Sojourn in Serendip – IV

We wended our way from Nuwara Eliya to Colombo through Emerald green tea estates that rolled away on all sides. The road wound along the lush green estates. In the distance were the tall mountain peaks.

En route we came across numerous water falls and cascades created when the Kelani River meets a rock formation that defies erosion. The river then falls down to the next harder rock and so on as it creates a layered waterfall amidst the green fields.

We stopped at St. Claire’s Falls which is, by far, the most picturesque of the waterfalls in this region. We also saw Devon’s Falls which is just opposite the St. Claire’s Estate Tea Centre. We had an invigorating drink of the tea brewed on St. Claire’s Estate. Still further away is Hatton, a small British Settlement developed by Tea Planters during the British Colonial period.

In the distance we can glimpse the mist-covered heights of Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada, the second highest peak in Srilanka but arguably the more popular. The Sinhalese believe Buddha visited the Island Three times during his life.Every year thousands of pilgrims climb this figh mountain to view the foot print (Sri Pada) of The Buddha on the Summit. The Muslims believe the print was that of The Prophet Mohammed (May his name be Praised) and the Hindus that it is the holy foot print of Sri Rama! I am sure the Christians have an equally convincing story of a visit by Jesus to the Islands when he left his imprint on this high peak. Well, after all, Religion is not about God it is about Belief!

As we move down from Nuwara Eliya to Colombo, the Kelani River accompanies us singing a merry song on its way to the plains. The terrain on which the water flows makes it ideal for white water rafting.

For the curious movie buffs, it may be interesting to gret down from the car and take detour on foot to the lacation where the famous movie, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was shot. The forest area between Khanchanabhuri (where the Tiger Temple is situated) and Burma is the place where the story of the famous movie, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” happened. My friend B Ramakrishnan has travelled on the legendary train across the bridge. But the movie was shot here in Srilanka on the River Kelani. A bridge was actually constructed here and was destroyed as part of the shooting.

Another place of interest could be the huge bungalow of Dr. Anand Jayasuriya, now converted into a restaurant which houses his imperesssive collection of classic vintage cars including a couple of Rolls Royce, a porche and a Jaguar.

The King's Speech

I am glad that I did not read any reviews or even know the gist of the story before watching this Oscar winning movie. Right from the first scene where the duke of York fails to deliver his maiden speech to his father, King George V’s loyal subjects as his father’s representative to the last scene when he delivers the moving speech to His people as H M king George VI, the movie is great.

Extremely well designed period settings and authentic casting of well known public figures such as Chamberlain and Churchill make the movie a treat to watch.

It is not merely the story of a Monarch who stammered and then delivered an awesome speech. It also portrasys the human side of the royal family. The deep longing that “Bertie” (King George VI) played by Colin Firth has for normal life and a friend to whom he can pour out his heart is moving. The movie is the story of a unique friendship between Lionel Logue the Aussie Speech therapist (Played by Geoffrey Rush) and King Geoge VI.

The last sub title on the screen says, “ Bertie and Lionel remained friends throughout their life.” This is the essence of the movie.

Colin Firth as the stammering King makes the suffering of a speech impairment immediate and palpable. He is a King; yet he is a normal man with a normal problem. He is supportedand sucoured by his wife ( Bonham Carter) who is “immensey likable” according to Outlook magazine film reviewer Namrata Joshi.

The death of King George V, the abdication of Edward and coronation of George VI are well known events. But the movie thoughtfully avoids cliché and pomp and sticks to an inside-out look at these events from the point of view of the players rather than the public. So we have thee King and his family watching the cortonation in black and white on screen! (A factoid I picked up from Maggie our city guide during my recent visit to London: The Kohinoor diamond was not worn on George VI on his crown during the coronation. It adorned the queen. This is because the stone is considered inauspicious on men though women may wear it with impunity!)

Each speech or event is put in the context of a human being, a family and a life. This lends an intimacy to the viewing experience anda consequent empathy with the protagonists. The arch bishop tells the king that he is worried about the head he is going toi crown. The King retorts, “but it is my head!’

This brings out another basic theme in the movie which is the continuous loss of privacy and freedom to live one’s life the way one wants to. The pressures of having to live up to the expectations of a whole nation drive a boy to become a stammerer.

“My game; my turf; my rules”— This is Lionel’s comment to Berties wife when asked to visit him at the Palace. This is his voice, Subdued, yet smooth and firm like silk. Not holding tight but never letting go. He rises above his own frustrations as a failed actor to help Bertie perform his most important role as a King. In this sense, Lionel is the epitome of the Eighth Habit which says, “Find your Own Voice and Inspire Others to Find theirs.”

Madras Pattinam

18.07.2010

Madrasa Pattinam

This is a sickly sweet romance from the Kalpathi stables that merits watching. The story is a flash back of a love affair between an English Girl who comes to Madrasa Pattinam just before India attains Independence. In fact the climax scene is on the eve of Independence when the British are slowly walking out.

The story follows the well explored English Lady Meets Country Lout formula of Lagaan and Nadodi Thenral and so on. There are also fleeting resemblances to the Ivory Merchant Production of Ruth Prawer Jabhwala’s “Heat and Dust.” People who have read E M Forester’s “Passage to India” may also see comparisons. At least its not a case of “The Empire Striking Back.” Quite the opposite as we follow the hapless old lady’s travails in trying to locate her long lost beau.

The scenes of Old Madras are bewitching and it is this aspect of the movie that takes it above the normal. The recreation of the settings of Mount Road, Central Station and Spencers would produce nostalgia. The bridge on the Cooum with the imposing Central Station in the back drop while boats ply up and down sluggish river truly transport us back to this bygone era of elegance intertwined with arrogance and brutality.

The plot is tight and the last scene is apt. As the lady dies here she reenters the old Madrasapattinam where her lover awaits her return. This scene have gained more weight if they had played the “Vaamma Duraiamma…” song as she enters the shot.

The song immediately after the interval could have been avoided. Similarly ignoring or downplaying the role of freedom fighters in obtaining Independence could have been avoided. But the director has rightly decided to merely usethe Freedom Struggle as a broader canvass on which to paint in more detail the lives of the ordinary people who rely on the British for their livelihood.

As we walk out we long wistfully for those days when Chennai was Madrasa Pattinam. Will this longing be sufficient to bring about a cleaning up of the Cooum and its environs so that we can once again ride on a Thoni down the Adyar Creek or up the Buckingham Canal?

A Street Car Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire
1951 - B/W – 122 minutes
Director: Elia Kazan
Cast: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden

Stanley and his wife, Stella (Marlon Brando & Kim Hunter), are the earthy couple in New Orleans's French Quarter whose lives are upended by the arrival of Stella's sister, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh). Blanche, a disturbed, lyrical, faded Southern belle, is immediately drawn into a battle of wills with Stanley, beautifully captured in the differing styles of the two actors. This extraordinarily fine adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, won acting Oscars for Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden.

Elia Kazan and the United States Information Service (USIS), Chennai are becoming closely associated for me. As a member of the Library at the USIS Centre, I get invited to the Saturday morning matinee shows there when they screen DVDs of old movie classics in the Basement Auditorium. I saw Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovich there as also Kazan’s classic “On The Water Front.”

Today I saw another great Elia Kazan movie, “A Street Car Named Desire” starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Marden. The movie is an adaptation of the famous play by Tennessee Williams.

Marlon Brando plays a negative role as Stanley, an uneducated mechanic married to a sophisticated southern Belle, Stella (Kim Hunter). His brutal and blunt behavior is offset by Brando’s greek god looks, which take the performance to a different height.

I liked the staircase scene where Stella is coming down from Eunice’s house upstairs and Stan is at the foot of the circular staircase looking up at her. Tight shots and shifting perspectives make the scene memorable.

Hunter’s performance is great when she depicts the pain and uncertainty of living in the French Quarter with a brutal husband she loves truly. She portrays the emotional trauma of being torn between love for her disturbed sister and loyalty to the animalist husband she adores with the minimum of histrionics. She rarely over emotes till the very last scene when she shows repugnance at Stan for the rape of her sister and for being the cause of her slipping off into total insanity.

Karl Marden is also underplayed. I loved his performance in “On the Waterfront.”

Vivien Leigh as Blanche Dubois is the fourth in this quartet of great acting. Capturing the essence of Williams’ Blanche: Ephemeral, false, imaginary, not of this world, sensual…you name it…she is all this and more.

Ravan-Ten Headed Bore

24.06.2010

I saw Ravanan, the movie today. Well, the good points first… Great Location…Great acting from Vikram. The last scene especially the Bridge Fight is great. The setting and the intense action reminded me of Valmiki’s failure to describe the fight between Rama and Ravana. He says there is nothing to compare with the sky or the ocean…they are incomparable. In the same way the only thing with which the personal battle between Ram and Ravan can be compared is itself! This thought was bought out in the fight scene almost in the air over a deep chasm!

Having said this the rest of the movie is boring and the link with the Ramayan is tenuous and contrived. For example a sculpture of Vishnu lies on an Island in the middle of the river in a remote valley where nobody dares to go. How did it come there? Not to mention the obvious loss of continuity due to change in locale from Amba Samudram in deep south Tamilnadu to somewhere North. We are so busy figuring this out that we miss the impact of a pivotal scene.

There is no social message. “Peranmai” the Jeyam Ravi starrer was more relevant to the displacement of the tribals and the atrocities of the police and army while attempting to strike a patriotic and more positive note.

The killing of Veera by the police officer is so obvious and filmy. Similarly, the dialogue that Ice spouts immediately after she is abducted by goondas is so cheesy. Any one would be scared shitless in that situation, not quoting “Jayamundu Bhayamillai in chaste Tamil! And the uneducated dacoit joins in the chorus for his only perfect Tamil dialogue. Aw…c’mon Mrs. Mani Ratnam…there’s a limit.

Three Idiots--All is well

Watched Three Idiots at Sathyam. A great movie full of pure fun and wisdom. The shots in Ladhak and enroute to Shimla and Manali are great. All is Well may become the new Mantra for 2010.Almost the entire movie has been shot at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. I had recently visited IIMB campus to meet my old student Mr. Prasanna Venkatesh who gave me a guided tour of the 150acre campus. He was frequently pointing out places where he said Three Idiots had been shot. I could now relate to this when I saw the movie. The campus is low slung and gothic in design with vines and creepers overhanging the walls.

Here are some pics I took of the sombre corridors of IIMB.

Kuselan: Irredeemable Tamil Cinema!

I have this theory about tamil cinema. Tamil Drama or in a real sense, Dance Drama is the predecessor of Tamil Cinema. It has its roots in Therukkoothu or Bhagavatham. In both these performing arts, it is quite natural (in fact, required!) for the protagonists to launch into song and dance at any point in time in the performance irrespective of plot, story or logic. In fact, the story is no more than the backdrop for these song and dance sequences. It is also customary for the arrival of Hero, Heroine, Villain and Comedian to be announced by a song and dance!
We can see the vestiges or hangover of this tradition in the best made Tamil Movies. Where, the plot and logic are abandoned for a song number. This song would actually go on to become a hit song out of its context and relevance in the movie. It is also common for tamil viewers to use song sequences as breaks for smoking and relieving themselves.
K Balachander (KB) was the first director who lifted Tamil Cinema from this tradition and instead used lyrics as an integral part or component in moving the story. No one could walk out during the song in a KB movie as they may miss an important aspect of the plot! Another Balachander (Sundaram Balachander) had already shown us in 1954 that a plot specific movie with no song and dance diversions can be made in Tamil. That movie was Antha Naal, considered even today as a directorial masterpiece. But it was KB who took Tamil Cinema to its greatest heights.

It is therefore, always surprising for me to note that films produced by KB (as against those directed by him) are made with the commercial eye! Kuselan, the recently released Super Starrer is no exception.

Predictably, the theme of Kuselan is Friendship, and P Vasu presents it with elan. We must appreciate Rajanikanth for his willingness to accept P Vasu's treatment. So much so that he does not apear on screen for nearly a quarter of the film! Not having the usual entry song is an obvious example. But the "Cinema!Cinema! song would compensate hardcore Rajani fans.

Pasupathy as Balu the barber is the main protagonist of the story. But Rajani permeates every frame in thought, word or reference! He is ever present in the minds and dreams of almost everybody in the little village of Maraiyur. Even the most cynical want to meet him!

Yes, the first half of the movie drags. The comedy track, though good does not gel with the sentimental refrain of the main track. The movie must not have cost much, if we discount the flashy song sequences. The fact that these songs and item numbers are not dovetailed into the screenplay is a major negative in KB movie.

For example, there is a song where the heroine of the "movie" being shot in Maraiyur, is reported as missing . Thereafter, she is shown dancing in the rain in a well choreographed number with a group of children!

• How did she get to the waterfall?


• How did she get back?


• Why did she disappear?


• What is the signifcance of this scene to the story?

To ask these questions is not to understand the basic premise of Tamil Cinema which I explained in the begining of this post! Welcome to Tamil Cinema!

Having said this, we must acknowledge that Rajani's speech to the people of Maraiyur is histrionics at its best. Even hardened cynics would have blinked away a tear or two during this performance!

Yet, Kuselan makes a valid point that friendship is a pure relationship that transcends wealth, position and personalities! It is sharing and a caring!

Let's celebrate Friendship Day (3rd August) with Kuselan!

Sivaji -- Message or Massage?

Is watching a movie Quadrant IV (That is a waste of timeand hence non value added) or Quadrant II (That is highly value added use of time)? The answer, as you've by now guessed, is "It depends!" Stephen Covey lists Recreation under QII. But the word recreation should be spelt Re-Creation. That is the activity should enable us to renew ourselves and gain new insights into life and living. Or it should prepare us physically and/or emotionally for better performance. Classic examples are Music, Aerobics and such. Now Movies cannot be wriitten off as a time waster as there are movies and movies.

For example two recently released Tamil movies were truly classics. They are "Mozhi" i.e. Language. This movie is a gentle comedy that makes us understand the futility of oral communication and the value of the "language of the Heart." As the song in the movie states, "When you have learnt the music of Nature, what is language? Where the language of the heart is heard, do we need language at all?" This is a great movie.

The other is "Paruthiveeran" a stark and realistic movie that portrays the life and behaviour in a remote village in interior Tamilnadu. The ending is not to my liking and the basic message of the movie and its possible impact on viewers is subject to argument, but the movie as such is a flawless portrayal and each frame is work of art in cinematography. Watching such movies makes us realise the value of having intellectual discernment and taste.

Now, we come to "Sivaji". If you have not seen it, you are unfit to live in Tamilnadu! Everyone is crazy about it. So I had to go through the compulsory agony of watching the movie in Abirami Mall.(The place stinks! My vote goes to the Sathyam Cineplex any day!) That was a truly QIV experience!

How many more times will Shankar rehash the "Lets Bring an End to Corruption" theme? How many more times will the Tamil movie-going public be duped into parting their hard earned money to see and listen to ideas for ending corruption that border on childishness and illogicality. Even to call Shankar's concepts Utopian would be to give that perfectly good word a bad reputation by association with the idiotic.

Okay, here's the grand plan for ending corruption once and for all and flushing out Rs.20,00,000 crores of untaxed money also known as Black Money:

You want to flush out black money? Hire a large hall with an annex "office room". Hire a gang of reformed Goondas and dress them up in ill-fitting suits and short ties to make them respectable.
Call all the auditors, accountants, drivers and cooks of rich people to this "secret" meeting and simply "request" them to spill the beans about the untaxed money belonging to their employers/clients! If they refuse send them into the "office Room" and beat them up. That's it.

How will you invite these people? Hey, this is a Shankar movie starring Super Star Rajinikanth! If you ask these stupid questions, they will ask you to "wait" in the "Office Room"!

And, of course, if somebody dies from electrocution all you have to do is give "CPR" or simply pass an electric current through them to bring them back to life!

Even a mentally retarded chimpanzee could have come up with a better story line. (My apolgies are due to the Chimpanzee, of course!)

What is truly pathetic is that with all this masala mania and pandering to the popular palette, Shankar is regarded as a director of repute. Big budgets should not make big directors. Good story, tight screen play and suspense should be the criteria!

Shankar wants to give a message through his movies. But his themes are so jaded and outworn that this has become a formula in itself! The really serious issues like corruption and reform become farcical and outworn! In fact in this movie the Hero actually decides to go the corruption route first. The choice whether it is Gentleman,Indian, Annian or Sivaji is always between Corruption or Violence. The point is both are wrong! He ultimately ends up providing a predictable high budget massage to the popular psyche and emotions with loud and unnecessary music numbers with underdressed starlets running around with an aged superstar who desperately wants to become fair! There is no intellectual finesse in the movie to warrant the popular acclaim it has received.

If Kids enjoy Sivaji, it is acceptable; If Rajini fans go crazy about it, it is understandable; If the mindless mob appreciates it, it is forgivable; but, when the educated intelligentia says it is a `great movie, there must be something seriously wrong with the discerning capacity of Tamil audiences.

Movies like "Mozhi" and "Paruthiveeran" were a welcome breath of fresh air for Tamil Cinema, and then we get "Sivaji"!

300

14.04.2007

Saw 300 at the Seasons in the Satyam complex. The movie is about the last stand of The Spatans in 480 BC against the hordes of the Persian emperror Xerxes. King Leonidas who leads the 300 Spartans who lay down their lives is foolish, egoistic, inhuman and sometimes illogical in his patriotism. But you cannot help admire his courage and bravery.

The dialogue "This is Sparta!" with which he pushes the emissaries of Xerxes into the Well to their death is classic histrionics.
The redeeming feature to this otherwise plotless documentary type movie is the cinematography. The hazy sepia-tinted background enhances the viewing experence. Similarly, the fight scenes where the Red Cloaks and white bodies of the Spartan warriors are contrasted with the Masks and Blackl cloaks of the immortals are great.

The graphics and editing are obvious and Xerxes millions aren't so impressive. Especialy for an audience that has already seen Lord of the Rings Part II.

From Broke to Broker

12.04.2007

Saw The Pursuit of Happyness with my son Srivatsan.

This is a warm, touching and at times wryly humorous movie about the struggles of Chris Gardner, a homeless, penniless scanner salesman and the challenges faced by him on his journey from "Broke" to "Broker".

It is also the story of his extraordinary love and affection for his son "Christopher" and the extraordinary trust placed by Christopher on his father's honesty and ability to bring them out of their hard times.

A few scenes are imprinted in our memory and refuse to leave. The scene where father and son are forced to spend a night in a subway restroom is brilliant because of the underplaying of emotions. The point where Chris finally breaks down and silently sobs with his son's head on his lap while someone bangs on the rest room door must be one of the best twenty scenes in movie history.

Similar is the scene where the five year old boy has to sleep alone in the dark in a charity bed while his father works above in a lighted landing on a scanner that he has to repair and sell to keep them afloat. Chris assures the child that he is near at hand by asking "Do you Trust me?" again and again This is is a classic example of the victory of Love and Trust over Poverty and apparent failure.

Another clear message from the movie that Chris actually articulates is " Happiness is not a goal, it is a Path. You can never achieve happiness, you can only pursue this illusory state that disappears on attaining it!" As Chris says, " Thomas Jefferson had it right when he included the "pursuit" of happiness in the Declaration. No Government can guarantee Happiness and no Government shall deny the right of its citizens to Pursue it in their own way upon their own terms.

I could not help but compare Chris Gardner's Rags to Riches story with the story of Sherman McCoy the white american Wall street bond salesman who is the hero of Tom Wolfe's famous novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. While The Pursuit is a Rags to Riches story, The Bonfire is a portrayal of the Reverse. I am sure Chris Gardner could have met Sherman McCoy on their respective ways up and down the ladder of fortune. Both are set in America. The Pursuit in 'Frisco and the Bonfire in the Big Apple. Both paint starkly contradictory pictures of extravagance and irresponsibility coupled with great determination and dedication to the acquisition of wealth.