Iruvar Film Review

The film Iruvar is a staple within Tamil cinema. Not only is it grounded in the lives of two major politicians in the area, but the film was also executed very well. It is one of those rare films where everything fits together and ultimately forms a masterpiece. Although there were some pitfalls with the dancing scenes and the roles of women throughout the film, the overall movie was very effective in the way in which it portrayed the two main characters, Anandan and Tamizhselvan, and the complexities of their lives and relationship to each other.

Anandan is exhaustively shown in the beginning as an emerging talent in the acting world. His boyish face, heavy set, and charismatic personality all add to his persona of a more simple minded and seemingly innocent man, even though he is shown as somewhat of a womanizer, easily falling in and out of love with three different women throughout the film. His confidence grows throughout the film and he eventually learns how to control the emotions of crowds and focus their attention on himself. The roof scene where Anandan has just become popular from his starring role as a movie hero portrays his awe at the amount of people present to see him. It is Tamizhselvan who grabs Anadan's hand and raises it for him. After this moment, Anandan is shown with growing confidence and achieves a swagger that is uniquely his own. However, without Tamizhselvan's help as both the writer of Anandan's roles and person to physically raise of Anandan's hand, Anandan might not have achieved superstar status.

Entirely different in his personality, Tamizhselvan is a passionate writer and commands the attention of anyone around him. He lures people in with his words instead of his charisma, and his convictions in politics are so strong that he is willing to die for them. (The scene were he shouts for political reform and lays down on the train tracks to show his commitment is a prime example of his conviction.) There are scenes where he recites monologues and poetic language to convey his feelings for a significant other or the situation at hand. The way in which he treats women is proactive, by actively searching for the woman he wants to marry, and progressive.

The portrayal of both these characters was superb, but Anandan gained the favor of the audience more than Tamizhselvan. Aandan's character was acted well throughout the entire movie, whereas Tamizhselvan's character really only came out at the very end in his monologue. Not only was Anandan's physical character more childlike, and therefore associated with innocence, but his personality was also more subtle in its dimensions. The love scene immediately following the wedding scene is a prime example of this difference. Anandan is shown playfully flirting with his wife, whereas Tamizhselvan almost violently forces her to challenge her dismissive role. The audience relates easily with Anandan, rather than Tamizhselvan, because of his perceived innocence.

While the two main roles in this film were excellent in their character development and complexity, the women in this film were marginalized and highly sexualized. All of the dancing scenes contained very provocative dance moves and were usually close to some kind of body of water, symbolizing sexual acts. The first music video in particular was rather surprising, as the scene cut abruptly to Anandan's wife, Pushpa, dancing in a tube top and in a river, completely soaked. In the midst of this music video, there were also a couple of scenes that depicted Pushpa having water poured on her, zooming in on her face.

The roles fulfilled by women were also not emphasized anywhere in the movie. The appearance of a female character would last for roughly a minute or two, before the focus was then shifted to one of the two main characters. They did not have any brilliant lines or strokes of genius throughout the film, and their presence sometimes seemed irrelevant to the overall plot line.

Stylistically, the film was impressive. The camera angles employed throughout the film allowed the audience to view certain situations through a specific lens. In the beginning of the movie when the two characters are shown in their budding friendship, the camera stays close and positions the audience as almost a third friend. A specific scene of Anandan and Tamizhselvan attending a political rally towards the beginning of the film shows the rally from their point of view, focusing on the speaker when they were watching him, and later panning the audience when Anandan and Tamizhselvan looked behind them. Later when each character is shown making speeches in various rallies, the emphasis was placed on the showing the main character in the middle and from all angles.

The use of the zoom either created distance between the characters or portrayed closeness. The distance and closeness not only effects the characters in the film, but also the audience as well. When Anandan and Tamizhselvan are shown admiring each other and acting in unison, they are either touching or very close together. The camera as well is close to both of the characters, making it hard to see the background. Juxtaposed to these scenes is when Anandan visits Tamizhselvan in his new position of Chief Minister. In this particular scene, the characters are separated by a large desk and never touch. After Anandan is denied a position as a minister, the camera zooms out to show the depth and emptiness of the room, signifying the change in their relationship.

Comparison of both of the characters is also strengthened by the way in which the scenes are put together. The constant back and forth between Anandan and Tamizhselvan's lives forces the audience to directly compare their lives. An example of this is the wedding scene, where certain aspects of the ceremony are juxtaposed between the two characters. The use of this technique not only provides a direct comparison, but it also interchangeably links the characters and portrays the amount of overlap in their lives.

Another key element to the film was the effective use of music and sounds at appropriate times. The music videos were widely varied, containing traditional Tamil music and jazz numbers. The variety of the dances was mainly added in to capture the attention of the audience. They also add to the masala of the film as a whole, depicting love scenes and fighting scenes. (Although the majority of these musical numbers were about love and contained Anandan.)

The soundtrack accompanying the movie was excellently picked and paired with specific scenes. When Anandan walks into the movie set for the first time, he is overcome with a sense of wonder and excitement, which the background music portrays with an exact accuracy. The type of music paired with the specific scene adds to the emotional state of not only the actor on screen, but also the audience. By depicting Anandan triumphantly sitting on the throne while the music slowly builds and then swells to reveal Anandan fighting the air with the sword he just picked up portrays the emotions of the character, which ultimately allows the audience to experience the same feelings as well. By effectively using the background tracks in this way, the audience becomes emotionally invested in the movie, which blurs the line between the film being entirely fictional or realistic.

Overall, the film is highly successful because it is a combination of the development of the characters, camera angles, and music. Each scene depicts an aspect of all three of these factors working together. While the film does not give adequate space for female roles or representations, the portrayal of the complex relationship between Anandan and Tamzhselvan is believably depicted. Iruvar is a super film that deserves to stay a classic in Tamil cinema.

Alaipayuthey Movie Critique

Alaipayuthey is more than just a Bollywood "Romeo and Juliet." This story ties tradition with modernity, upper-class with lower-class, and mystery with romance. Karthik and Shakti are two lovers who secretly marry despite family disapproval. The two characters struggle to balance family tradition with their modern-day marriage. Karthik is a computer engineer who is determined to start his own computer business despite having a large inheritance. Shakti is a medical school student, whose middle-class family has saved every penny for her schooling. Karthik initially pursues Shakti, and after their secret marriage becomes public their love begins to waver. Alaipayuthey may be a romance film at heart, but also acts as a commentary on class, marriage, and love.

The Indian setting brings issues of arranged marriage, love, and gender, but the issue of class ties all of these together. In the beginning of the film, Karthik tells Shakti to come to a family event and wear a sari, not a salwar kameez. By assuming Shakti would wear a salwar kameez, he assumes she is more casual about her appearance. This is the first time the characters subtly reference class differences. Shakti defies gender stereotypes by becoming a woman doctor from a middle-class family, disproving any doubts that you cannot have a successful Bollywood romance with a working woman character. Her status as a woman doctor walks the line between being upper-class while also being a working woman. On the one hand, she is rising in class because of her high-paying and well-respected career as a doctor. On the other hand, traditionally a woman of high-status would not have to work, because her husband would earn the living (or in Karthik's case, would inherit it). This battle is one example of how Karthik and Shakti are attempting to live a different, modern lifestyle. Karthik is also attempting to break from the mold. He chooses not to become a lawyer like his father, but instead start a computer business. Towards the end of the movie, his company lands a huge deal. This plot point is interrupted by Shakti's disappearance, but this deal could mean the end of working for Shakti. Hypothetically, she could stop working and become a traditional Indian housewife. The viewer can only assume that, given her character, she would continue working as a doctor. In this manner, Shakti again would break from the female stereotype of the pious Indian housewife.

This film has made some progress regarding gender roles. Not only is she a doctor, but Shakti- a woman- also proposes to Karthik. However, in the end, the film still uses the "damsel in distress" plot line. It is Shakti who gets hit by a car, and Karthik must come to her side for her to wake up from her coma. If the Karthik was hit by the bus, and Shakti was rushing to find him, the film would not have the same emotional impact on the viewer. Even though Karthik does not actually do anything to save Shakti's life, the viewer is much more likely to be emotionally invested in the well-being of "poor" and "fragile" Shakti than Karthik, who is privileged and wealthy.

The movie plot also addresses the question of whether or not a marriage can survive if it consists not only of beings from two different social classes but also from a love-match. The present-day scenes act as a reminder that this marriage might be doomed, that love-marriages are not nearly as strong as marriages arranged by family members. The two characters try to ignore what their different backgrounds suggest, but Shakti's loyalty to her family never leaves her. Throughout the film, there are reminders that family bonds- even though Shakti damaged them- will forever remain strong. When Shakti's father finds out about the secret marriage, Shakti cries on his shoulder, even though her husband is standing right next to her. This raises doubts about where her loyalty truly lies- to her husband or to her family? Shakti doubts her love-marriage after her father dies, and she is crying to her mother, wondering why she did not have an arranged marriage. Even in the final scene, when Shakti wakes up from her coma, it is her mother and her sister she sees first. In the end of the film, Shakti and Karthik lay next to each other, with her family surrounding them. This was what they both had wished for in the beginning. The problem with the plot lies in the ending. Can only a near-death experience reunite family and love? Is there no other way in which their marriage could have been saved and accepted by Shakti's family? Perhaps Karthik was trying to redeem himself by reuniting Shakti's sister with her suitor.

One of the most interesting character of the film is Shakti's sister. While she understands and supports Shakti and Karthik's love-marriage, she wants an arranged marriage for herself. She supports her sister even after it is Shakti's marriage that causes her only suitor to retract his initial interest in marriage. When Shakti gets married, her sister knows it will be harder to find a husband. It is not normal for a younger sister to be married before her older sister, and because Shakti's sister knows this when she supports their marriage, the sister sacrifices more than Shakti herself. This is another example of Shakti's strong bond with her family. Shakti is indebted to her sister because of the sacrifice she made.

The film is edited in a way that echoes the plot line of love, marriage, and drama between Shakti and Karthik. The majority of the film is a flashback of Karthik and Shakti's love and marriage, intertwined with present-day scenes in which Karthik is looking for Shakti who has gone missing. The film begins as two separate stories and merges into one as the flashbacks turn into the present-day as the film progresses. The first flashback is so upbeat that at first the two plot lines seem like different stories. They are, in fact, different genres-thriller and romance- and are not supposed to be together. However, Shakti and Karthik are not supposed to be together either. The film's editing parallels Shakti and Karthik's own romance; two separate entities that merge together. The present-day scenes act as a reminder to the viewer that their romance, however cheery it may seem in the flashbacks, is ill-fated. After Shakti and Karthik are married, just as after the story merges, their lives are filled with tension and drama. As viewers, we do not know the ending of the film, just as we do not know the fate of Shakti and Karthik's relationship. Only in the very end does their relationship (and the plot) end on a positive note.

The mise-en-scene of present-day scenes contributes to the plot mystery. It takes place at night, the diagetic soundtrack is tense, and the scenes have a blue tint. Karthik shares his anxiety with the viewer, as both him and the viewer do not know what has happened to Shakti until the very end. Karthik is often the only person in the scenes, which causes the viewer to wonder if he really is alone and Shakti has left him. The drama of the night adds an additional layer of mystery. Had Karthik been looking for Shakti during the daytime, neither his character (nor the viewer) would not be as tense.

Alaipayuthey may come off as a romance film, but the intricate love story between the two main characters cannot be summed up into one genre. Alaipayuthey succeeds at creating a layered story with complex characters and unique production and editing.

Endhiran Review

The Robot (Enthrian) is not simply a film; it’s a show. However, like a circus, it was merely a show. The emphasis on special effects detracted from potentially meaningful messages and emotions. As the most expensive Asian film and first full-length science fiction movie, Shankar’s film did not set the bar high. He was fortunate to have Rajinkanth and Danny Denzogpa to carry the story through its high-voltage and extensive narrative.

Dr. Vaseegaran (Vasee), played by Rajinkanth was the most compelling and well-played character. Vasee’s slow development from mad scientist to passionate and jealous lover to remorseful humanitarian was revealed to the audience at an appropriate pace. Rajinkanth’s dynamic expressions and body language were entertaining to witness as they changed when interacting with different characters at different times. His character range was showcased between the dynamic personalities of Vasee and static and dramatic expression of Chitti. Rajinkanth’s best scene was saving Sana from her “boyfriend for a day”. Rajinkanth demonstrated love, fear, and a gratifying sense of humor when kicking sand in the face of the drunken perpetrator. This scene also sent a subtle message suggesting that the power of only one man is enough to defend what he cherishes.

Sana, the female lead, was a flat and static character juxtaposed against the animated Dr. Vassegaran. The script gave Aishwarya Rai Bachan very little room to express deeper emotions beyond frustration with her boyfriend and fear of a gang of attackers on the train. Sana was a witness to an incredible development in science and technology, and yet her character remained a mere ornament to the success and celebration of Vasee. In this way, she seemed less human than Chitti the robot. Sana was the only character that didn’t go through some kind of evolution. The villain went from mentor to conspirer. Chitti changed from a servant to an emotional being, yet Sana remained whimsical, romantic and helpless throughout the film. Her lack of character development was disappointing and inconsistent with the rest of the characters presented.

Shankar missed an opportunity to set a precedent for future Indian science fiction film and their presentation of women. Sana used Chitti to pass her examination, while her boyfriend led the nation in science and technology. Sana must work around Vasee’s schedule and receives his attention only when he has nothing else to work on. Vasee outsmarts an army of robots with the destructive power of 100 men while Sana can only offer her lust and sexual appeal to temporarily distract the evil Chitti. Sana cannot help a woman through labor – only Chitti or Vasee managed to save the day. Shankar needs reminding that women can be romanticized, without being stupefied.

The special effects were initially entertaining to watch, but eventually became exhausting. However, the film had its redeeming high-tech moments. The mosquito sequence was the most effective use of graphics. This technology was effective because it took something that was familiar to the common viewer and personified it with visual enhancement. It demonstrated that the special effects grandeur and “mass quantities”, but can be used to take a simple and miniscule element and create aesthetically diverse entertainment. The scene was well timed and allowed the audience to exhale as the plot thickened and was spiced with creative and unexpected dialogue between Chitti and the insects.The “serpent robot army” scene was far too extensive. The length of the scene detracted from the drama artistry of the special effects. As the robot army created each new shape, it was easy for the audiences’ minds to wander from the narrative and begin looking for flaws in the technology – like blurry edges, or a solider without a face. Unlike a musical number or dance break, the violent special effects revealed nothing about the characters and gave did not inspire awe or emotional investment in the plot.

Danny Denzogpa did an excellent job playing the role of Dr. Bohra. Dr. Borha was clearly evil and his jealousy of Dr. Vaseegaran. Yet, this character presented an complicated message about love. Dr. Bohra is wise to not allow Chitti to join the Indian army without embodying feelings, but the combination of love and power result in the ultimate destruction of both Dr. Bohra and Chitti. It was lack of feelings that made Chitti unfit for the army, but feeling fueled his violence. The “take home” message for an uncritical audience in unclear. The audience empathizes with Chitti in the end, and is not meant to reject the affectionate robot – but it is also suggested that love is meant to be sacred to human beings alone. I appreciated this lack of message definition. It fed my western tendencies to search for deeper meaning in symbols and narratives but I do not think it would resonate this way in a typical Indian audience.

Overall, Enthiran offered some complex messages about the relationship between man and technology. However the expensive special effects and exotic music videos were distracting and diminished the films emotional impact.

Posted for Ann