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.
He was the best father any son would dream of. His dream was to see his son as an IAS Officer. And he almost saw it.....almost
"If you can't compare your wife to another woman, how can you compare your son to another boy?" - the moment Mohanlal pops this question, you know Thanmathra will not just be any malayalam movie. At a time when the industry is ruled by crass comedies, Blessy should be appreciated for taking up such a complex theme in a commercial format, without compromising on artistic values.
Thanmathra is the story of a middle-class family; the very family that stays in a mini two bedroom flat; the very family which uses a Bajaj scooter for transportation; the very father who dreams about his son attaining what he couldn't. In short, it is the family which you can see in your day-to-day life. But what makes the movie special is the craftsmanship that director Blessy shows in extracting the best performance from his cast into what can be called as the ideal script for any artist to prove his skills.
Thanmathra excels in every class. Let it be cast performances or direction or paperwork or music or cinematography or art work or whatever, Thanmathra is perfect. The movie drags a bit in the latter half, but the theme demands the lag and without it the movie would have ended up as a typical TV serial. Mohanlal has come up with one of the strongest performances in Indian Cinema. In real life, people often consider Alzheimers as a variant of madness. Therefore the slightest mistake from the actor can transform an Alzheimers patient to a lunatic. But Mohanlal handled the character carefully. Rameshan, being an Alzheimers patient, forgets everything. But still somewhere in his mind, he knows that he wants to see his son as an IAS Officer, even when he cant recognise his son's face. Such roles are always challenging to any actor but Mohanlal came up with a brilliant, effortless performance, proving any role is only a child's play for him. Debutant Arjun Lal is certainly an excellent actor in the making. Jagathy Sreekumar and Nedumudi Venu have done their parts well. Other than some unsynched lip-movements, Meera Vasudev's performance is top notch.
Once you watch the film, Thanmathra will give you a melancholic feeling. One might wonder why God is so cruel to Rameshan and his family. After all his only dream was to see his son as an IAS officer. And he almost saw it...almost.
Perhaps love can conquer everything - but not Alzheimer's. At a time when crass commercials rule Malayalam cinema, Blessy has been successful to deliver a film with the right sensitivity and restraint required when sketching an intimate portrait of a man doomed by Alzheimer disease.
If further proof is required that Mohanlal is India's finest actor, watch him in Thanmatra as Ramesan Nair. His anguish, agony and anxiety as he dreams big about his son, but gets inflicted by Alzheimer. The actor is mesmerizing and has given his best-ever performance since Vanaprastham and re-invents the idiom of acting once more with feeling.
Ramesan (Mohanlal) is an officer at the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram who has a 9 to 5 job in which he is honest, hardworking and goes by the rule book. His happy family consists of wife Lekha (Meera Vasudev), teenage son Manu who is preparing for the crucial 12th standard exams and a little daughter.
Ramesan is a good husband and the perfect dad for his children. His colleagues and friends envy them and the way Ramesan guides his son Manu who is an all rounder in sports, cultural activities and is the best student in school. Joseph (Jagathy Sreekumar), a colleague is Ramesan's friend, philosopher and guide who get things done.
Ramesan's big dream is to see his son prepare for civil service exams and get an IAS, something which he was not able to achieve in spite of being a very bright student himself. Ramesan slowly discovers that he often forgets small things in life and consults a doctor (Pratap Pothen) who dismisses it off as tension seen in parents about their ward's exams and future!
But one day life turns topsy-turvy in a bizarre incident at office; Ramesan is hospitalized and is diagnosed for Alzheimer's disease that causes loss of memory, intellectual decline, changes in personality and behavior and an increased dependence on others. The rest of the film is how Lekha, Ramesan's father (Nedumudi Venu) and especially Manu faces this big crisis as Ramesan takes voluntary retirement and goes back to his ancestral home where he was born and brought up.
Thanmatra asserts that Blessy is a path-breaking writer-director, one to be admired and concerned about. He has been able to convey an individual coping with his middle-class urban life suddenly devastated by a dreaded disease. Blessy has also brought out the relationship of Ramesan with his father as well as his son and in the end when Manu is being interviewed by the Civil Service board he says it all- "My father has been my biggest inspiration".
Above all, it is Mohanlal's performance which is the major highlight of the film. Meera Vasudev is simply terrific as Lekha who gives love and support to her husband till the end. The chemistry between the lead pair is touching and honest. Arjun as Manu is the scene stealer and has the making of a good actor. Jagathy Sreekumar and Nedumudi Venu have once again proved that they are the best. Kaithapuram's lyrics and Mohan Sitara's music creates the right mood. Sethu Sriram's camera work is marvelous.
Thanmatra is an intelligent, insightful and unconventional film. It is a touching, thought-provoking drama for sophisticated audiences. ...i have some hope in Malayalam cinema now...excellent characters, remarkable situations and one of the finest, most dramatic scores ever written, this film manages to inspire and uplift just about any viewer.The major reason why so every people like this movie is the feeling it evokes inside it's viewers.about mouth publicity is outstanding everyone likes it . Without a doubt it is an excellent movie, but this movie just blew me away. If you haven't seen it go for it... see what is effortless acting & natural acting lalettan make us proud again . I AM PROUD TO BE A LALFAN I wont let out anything about the movie climax, because i had hate to spoil such a movie for you guys. But one recommendation I give, is watch and relax while it blows you away. MOHANLA Genius actor ever in Indian cinema and one best actor in world! Well thats all I have to say,
THANMATHRA - OUTSTANDING EXCELLENT MOVIE WATCH IT WITH YOUR FAMILY ESPECIALLY WITH YOUR FATHER.
Kerala State Film Awards Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) 2005 Won Kerala State Film Award Best Actor Mohanlal
Mohan Lal was born to father Viswanathan Nair and Mother Santhakumari in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, in the Southern part of India on 21st May 1960. Starting his career with a classic villain role, he has now become an outstanding actor of Malayalam Cinema in Kerala. Without no doubt, Mohan Lal is today's one of the best actors India has ever produced. He is also rated one of the most talented actors in India. His ranges of movies are enviable, his comedy roles are incomparable and his unique style of dialogue delivery is effortless. Not many actors can portray both comedy and serious roles with the same ease. And with all these rare talents he has received "Padmashri", one of the nations highest civilian honors. He also won the National award for the best actor twice for films Bharatham (1991) and highly acclaimed Vaanaprastham (1999).
He has reached this position with his hard work and devotion to the movie industry. As far as his acting is concerned, it's been acknowledged many times that he's the most gifted actor on the Indian movie field.
Chitram is possibly the biggest commercial success in Malayalam cinema having run of nearly two years at the box office. But more than its commercial success the movie remembered for two striking reasons - [1] The emergence of Mohanlal as a star and actor par excellence, and [2] The epoch of the golden era of Malayalam movies typified with excellent music and strong story lines.
To summarize, the movie is about Mohanlal a youth who is struggling in life and is dogged by fate. He agrees to be a makeshift husband to Renjini at the behest of Nedumudi Venu to keep Renjini's father happy during his last visit to India. The chemistry between Lal and Renjini is quite good and their squabbles make up a major part of the movie. The movie has twist in the end, which is best seen than described.
Lal is the fulcrum around which this movies revolves. He displays emotions and comic timing both with remarkable ease and his scenes with Venu are brilliant and endearing at the same time. Venu is an apt foil for Lal while Sreenivasan has a great comedy track. Sreeni also deserves credit for coming up with a script that keeps the viewer hooked throughout. Renjini is competent.
The highlight of the movie (besides Lal's path-breaking performance) is the fantastic music which is popular even after two decades. This was the first Malayalam movie in which original soundtrack was accompanied by the hero's voice-over. Chitram marks the beginning of an era of great Malayalam movie music.
Amaram is the story of achootty(Mammootty), the poor fisherman and his daughter(mathu).The uneducated Achootty wants her daughter to be educated and also want her to become a doctor. His dreams get shattered when she falls in love with her childhood friend. The story is shot entirely in the beautiful seashores of alleppy, kerala, India. Director Bharathan has done a marvelous job, panoramising the beauty of kerala seashores and to look into the life of the fishermen. The songs were melodious and meaningful. Mammootty(winner of 3 Bharath awards) has succeeded emotionally and physically in portraying the simple minded achootty. The Malayalam accent of his sounds exactly like the way fishermen talk in Kerala. He simply deserves an other Bharath award for his performance.
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country. He sets out to kill him.
Hey Ram is the story of Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan), an archaeologist. He is on a dig in pre-partition Harappa with his buddy Amjad (Shah Rukh Khan) when communal violence erupts in the region and the dig is closed down. Saket Ram goes off to Calcutta to visit his new wife Aparna (Rani Mukherjee). Calcutta is in chaos with religious strife and Ram's wife is brutally assaulted and killed by some Muslim men a few days after his return. He becomes unstable and seeks out the perpetrators of the crime and deals with them. While wandering the streets Ram meets with Abhyankar (Atul Kulkarni) who tells him that his family has suffered a similar fate and that the one man responsible for all this is MK Gandhi. Ram goes off to Tamil Nadu and after seeing Maithili (Vasundhara Das) agrees to marry her. All the time he is still traumatized by Aparna's death and planning revenge. When Abhyankar is paralyzed in a polo accident Ram vows to take his place as the killer of the Mahatma. He moves to Delhi and there he re-encounters his friend Amjad. Now hatred for Muslims and his prior closeness to Amjad are at war and Ram must choose his path - will it be the road to revenge or redemption? The story is excellent and the movie manages to retain its grip on the viewer for over three hours. The direction is for the most part very good. There are a few strange moments that seemed unnecessary to me - why is there the surreal stuff when Ram is shown with Maithili? The Marathi dance seemed unnecessary. Why were the bullets in a cartridge in a pre-partition handgun? Can one talk after one's throat is sliced open? But these are indeed minor quibbles in an overall excellent film.
The background score is a bit intrusive, the songs not memorable. Maybe this is not the best of the Maestro Illayaraja. The beginning song/dance in the club is sort of silly, certainly not needed. Surely bonding between friends can be shown in other ways.
Acting is very good throughout. For me the outstanding performance was given by Rani Mukherjee. She breathed life into Aparna and was at her most attractive and charming as a Bengali Bodhu! Kamal was very good. He showed love, passion, anger, rage, madness very well. And what looks at nearly age 50! The man is awesome. Shah Rukh gave a great performance as Amjad - a very restrained and balanced performance that in the end showed us which path Ram would choose and why. Atul Kulkarni was awesome as the fanatical Abhyanker. Vasundhara Das was luminous and did an excellent job playing Maithili. Naseer Shah as Gandhi, Hema Malini as the mother were all very good. In fact there was no bad performance in the film.
This is a fine piece of movie making and deserves all the accolades it got. If you have not yet seen this film then you are in for a rare treat.
National Film Awards, India Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) 2000 Won Silver Lotus Award Best Costume Designer Sarika
Best Special Effects Manthra
Best Supporting Actor Atul Kulkarni
The movie begins at present day with Saketh Ram (Kamal Haasan), an 89-year-old South Indian Brahmin who is dying. The scene reverts back to the past as Saketh remembers the 1940's, when he and his good friend, Amjad Ali Khan (Shahrukh Khan) were archaeologists working together under their boss, Mortimer Wheeler, in Mohanjodaro (Indus River Valley Civilization) in Karachi. Relations are pleasant between the Indians and the English, and Saket and Amjad do not approve of the Partition and the creation of Pakistan. Aparna Sen, Saketh's simple Bengali wife is living in Calcutta in the midst of riots and chaos over the issue of the formation of Pakistan. Saket goes to Calcutta and is swept into the madness. In one instance, Saket saves an innocent Punjabi girl from the hands of a Muslim gang. The Muslims are angered and decide to take revenge; the group is headed by Aparna's tailor, Altaf, who break into Saket's home. They brutally rape and maliciously slit Rani's throat, and the scene, so vividly shot, leaves little for the imagination. This itself turns Saketh Ram maniacal and puts him on a wild killing spree, avenging his wife's disgrace and killing every possible Muslim in sight. On his apparent sortie he comes across a bunch of right-winged Hindu fundamentalists, led by Abhyankar (Atul Kulkarni). Abhyankar preaches him about the need of the Hindus to come together and save their brethren from the Islamists who according to them are mere intruders from across the Khyber.. He soon joins fanatical Hindus and loses sense of himself, falling victim to the chaos and religious hatred around him. He is also urged to marry again and agrees to it reluctantly. Mahatma Gandhi (Naseeruddin Shah) is solely blamed for the division of India and of the two religions. His wrath gets the better of him as he pledges to take revenge co-opted by the Hindutva Brigade and he travels from Calcutta to Madras to kill Mahatma Gandhi. There he meets his second wife (Vasundhara Das) , another light eyed beauty. Saketh Ram does not love her but only marries her under his father's (Kavignar Vaali) orders. Saket Ram is entrusted the task of killing Mahatma Gandhi, after his friend Abhyankar is left paralyzed in a freak accident. He has a change of heart only when he falls prey to a bunch of Muslims, where he also meets old chum Amjad Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), an ardent Gandhi admirer. At the climax, Saketh Ram is prepared to murder Mahatma Gandhi but is stopped by Amjad. He later realizes that without Gandhi, India would be destroyed. He goes up to Gandhi and begs for forgiveness but Gandhi says he has to go and that he has no time for his apologies. When Gandhi is about to leave, a young man approaches and kills Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi with a gun. The movie ends with the old Saketh Ram, slowly dying on his death bed.
A man tries to get his family back in shape after a stint in jail.
this is one of the Tamil movies which will appeal to international audience! Krishna(Kamalahassan) a widower,living happily with his two kids and his mother in a village near Srirangam! in a thrush of greed,brainwashed by an urban con man (v.M.C.Haneefa)he starts a financial company with his partnership, in the city Chennai. then the story shockingly reveals,how the city and its materialism ruins him and his family before his innocence comprehend its deceptive ways! Kamalahassan could challenge any actor in the world on any role! the scene when he finds his long lost daughter in a brothel in Calcutta, his emotional outburst, and the subsequent scene he trying to runaway carrying her in his arms through the mob of pimps,would substantiate that the statement made by me above is not an exaggeration! it may be a bit cinematic when he sets out for a revenge... and Yamuna(Suganya) may irritate you with a faulty Brahmin's dialect... apart from that its an excellent film utilizing fully the acting potentials of one of the world's best actor KAMALAHASSAN!
Excellent film-making and simply awesome acting!!!
I need not make mention of how good kamal hassan is at acting....you actually cant call it acting.It can be called getting under the skin of the character and portraying a realistic look on the role.
Kamal draws parallels with the late Sivaji Ganesan...who is admired now even after his sad demise some years back.
I get the opportunity to watch GUNA only on television nowadays...as i was too young to have watched it in theatres.Kamal's acting was way too awesome in the movie...and as another IMDb user suggested,films of such high caliber rarely meet commercial box-offices success.The failure of this movie to rake in money does not deter us from appreciating the performance delivered by Kamal.
Of course he has given awesome performances in other movies like devar magan,mahanadhi,hey ram and many many more movies....this movie stays close to my heart.
The song KANMANI ANBODU is still a melodious song to reckon with now...15 years after the movie was released.The only two things to talk about in this movie is Kamal's acting and Santhana Barathi's acting!!!
Guna A 2-minutes long tracking shot takes us through a lower-end brothel in Hyderabad and ends showing Guna on the terrace (shot from below with a 'Godly' respect), standing on one leg. It is a Pournami (full-moon day) and Guna is awaiting the arrival of Abhirami. He sees a bride going through the Jaanavasa ceremony and mistakes her for Abhirami.
So starts Gunaa, one of the best films to have come out of Tamil Cinema in the last decade. This was the first of the twin efforts (the other being the great Mahanadhi) of Kamal Haasan with his friend Santhana Bharathi wielding the megaphone. Kamal packs in a superb team (Venu for Cinematography, Balakumaran for dialogues, and of course Raaja). Yes, it is not a flawless film. But, it is a film of the kind that stays on in your mind. The film looks at this man Guna, with unconditional sympathy; how he is doomed in this big bad world; and in that sense, it is a cynical film. Guna is a madman (an obsessional psychoneurotic) who is told, by a fellow asylum-inmate (Ananthu), that Abhirami (the Goddess) will marry him on a full moon day and will take him out of all his miseries. There is this sense of Godliness attributed to him in the movie - He can unlock anything like cars, safes etc. and helps his uncle in his thefts. He wants to be cleansed (in the famous scene Guna explaining to the doctor about how Abhirami would 'cleanse' him). He unconditionally believes that he is God, and that only Abhirami can cleanse him. He believes in uniting with Abhirami, the Goddess (an imaginatory sequence shows the formation of the Lingam). So he kidnaps her; takes her along with him to a deserted church on top of a hill and explains his love for her, and their destiny. The screenplay of the film {written by Sabjaan, a Kamal Haasan associate who wrote Chanakyan and (according to my assumption) played the role of Narasimhan is Kuruthippunal} is of the highest standards w.r.t. Tamil Cinema. It's expertly woven, richly textured, subtle and doesn't scream for our attention. Not to forget the insightful and yet realistic dialogues by Balakumaran. Ilaiyaraaja gives a great background score (most of BGM pieces during chase sequences are liberally borrowed from Kamal Haasan's 2 earlier flicks Aboorva Sagodharagal and MMKR). Kamal Haasan comes up with a truly wonderful performance (before anyone pounces on me, I haven't seen Rain Man yet, which would not change this statement anyway), with all the rest of the cast chipping in accordingly. What is striking is that the film doesn't melodramatize the state of Guna. It doesn't put him in fake glory. It looks at him with a detached sympathy. Guna is after all, a madman and it never bats an eyelid to put forth the fact to us. He says he is in love with Abhirami and that she can never go leaving him behind. But, he still ties her giving a new reason each time. Apart from this, the movie also works as a traditional thriller with an (albeit heavily stereo-typed) villain, CBI in chase, and lots of money at stake. As in every other KH film, the subtle humour is unmissable. Looking at the mythological connections of the story, the keypoint in the film is how the usual assumed gender roles are reversed here. The mythology has this story of Parvathi, the Goddess, who takes human form because of a curse and eventually re-unites with Lord Shiva. We also have other examples like Meera and Aandaal. In Gunaa, the roles are reversed. It's Guna who has taken an earthly form and yearning to unite with Abhirami. This is apparent in many scenes like, 1. Guna tying the thaali around his neck. 2. Guna, looking reverently at his "thaali" after Abhirami walks out of the car hanging at the edge of a mountain. 3. Guna waiting for Abhirami to complete her meal. 4. Or when Abhirami kisses Guna. The story also owes the main thread of obsession towards the Goddess to the story of Abhirama Bhattar, who wrote Abhirami Anthathi. In a beautiful sequence, Rohini and Guna playfully pretend to be bees and buzz around in air (ending with the bees "kissing" each other), and Abhirami asks Guna to tie the Thaali, Guna says they have to wait till Pournami. But, she says "Nila aagasuthalaiya irukku? manasula irukku. Manasu thaan nila. Neranja naal!..". Apart from serving as a point for the culmination of their love (Nilu feels that this is a "must-have-sex" film and I agree; but this sequence does have the desired effect without showing them have sex), it also directly refers to the mythology itself. In the story of Abhirama Bhattar, Abhirami turns an Amavasai into a Pournami by throwing her ear-ring into the sky. Guna recollects the mythological incident and says "aamaam! Abhirami sonna Pournami thaan!".
And when the movie ends (with that divine and strangely soothing theme playing in the background), we see the deserted church in the bird's eye view and the glowing moon behind it. It is the next Pournami (thus completing the cycle) and Guna has joined hands with his Abhirami. Or has he?
This film originally featured a nude scene by Kamal Hassan, but this was not permitted by the Indian censor board (CBFC). So, it was deleted from the final print..
This is one of the most hyped-up movies ever in Indian movie history. When people begin to wonder if it can live upto the hype, the movie reveals the calculated gradual publicity built up over the months. In case you haven't watched and read enough on television and the Web, do so immediately to comprehend the movie better.
The basic story is nothing new, but the movie delves to a large extent into the dark recesses of the psychopathic mind of Nandu. We get to view the real-plus-imaginary world inhabited by this schizophrenic character "with paranoid delusions", courtesy special effects and animation. All this happens even as an engaging action thriller unfolds on the screen. The delusion and flashback portions seem to slow down the pace. Many scenes involving Nandu send a chill down your spine, though the language and violence, at times, seems unfit for children.
While the commando operation in the beginning and the relationship between the lead pair remind of you Hollywood movies, the designer clothes worn by the antagonist and sponsor promotion towards the end are true Bollywood 'ishtyle'. What you get is a curious mix of cliches and innovations.
Kamal Haasan plays the negative character alternating between style and realism, though things seem to get repetitive. The other character of an NSG major seems much like the real-life Kamal, mouthing anti-religious remarks and sporting a unique lifestyle. Raveena manages to hold her own while Manisha is good despite appearing only in a few scenes. The dubbing for both of them seems odd on a few occasions. Talented actors like Gunaji and Gidwani seem wasted in roles with few scenes and little potential.
No stone has been left unturned when it comes to the technical aspects of the movie like art direction, cinematography, editing, sound effects and visual effects; but the computer graphics is found wanting sometimes. Double role picturisation has possibly never been better, even in Hollywood, though those movies rarely employ an actor portraying two roles. The attention to detail is also stunning.
The songs blend seamlessly with the movie, beyond expectations -- the title track serves as the background for a chase sequence and still manages to come out good! But this certainly isn't another Dil Chahta Hai for Shankar-Ehsaan Loy. The background score might seem mediocre at places when viewed in the surroundings of other superior elements. Vairamuthu's lyrics and poems bring out the various dimensions of the complex character. Symbolism is built into the script (done by Kamal Haasan himself) much like Hey Ram, reducing the work of the director.
To sum it up, this is an interesting masala movie, with exemplary techniques and a lot of sensible elements incorporated into it.
