India Glitz is reporting that someone has unearthed a trailer of Kamal’s dream project Marudhanayagam. And doesn’t that seem like a joke. Yes, because the you tube generation found the trailer, more than a year back and it has been written and talked about in every single cinema blog. Suresh even went one step ahead of scoring a BGM for this muted trailer.
When everyone is talking about Kamal Haasan’s upcoming project, someone has unearthed the trailer of Kamal’s dream project ‘Marudanayagam’ and put it in a website that provides free video shows.
The trailer is amazing, to say the least. The two minute video shows what is in store for us if the dream movie of Kamal gets a chance to take off. It shows a thrilling action scene set in the period of British rule in India. Another scene, in which an eagle tries to eat the flesh of the protagonist, is incredible. The scenes have the grandeur that stuns you instantly. The visuals are astonishing.
The film, if you go by the trailer, has the potential to become a real treat to those who love to see the movies with substance. The awesome visuals promise you that the movie would come out as an entertainer with an outstanding content.
The Pongal special interview with Director Shankar on Vijay TV was classy. Infact, its the best ever Shankar interview on any media. Shankar as usual was down-to-earth, straight and honest in replying to Gopinath’s questions. Gopinath known for his well researched questions, did a fine job of bringing Shankar to a comfortable state where the interview just rushed through like well crafted flick.
Though it was rehash of what Shankar had already written his auto-biography, Sankar Muthal Shankar Varai(in Kumudam), it was good to see him elaborate on the films he worked before making his first film, Gentleman.
The interview brought out the best from Shankar, his humor, his approach to films and surprisingly, his (non-existetent) views on Tamil Cinema. Shankar did agree that Sujatha’s dialogue(s) added to the success of his films and also gave distinct voices for his characters.
I’ve enjoyed most of Shankar’s films except the recent ones like Sivaji and Anniyan. And I’ve always seen Shankar as a director who makes films for his audience and not just for himself. They have mostly been pedestrian fantasy flicks but sometimes end as a nonsensical film like Sivaji, where the screenplay went off-track and wasn’t in his control.
BTW, if you can get a hand on the video of this interview, its a must watch.
And what a robo-coaster it has been. Atleast I’m happy that its finally making it to the screen. If only Shankar gives up his vigilante genre, if only Rajini stops his vishk-vishk, if only Rahman gets back to his Thiruda Thiruda BGMs and if only Sujatha scripts a modern day science fiction, what a film this can become.
As of now, no one knows the story yet and it is certainly not Sujatha’s Enn Iniya Iyandhira. But then who wouldn’t love to speculate.
Even after KSR failed to capture the magic of Rahman in Godfather aka Varalaru, Rahman plays his keyboard, once more for him.
This one also has Ajith starring in 4 roles. We had enough of Ajith in Varalaru with pathetic dialogue delivery and awfully bad characterization. I wish this one proves to be better than the previous attempt.
P.S – And as you read in the comments, this movie is a hoax and this post, inane !!
A montage sequence is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots is edited into a sequence to condense narrative. It is usually used to advance the story as a whole (often to suggest the passage of time), rather than to create symbolic meaning as it does in Soviet montage theory. In many cases, a song plays in the background to enhance the mood or reinforce the message being conveyed.
I guess this part of the Wiki entry was written by an Indian – a song plays in the background to enhance the mood or reinforce the message being conveyed. That’s typical bollywood style stuff.
And we have all seen montages before we even realized it as one. An easy example of montage would be Rajinikanth’s transformation from the milkman to a Five Star Hotel owner in Annamalai.
I’ve always loved montages. I don’t know why but I just love them. I even think, in slight extreme that an entire film could be made effectively just through montages. Akira Kurosawa is known for making montages into popular art.
Yesterday, while traveling through the Seattle Tunnel, I was thinking of making a montage of the entire tunnel route. I don’t even have a camera to start with and that’s a different topic. But it led me to think of montages in Tamil cinema. When thinking about montages in kollywood that were made to the level of world cinema, only two of them struck me instantly. And that’s because they were elegantly made. Both of them cannot be called montages theoretically as they don’t help move the plot too much.
The first one is truly world class. Appu Kamal trying to hang himself and Sri Vidya, his mother talking to him at a circus tent. The camera pans across the room and cuts frequently and disolves into close-ups and long shots. It may not be as vivid as I say here but it was a great one.
The second was a shorter one in Priyadarshan’s Snehithiye. I vaguely remember the context but on a dramatic scene, the shot collapses to a different scene where the girl recalls cycling with Jothinka on a lush green park.
Both these scenes had great BGM and was strikingly well made. Mudhal Mariyadhai had some nice montages but can’t recollect any particular one. Should anyone re-collect other nice montages in Tamil cinema, there is a comment box right below.
From the official site – A unique story of a unique individual. Motivated and driven, a go-getter. Like Vaaranamaayiram, the strength of a thousand elephants – strong of mind and body. Shooting starts December 2006.
Yeah, Dec 2006. Atleast that’s what the official website says. We know it started long after that. But it is slated to release for the pongal of 2008.
After a much derailed effort, Pachaikilli Muthucharam, Gautham Menon goes back to his legendary hero, Surya. And ofcourse, it’s his same old team except for the cinematographer. Sethu fame R. Ratnavelu takes on the lens department and this is the fourth change of cinematographer for Gautham. After RD Rajasekhar in Kakkha Kakkha, it was Ravi Varman in Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu and for Pachaikilli Muthucharam it was Arvind Krishna for Selvaraghavan’s camp. Now Ratnavelu comes from the Bala camp and is known for his realistic cinematography.
Vaaranam Aayiram is a great title for the movie and there should be a sub-text to it, other than the obvious strength-of-thousand-elephants message.
In Nov 2006, Sify reported that the movie was named Udal Porul Aavi and it was gossiped to be a super natural thriller(!!). The wiki page states that this could be kodambakkam’s version of Forrest Gump. Hopefully Gautham didn’t gulp vodka on the rocks before watching Hrithik’s Krrish and Hank’s Forrest Gump, back to back. Good Luck !!
I admit, I’ve been excessively obsessed with this song. Partly because I think Selvaraghavan made a crappy video of a cool song. The camera and Ravi Krishna eyes are fixated on Sonia’s bosom and I think thats a cheap thing to do, given the realistic lyrics and a great rhythm.
I propose someone to re-shoot it and make a pretty good video. Maybe with available resources, I would even re-shoot it myself at Seattle and edit it using Final Cut . Imagine this, as the electric guitar plays, a tall desi guy with a hooded black t-shirt, the mountain ranges on the backdrop, walks on a bridge while its raining. Cut it to a mall, a desi girl with her American teenage friends, walking past this chap with a wink in her eye, eating baskin robbins. Cut back, to the raining bridge. Cut again to wide angle shot, the guy walking on the alki beach with a backdrop of seattle downtown. I’m sure it will do justice to Yuvan’s cool beat. Some day…
I have scripted the first 20 scenes of Guru. Mani bought me a ticket and asked me to go to England, where my sister lives. He sent me blank paper and some ideas, so it was a paid holiday. Mani grew up in the city, whereas I am from a small village even though my family was full of lawyers. I went to a government school and know the nuances of village life better. Guru is a village film in the beginning, before it shifts to the city.
Mani wanted me to work in Anjali, but he thought even that wasn’t good enough for me. He wanted to have something substantial to cast me. I would like to be directed by Mani Ratnam but, of course, it is not a big deal. I know the man. I think Balachander will make me act better. Mani’s characters will be good but, when it comes to performance, I think Balachander is even better; or, for that matter, Bharati Raja, Mahendran or Kranti Kumar. Mani has considered me for many of his films — Mouna Ragam, Nayagan (for the daughter’s role). He is a good director — he does not need a co-director. He just needs help with writing so he can concentrate on the making. I wrote the dialogues for Iruvar.
Sujatha details his friendship with Balu Mahendra in a recent Ambalam article, Baluvin Kanaakaalam. Very importantly he mentions two things about Balu Mahendra’s Kathai Neram serial.
Those who had watched Kathai Neram can vouch that it was one of the best serial ever made for television. Each episode was a seperate shortstory. And as Sujatha says it was a perfect example of adapting a shortstory for the screen. He also goes on to say that Balu Mahendra was able to tell a shortstory in 20 minutes without making it embarassingly loud or terribly boring. And as someone who saw most of those episodes, I have to say that Sujatha’s words aren’t an exaggeration.
Sa.Kandasaamy’s Tholaindhu Ponavargal was my other favorite serial. If I could re-collect it right, it was broadcasted on Thursdays from 10 – 10:30 pm. In Channel 2. Remember, Channel 2 of DD ?
And to my joy(!!), he also reflects his worries on the information overload thats prevalent in the contemporary society. Boy, I’m just about too convinced that information overload should be curbed. Starting from this blog.
