Kandhasamy - A Saturday Evening Wasted

I wanted to watch Kaminey over the weekend. But my colleague got me a booked in Cineworld, Broad Street, Birmingham for the Saturday 4:30 PM show of Kandhasamy. With the wine i had on Friday night still lingering and working on official tasks in fits and starts, i ended up getting ready only at 4 PM. Broad Street being 11 miles from Solihull i ended up taking taxi. I had to pay the thrice the amount of the movie's ticket for the taxi!! Cursing myself i settled in the multiplex seat with a 3Pound regular coke.

The first thing that strikes one of such big budget Tamil movies ( Anniyan, Sivaji, Dasavatharam and now Kandhasamy) is how much lavishly they are made. The richness from the money spent comes out in no uncertain terms in the costumes, sets, locales, cars, songs and frames. Especially cinematography has improved leaps and bounds. I mean the cinematography of some of these Tamil movies is far better than the best Bollywood can offer.

But what's infuriating is the strict adherence to the archaic masala movie formula. It is the same commercial formula which has been beaten to death over the last two decades. It is as though a song in a foreign locale or a Vadivelu comedy track scene needs to be compulsorily inserted after being on the main storyline for five to ten minutes. The screenplay of this movie is in shambles. Contrast this one to the racy pace at which Shankar delivers Anniyan and Sivaji, both anti-corruption themed movies. This movie is a collage of disjointed sequences. I'm also getting tired of the run of the mill anti-corruption/'rob the rich feed the poor' movies in Tamil.

It is nauseating to watch the hypocrisy of trying to balance the prime motivation of feeding the aspirations of the burgeoning middle-class and at the same time trying to play to its sense of guilt of doing nothing to the abundant squalor/poverty it finds itself surrounded with. After some spectacularly extravagant shots in Mexico, the hero starts lecturing by showing us a series of photographs depicting poverty in India. Sigh...

Vikram, a two-time national award winner (For Sethu and Pithamagan), is getting into an image trap post the success of Anniyan. By comparison Surya is far more versatile.

Shreya is Kollywod's answer to Shakira. With her new hair-do she looks chic.

Perhaps the only reason one should watch this movie is for the remix song 'Bambara Kannalae':-) If you can't sway to the beat of this song then forget it.....I gather this song is quite big these days in the South Indian party circles, how much ever small it may be. Sample the lyrics:-)

Yen Peru Meenakumari
Yen ooru Kanyakumaari
Polaama Kudhira savaaari
Sailaama samban kacheri

Naan pattu pattu pattu pattu sundhari
nee thottu thottu thottu thottu thottu nee pullari

Kaaikari thottahthila naan kathiri
Aangila madhathila naan january
Pambara Kannaaley Kaadhal ....
Ohdura nadhiyinile naan kaaviri
Asaiva saapaatula naan aan kari
Pambara Pambara pambara pambara .....

Kangal Irandal

My Take
Mez back in UK, a week ago. Will be around for sometime. Staying on Songs, man this song "Kangal Irandal" in the movie "Subramanyapuram" is probably the best i have heard in Tamil for a long time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApQcVAYWHs. Set to the raagam "Reethi Gowlai" it's just magical. And it's composed by ex-TV presenter James Vasanthan. I though remember him as an irritating pedantic presenter.

I saw some of the movie clips in youtube and also the movie crew being interviewed by Anu Haasan in "Coffe with Anu season 2" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jennMPmTo6c. They have managed to create 80s Madurai in a beautiful way in this song-> Kudirai Vandi (Horse cart), Kammaa Karai (Pond Bank), Jigunaa Sattai (Fluorescent Shirts), Cycle, Naai (Dog), Pavaadai Dhavani potta vekka padara Ponnu (Refreshingly shy girl who is clad in half sari),

Saami urvalam (Procession of the gods in cars), Dhinathandhi (Dhinathandhi Newspaper), Thennai Maram (Coconut trees), Cinema Poster, Lungi, Oottu Vidu ...
I think this girl Swathi has a big future. Some good lines on this song that i read in the web

Quoted Article
For every season there is one particular love song that Tamil Cinema assures which would become a welcome hit among all divisions of public. Kangal Irandal from Subramaniapuram is definitely making waves. Everything about this song would strike one in the first hearing itself. The open voices of the singers Belly Raj and Deepa Miriam(hav they sung any other songs?) The lyrics by Thamarai. She is too good. Right from her big break 'Vassegara', she has never failed to impress. Many of her famous numbers being under Gautham's direction. Engineer by education, writer by passion! 'Pesa enni sila naal arigil varuven, pinbu paarvai podhum ena naan, ninaithen nagardheney... maatri'. And the rhythm to this rhyme is given by 'James Vasanthan'(remember the anchor in sun tv...?) It seems he was a music teacher in Kodaikanal and the director of the movie 'Sasi Kumar' was his student. He had promised to give James a chance if he becomes a director. The worthy part of his music is the importance he gives to vocals. The flute is used whenever there is a pause in the vocal. This song is based on some classical raga(no idea what..?) but has a western peppy beat throughout the song. The beat snowballs when it reaches Kangal Irandal...the touch! And hey the video of the song is also good. But I wonder why the heroine blushes so much...?:)