I am a jaded viewer, one who has watched movies almost every day for the past 13-14 years. However, the Tamil movies that I have seen in the past week have been among the finest that I have seen and it has been their allure that has made me come back for more, day after day. This, for most of its run time, is no exception. Most parts of Europe, these days, are pre-occupied with the Syrian refugee crisis. There was a similar exigency, more on the lines of ethnic cleansing practiced by the reigning govt. that was brewing in Sri Lanka, from the late 50s and that brewed over in the early 80s. The film is set against the backdrop of this official pogrom against the Tamil minority of Sri Lanka. The initial portion is narrated from the point of view of a little girl, who is growing up in Chennai, but who is the offspring of a Lankan refugee. The backstory of how Madhavan and his wife come to adopt the child is extremely well done, with little histrionics, but a lot of love and heart. The romance never seems overdone or forced, but feels like an organic growth between the two protagonists. To make the viewer feel such strong emotions, in a span of 20 odd minutes, is Maniratnam's magic. The narration is so powerful and the drama so riveting that they defy you to look away from the screen. It is when the action shifts to Sri Lanka that the tenor of the film changes from drama to thriller and the proceedings become a lot predictable. It happened around the 3 quarter mark and this was when I found my interest level sagging. There was the suicide bombing, village evacuations and the mandatory anti- war statements followed by war sequences to fulfill the viewer's blood lust. I expected all these to happen and wasn't very happy when my expectations were met. The charm of the first half lay in the fact that the story had a hook and pulled the viewer. The second part lets go off the tight hold. A small aside. This movie was made in 2002 and a lot less was known, then, about the state sponsored murder. Perhaps, it was films, such as these, which exposed the public to what was happening in Lanka. Perhaps, it would have affected me lot more 15 years back. Madhavan expertly straddles the spectrum of hues that Maniratnam embellishes his character with. However, it is the female triumvirate, of Simran, Nandita Das and P.S. Keerthana, who dominate with its screen presence and the vigor and intensity of its performance. Simran is, to use an often misused cliché, masterly, both in emotional sequences, where she chokes up (and so would any sentient watcher) as well as in romantic scenes with Madhavan, wherein she warms the heart, with her banter and idealism. She and Keerthana broke my heart many times, with their exchanges about motherly and daughterly love. Nandita Das took me by surprise. I am not a qualified judge of Tamil accent and hence can't comment on hers. There is a scene towards the end, wherein she lets her eyes and tears do all the talking. She is scarily brilliant and gives a glimpse of her formidable prowess. This should be seen by everyone who loves exceptional drama, with slices taken from the world around us.
Review of Kannathil Muthamittal
