cinema will be welcomed. Sometimes it makes me think if it is actually the fire in the belly that’s missing and not just the apprehension. Even guys like Ramesh (Cyanide) and Suri (Inthi ninna preethiya) who have shown signs of being technically strong, have, by pressure or choice, gone on to dwell in the now comfort zone of Kannada cinema of violence, sleaze and melodrama. Its high time that filmmakers trust the audience and help instill in them the belief that their sensibilities will be respected and the belief that they will be provided with entertainment of high quality.
Established production houses, artists and technicians need to shoulder the responsibility of encouraging new talent and supporting fresh ideas and perspectives. Mentoring under veterans like Girish Kasarvalli and Nagabharana could help in nurturing young minds.
Subjects like folk arts, classical arts, war, history, biography, psychedelia, sports, science fiction and many such seldom or never ventured topics provide ample scope for exploration. Bold attempts, made with conviction, sincerity and determination could pave way to a much awaited rise of a new wave in Kannada cinema.

Importing talent – Kannada cinema, in the past, has had the involvement of many artists and technicians from other states. There have been many quality movies by filmmakers like Singeetham Sreenivas Rao, K Balachander, Maniratnam and Balumahendra and several memorable performances by actors like Kamalhassan, Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval and Smitha Patil. To tackle the current slack, it could be an idea to rope in people from outside the state. Not that there is scarcity of local talent, but collaborating with external talent could possibly help enhance the curiosity and appeal within and beyond boundaries, if not for betterment of quality. This practice can be seen deployed in Kannada film music already. After a period of mediocrity, the past few years has seen a gradual rise in the quality of songs with a marked increase in the number of melodies. Talented musicians like like Bombay Jayashree, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Devi Sri Prasad, Kunal Ganjawala, Karthik and Harish Raghavendra, though at times may appear over-used, have definitely aided in unleashing fresh interest in Kannada film music. On similar lines, inviting filmmakers and artists, established or promising, to participate in Kannada cinema could see resulting in good films being made.

Theatre as platform: A look at the theatre scene in Karnataka and it can be easily understood that it stands in much better health in comparison with cinema. It houses and plays host to several top-notch national and international groups of both, traditional and contemporary styles. Artists from theatre background are renowned for making quality actors in cinema and Kannada cinema has already seen this in the form of Shankar Nag, Arundati, Umashree and more recently Rangayana Raghu. Continuation, and hopefully an increase, in this trend could only prove favorable to cinema. Apart from the inflow of artists and technicians, Kannada cinema could benefit from more number of plays transcending and taking form on the silver screen. There have been many highly innovative and radical ideas that have seen light in the form of plays and adapting these into movies, though may pose highly challenging, might prove worthy of attempting.

Role of government: There could be initiatives taken by the state government in the direction of revival of its cinema. Negative approaches like supression of other language cinemas is uncalled for, with the results and statistics so far, clearly suggesting that it has not helped in improvement of Kannada cinema. Instead, it is constructive idelogies and thoughtful measures that are required. Film schools have proved instrumental in moulding several of the industry’s technicians and actors. A premier film institute set up within the state could help in establishing a strong platform for the film industry to build upon. More thought could go into setting up commissions to create schemes to encourage aspiring technicians and actors. An idea is sponsoring education for meritorious candidates (selected based on a standard selection process) in premier Government aided film schools like FTII, Pune and SRFTI, Kolkatta. In a trade-off, on completion of a course, the candidates will compulsorily have to take up a set of projects proposed by the Government, like documentaries, ad-films and feature films that would aim at creating cultural and social awareness. With all the evident issues of bureaucracy and inefficiency, such schemes, for sure are easier said than done. But hope is not to be lost as such initiatives need to planned and executed.

Last and most importantly...spare the macchu for a while. The ‘long’
unquestionably deserves a long break!

Subramanyapuram - A fan review

As i settled down to watch subramanyapuram for the 1st time, the first shot inside the prison immediately drew my attention.I felt the prisoner POV shot was an interesting choice and it made an attractive start.
As the movie unfolded, with the stabbing scene’s culmination and the introduction of Subramanyapuram, man, was I simply stunned.The scene started off with the camera panning downwards from the sky slowly revealing a street in the town with its usual activities, people going about with their daily lives.Then a man walks in and the camera starts following him… first from one side. Ah.. good stuff i felt.Then it shifts to the other side, still following him walking. Just got better!And there it was… no cuts for about a minute… a long take in namma cinema!Whoaaa!!! A tracking shot for an establishing shot… What a fresh approach to introduce to the audience the story’s backdrop.
And then a few more small continuous shots followed… the camera appeared to glide silkily without any abrupt cuts and created a positive impression about the editing.
The main characters sitting inside the cell, their introduction – straight-forward, completely natural without any ‘build-up’ – was a pleasant welcome.
The following set of scenes – beginning from Kanagu kick starting his lambretta to the public bathroom scene – was pure exhilarating stuff.
The regular ‘family -introduction’ is turned into a set of witty, superbly knit scenes with the editing following a chain-like or relay-like pattern, take-off a scene taking cue from the culmination of its previous. The editor seemed to have deliberately (and intelligently) used this only for a short while thereby enhancing its impact and avoiding any monotony.
Just 10mins into the movie and I already felt completely blown away by the technicality of the film.
Kasi’s betrayal and then Parama getting killed (ending with Kasi sitting down on a stone and lighting a beedi… guys take a bow).This scene according to me can feature among the best shot scenes in Indian cinema. Think it shares space with some of the best tracking shots in cinema…like some listed here:http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2007/05/long-take.html orhttp://www.bspcn.com/2007/05/10/the-long-take-the-greatest-long-tracking-shots-in-cinema/
To me, the movie rises high inspite of it’s flaws (it fair share of ultra-violence and some amounts of melo-drama). The better portions in the movie are just too good leaving behind a great aftertaste to cherish.
To list a few of the stuffs that I admire in the movie:the long takes (kathir… more of this from you please… this is just what the doc ordered!)the relay edited sequence of scenes.tight-framing and good close-ups.the chasing sequence where azhagar and kasi are chased by the other group’s men.the charming ’siru ponmani’ sequences.the ending of the siru ponmani 1st sequence where Parama knocks of the glass of tea from dumka’s hand and the tea splashes across Kasi’s face who’s dozing. Kasi calmly wipes it off and resumes his sleep. I thought this was a superb representation of their state of joblessness, their lazy and we-care-a-damn attitude.
There are many such scenes that I felt were extremely well concieved and executed with the cinematography, screenplay and editing supporting one another so effectively.
I think I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched the movie, as a whole or in parts, but I still enjoy it immensly every single time (shamelessly ripped version).
Katradhu Tamizh, Anjadhey and Subramanyapuram, for me, stand out in tamizh cinema as technical landmarks.

Sudd-Suddenly #3

My dad has been advised to have his lower set of teeth removed and replaced with dentures. He isn’t too happy about it.
If we are all taught very young that ‘Aane vaala pal, jaane vaala hey’, will we be better prepared?


Rajnath Singh explains ‘Varun will behave’.
Whether good, bad or ugly seems to be the question.


Tata plan to expand their telephone and mobile network in rural areas.
Will the campaign ‘Tata in-de-gaun’ fit the bill?

haiku

Monsoon:
Orphaned old lady in dire poverty
is dressed in a rich bright green velvet gown;
An abandoned well.

Kalai:
Asayaamal, amiedhiyaay amarndhirundhu, ivvoviyan
en nenjai thodum oviyangal theetugiraan;
Sattai pyeyill viethirindha yen ink pena.

loosely translated into:

Art:
Unmoved, sits this artist in silence,
and does paintings that touch my heart;
The ink pen in my shirt pocket.

Sudd-Suddenly #2

9:30AM. Turned on computer at work and put on earphones.

Awake.
Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day’s divinity
First thing you see.

A vast radiant beach in a cool jeweled moon
Couples naked race down by it’s quiet side
And we laugh like soft, mad children
Smug in the wooly cotton brains of infancy
The music and voices are all around us…

The doors opened… I was transcended.