Old classmates reunites after long years, Big surprises in queue which changes rest of their life.
Classmates is a smartly packaged film that shows the importance of a good script. Director Lal Jose has made a great entertainer which tugs your heart strings and features lesser mortals. The film opens with a retired college professor Iyer and his wife a retired Chemistry professor trying to organize a get-together of the 1991 batch of students. This meeting is also in memory of their only son who died under mysterious circumstances during his final year. The actors look and act real. Pritviraj as Sukumaran is an absolute delight to watch. Watch out for his romance with Kavya. Jayasurya is simply great in comedy and he walks away with some of the best one-liners in the film. Indrajeet as Pious is a revelation and Kavya comes out with a fine portrayal. But it is the new girl Radhika who steals the show in the suspense laden climax. The supporting cast of veterans are all brilliant even though in small roles.
Classmates can be included in the list of all-time great campus stories in Malayalam.
Nativity at its creative best .... Ameer at his best.....
Paruthiveeran is a great effort. With remarkable photography and great performances by the main actors.
Karthik plays Paruthiveeran, a low-class orphan who is used to being a free personality, doing whatever he likes without any concern for custom or law. Priyamani plays Muthagalu, a stubborn, free minded, educated girl who is in love with him. They are, in fact, cross-cousins, and so, in a way (according to rural custom), should marry. But there was caste inter-marriage, and so, Paruthiveeran is considered unsuitable.
Once Paruthiveeran falls in love with Muthagalu, everything changes. In a way, both have to sacrifice their freedom (and therefor themselves). This is a love that cannot be, but also cannot be stopped. It ends, perhaps appropriately, and very typical of Tamil folk stories and cinema (Kaadhal for example), in shocking tragedy.
The story is original and compelling. Both characters are not generic, they surprise us with their decisions and choices. There is an inner tension between freedom and love (independence and belonging) and the tragic but inevitable way they conflict with each other. There are several great cinematic moments and inventions. The one in which Paruthiveeran, after tattooing his name next to his lover's on his chest, reaches for a peacock feather and caresses it, is memorable. The film tempers with some generic conventions - no makeup, no professional dancing and lip syncing. Some outside shots are taken from inside buildings, giving us a kind of 'peeping' feel. In one memorable shot, Muthagalu's father sits in a corner of his yard sadly watching as an entire day goes by.
There are two 'spaces' in the film. The first - the open land, shot widely, almost 180 degrees of earth kissing sky. It is rural land, vast, limitless but also hopeless, unchanging. And the other space - an inside, between the walls of the house. The place were laws are kept and honor is upheld. It is a violent space, where freedom has to obey dignity, and so, our heroes have to act violently in order to stay free of it. Once they begin to love each other mutually, they pass from the first space to the second - from chance meetings outside, to planned ones inside. Like the earth and the sky, our couple's confinement signals their doom, they can only live outside, meet by chance, do whatever they wish to do, but only love each other in sudden bursts never by commitment. Once they let their love bond them, they start obeying its law, which crushes them. This is the inside, our second space, where change is possible, but our heroes can't survive it, their past freedom becomes their undoing (Paruthiveeran's friends, used to his visiting whores, attack Muthagalu, who is alone and unprotected because she has alienated her family).
There is a tendency, among some western viewers, to regard any non-American or European cinema as some kind of an exotic artifact, showing us "how people live over there". If we wish to appreciate a movie for what it is, this arrogant attitude should change. This is not a film about "the caste problem" (there is no "caste problem", caste is a valid social construct with its own set of conflicts and paradoxes like any other). While some cultural knowledge may help, you don't have to speak Tamil to enjoy this film. It is a great work of art, coming from a remarkable cinematic tradition. An instant classic that has brought tears to my eyes.
Tamil cinema deserves to be much more well known worldwide. Its main point of strength, for me, is in the way it uniquely utilizes folk elements (as opposed to "pop" elements), contesting hegemonic perceptions without being subversive. It is a mature cinema, yielding many excellent movies, with its own distinct film grammar and editing techniques. Paruthiveeran is a good entry point.
Fantastic movie! One of the most different revenge movies made in India. Normally, the protagonist makes use of his brawns, rather than brains to avenge the villains. Kamal himself has acted in a dozen action thrillers of the same type. But Chanakyan is a mind blowing film which handles 'revenge' in an extremely different way. Kamal, Jayaram and Thilagan have given a knock out performance. Urmila Matongkar looks gorgeous.
Years after his family gets massacred by a politician, Johnson returns with a masterplan to destroy his him. The only difficulty is - his enemy is none other than the Chief minister of Kerala! Revealing more of the story isn't good...
The plot of the movie is quite familiar : the poor man meets rich girl ..rich girl falls in love.. poor man says no ....rich girl nags on .. poor man agrees... and evil father-in-law makes life miserable for poor man.But don't let that stop you from watching the movie - it is refreshingly interesting.That is mainly because of the trio of Kamal Hassan,Thilakan and Jayaram. They fit in so well into their roles as if they were born into them. Kamal Hassan puts up an extremely brilliant performance , both as Johnson the unemployed church choir violinist and as Johnson the intelligent avenger who weaves the web around his enemy with infinite accuracy.Thilakan too puts up a great show as MadhavaMenon, the chief minister of Kerala(!)whose daughter Renu(Urmila) is in love with Johnson.He takes every trick in the book to make Johnson leave his daughter alone but as they say Love is blind ( ..and silly) and so he goes for the extreme measure .He ruins Johnson's family .. makes them commit suicide and leaves a very battered Johnson to rot in a railway track. Johnson gets a double shock as he learns that Renu committed suicide.
What does he do? Unlike the ordinary hero who would either drink and die or takes up an axe to hack the villain,he decides to ruin MadhavaMenon's life slowly and steadily.He uses Jayaram to mimic Mr Menon's voice and switches his election campaign ... first on radio and then on TV .. then he makes huge withdrawals from banks from the CM's fund ... and finally traps the CM in a nail biting climax. Jayaram's love interests and Madhu as the investigating officer consist the further part of the movie. The movie Chanakyan also introduces Urmila Matonkar into filmdom but she doesn't have much to do except look pretty.
And of course there is that theme music that follows Kamal Hassan around as he goes on in search of his prey.The music is simply scintillating and it makes you feel so very involved in the film. Mohan Sithara can take credit for that.
Overall it is a good bet if you are interested in a good revenge-seeker film and I give it a 9/10 ( the one point taken of due to the excessive dosage of drama) and be sure to watch it on a stormy Saturday evening...
This movie reminds me of a painting I once saw somewhere...of a small boat in a placid river, entering a mist that envelops everything. It is rare that we see a movie that touches us deeply, that even after many years and repeated viewing it still strikes the chord. The right chord. Unerringly.
The movie traces the relationship between Kamal Hassan, a school teacher in a small hill town, and Sridevi, a beautiful woman who in an accident has lost her memory, and has the mental capability of a seven year old. He rescues her from a brothel, and brings her into his own life (as monotonous and dull as the small town he resides in).
What follows is a beautiful study of human nature and relationships. And that climax scene...God, I cannot believe anyone can return from the theater without a lump in the throat. The image of Kamal Hassan looking at a train that leaves the small town away is so haunting that it makes me get goose pimples just thinking about it.
Performances? In a word, awesome! Sridevi and Kamal show a chemistry on screen that may only be envied by other stars. And they both prove why they are rated the best ever in the Indian industry.
Balu Mahendra's direction is silky, languid and feels like a drink of well weathered whiskey on a stormy night.
Don't miss this one. Buy it. And you'll want to watch it over and over.
National Film Awards, India Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) 1983 Won Silver Lotus Award Best Actor Kamal Hassan
maniratnam is hailed universally as a great film-maker with a unique style. although i am not a great fan of his, this movie i think was his best - even ahead of roja.
mouna ragam is a tender movie that pulls at the heartstrings, revathi - in one of her best ever roles - absoluitely steals the show. maniratnam handles the complex relationship between the husband and wife beautifully. kartik as the wife's ex-lover scintillates in his cameo.
the capacity of the human heart to love, its wont to love more than one person is tenderly shown, revathi's reluctance to love her husband and how she slowly changes heart but refuses to acknowledge it are what makes the movie a delight to watch. a movie that can and should ne seen many times over.
this is a tru classic that deserves a full 10.
Revathi is forced to marry Mohan in an arranged marriage. She lives in the memory of her lost love Karthik and asks for a divorce. The law requires them to stay together for a year before granting the divorce. That gives time for a lot of incidents in their lives and things change.....
A beautiful romantic story revolving around the characters Rishi, Mohan & Nila.
Rishi (Karthik): son of billionaire (Manivannan), who dosen`t believe in love or the institution of marriage and feels that he can buy anything in the world, till he realises that there is one thing that can never be bought - LOVE.
Mohan (Karan): Hailing from a middle class family, who is a friend of Rishi and works in his office. He has his own insecurities but believes in love and is looking forward for a suitable partner.
Nila(Suvalakshmi): A young sensible, middle class, confident girl, believes in love, traditional values and strict morals. How the entry of Nila into the lives Rishi and Mohan causes much up heaved in their inter relationships and how she brings about a change in them with her convictions is all about "Gokulathil Seethai"
Some films just happen. This is one such film. Ahead of its time (probably why it flopped), it's the story of love that blossoms when a rich girl meets a blind violinist. Kamal as the blind guy is incredible, and Madhavi looks celestial. LV Prasad is such a delight, and Ilayaraja's haunting score elevates the film to a new plane. Must-see.
Having established as hardworking non typecast Actor, Kamal again delivers a gem of a acting as a blind violinist. Madhavi rich girl mistakes him only to realize his blindness, befriends and eventually falls in love with him. Comedy from YG Mahendra is worth watching. As some one earlier remarked made before the audience we ready, absolutely true. Even to-date, I am not bored watching this same movie with its variety of scenes, Absolute Brilliant Music score by Illayaraja. You would love to hear "Andhi Mazhai", what I like the most is another slow song titled "Azhagai". Kamal takes it up a notch by acting as a blind person, making audience believe he is really blind. With love blossoming between a beautiful girl and blind musician, society isn't ready for it and so is not girls father. With every body having their own agenda to avert marriage/reunion will they reunite? See the climax to find out what happens... I will definitely give a thumbs up to watch and enjoy this movie and appreciate it.
