Dasavatharam - As I saw it
July 2nd 2008 15:37
Dasavatharam - The Kamal Hassan Magnum Opus
The script in words
[Warning to those who have not watched this movie - all sorts of spoilers lie beyond this point. Beware!]
Leading upto the movie, there was a lot of hype and hoopla. But none of it filtered through to me thankfully. I had not seen a single trailer of the movie or read a single review other than the couple of thoughts put in here at IWD. I went with an open mind to watch an entertainer of a movie.
It is always a pleasure to watch a movie in the Satyam movieplex. I have always loved the ambience and even the parking facilities in the Satyam complex - not to mention the bountiful buckets of popcorn and the other savoury items and delicacies available at the cafetaria there. Yes, consequently it is a bit costlier but I am not a regular movie watcher at theatres - so it is not that big of a deal for me.
Ensconced in the seats with the seemingly bottomless bucket of popcorn, we were regaled with the opening scene which was intended to look majestic, but fell flat on its face. The scene depicted a huge gathering of people with Kamal on the stage in the act of making a speech and with dignitaries of the calibre of George W and Karunanidhi sitting on the dais. What ruined the entire shot was everything looked artificial. Right from the crowds to the stadium to the various people sitting on the stage. They were more like props. From random talk, all comers had praised the graphics work done by some Hollywood artiste. But it did not look all that cool to me.
I have always appreciated Kamal's clear and precise enunciation of Tamil with the right amount of gravity and pause in his spiel. One could see that the timbre of his voice still remained the same during the speech. It appears that Kamal was recounting a scene back in the 12th century to that whole gathering. There was pin drop silence in that huge stadium and they apparently had limitless patience (these are small flaws in the script and direction, in my opinion).
Everybody seems to praise the scenes showing Rangaraja Nambiar - a Vaishnavite intent on saving the Vishnu statue from being desecrated in its own temple. I did not think they were too special though. With no shirt on him, Kamal looked the part of a man past his best physical condition. Mass was there but not muscle. He was a bit too bulky for those action scenes and it did not look very good. The next disappointment was Napoleon being casted as the Chola King and an ardent follower of Lord Shiva. He was a complete misfit from start to finish. It was not the physical aspect of Napoleon which jarred. It was only when he opened his mouth to deliver dialogue in chaste Tamil that he gets found out. Maybe they could have used somebody like Nasser for this role. It would have leant more authority and presence that the Chola King ought to have commanded.
Or was this another way of focussing the viewers on Kamal with no distractions at all?
I also thought it rather strange that the Vaishanvites simply lined up in their vast numbers and stood silently with not too many guards to block them. I would have thought there would have been some sort of an uprising which might have required some show of force from the Chola side. But I am willing to take it in the spirit of the presentation of the movie. What happened next though was purely silly.
Kamal, Rangaraja Nambi, is captured and tied with the statue. After being asked to say Om Namashivaya by the Chola King who just incidentally happens to be his childhood mate, Kamal does not find it in himself to say those words in praise of the three eyed lord. He instead resorts to 'Om Namo Narayanaya' - this time in the rich, luscious voice of Hariharan. Those three words, when rendered by Hariharan have their own beauty.
Kamal is then strung out and hung on hooks pierced through his hide. Even when being swayed from side to side, he finds it in himself to sing a philosophical song with metre and rhyme. As a song, it was OK. It was the best song in the movie, perhaps. But it was immensely jarring considering the turn of events and the current status of the man who was singing the song. The song concludes with the statue of Vishnu being submerged in the seas. A small bit about the grieving, angry wife Asin is also interesting. She removes her mangalsutra (thali) and throws it at the Chola King but she misses and it lands on a carved lion pillar. Small events such as this are linked together at various different parts of the movie and spotting them gives you a small sense of delight.
From here we go to the protagonist Kamal - a scientist in a lab in the US. This is probably the first movie (Hollywood ones included) where I have seen scientists being portrayed as types who would use machines to walk even the corridors within their own buildings. If nothing else, it was accurate and cool. It appears that the scientist team is testing a bio-weapon and the test subject is a monkey. The production appears to have been successful but the security situation of the monkey was not very believable. It appears to have been enclosed within a latch operated, glass lidded container. When news filters down to Kamal that their project had been chosen for funding by none other than George W, Kamal goes and sits in on a meeting with the head honcho.
We also get to see Kamal as George W - horribly over made up and jittery in his movements. But what was accurately depicted was the nasal twang and the accent of George W. Meanwhile, inevitably, the idiotic latched lid came loose and the monkey escaped. And what is more - the bio-weapon was apparently kept in such a way that it was easily accessible - even to a monkey (pun intended). Long story short - the monkey made a meal out of the bio-weapon and was reduced to a grisly, smoking mess in a matter of seconds.
Kamal, the scientist, opts to then wipe out the entire lab area along with all the costly equipments (much to the chagrin of his head honcho) with nothing but - hold your breath - Nacl (Sodium Chloride). Thats common salt for guys who missed their chemistry classes at school. I do not know the science behind this, but I doubt if common salt can prove to be a potent deterrent to bio-weapons.
Now the head honcho who was not totally pleased with the destruction of his lab equipments had new problems to deal with. Kamal, the scientist (his name is Govind Naicker) had now developed new found barriers in his hiterto asleep conscience which did not let him proceed with the bio-weapon manufacture. Lets not miss the Vaishnavite connection here in the name, folks (Govind is another name for Vishnu). These are the small bits that can bring a smile to your face if you take the time and the effort to spot them.
While Kamal quits the scene after a smartly worded conference with his boss, the latter has other plans which preclude the entire team of scientists. He now plans to sell this complete technology to a group of terrorists.
Kamal chances upon his boss' plan and tries to make up his own counterplan to prevent what could turn out to be a global catastrophe if the bio-weapon went to the wrong hands. He succeeds in foiling the evil plans of his boss and escaping with the bio-weapon sample.
Enter Kamal as Christian Fletcher - a hardened ex-CIA agent with more hair on his chin than scruples. He is now a hit man for the forces who wish to buy the bio-weapon from Govind's boss. This is one of the two American characters that Kamal has done in the movie and both are indeed done artfully and differently. Even though George W was only a bit character, one could readily spot the difference in tonality and accent when Kamal provided voice to each of the characters. Where George W's was a nasal twang which jarred against your eardrums, Fletcher's was the slow nonsensical almost-Texan drawl which grated rather than jarred your eardrums.
Govind's first destination is to go to Washington where one of his team mates - another Indian stayed with his japanese partner. It was a good touch to get the Japanese lady to speak some Tamil to show her familiarity with Govind who was her husband's friend. As it turns out, his friend too had sold his loyalty to the corrupt scientist boss and inspite of being asked by Govind to contact the FBI (good luck trying to convince them if and when they get there!), he calls his boss and informs that Govind is in fact at his house. Govind though is eavesdropping on the call and confronts his friend with his opprobrious act. In a matter of seconds, Fletcher is out there by the glass window of the apartment in a helicopter. Now, that was odd. It was cinematic but did not make for good scripting. After a short action scene, which also featured the Japanese lady involved in a Karate showdown with Fletcher, Govind manages to make good his escape. In direct contrast to Rangaraja Nambi's not-so-nice action scenes, the Fletcher combat sequences are all a joy to watch. Kamal still retains his physical coordination and balance. The Japanese lady, inevitably is killed in combat with Fletcher - thereby sowing the plot for the entry of another character. All in good time though.
Govind meets up with an old friend in a very opportune manner and his friend ends up mistakenly sending the packet containing the bio-weapon to India. Fletcher, meanwhile, has tracked Govind down to the courier office as well. This time, Govind thinks hard about how he could be tracked down with such accuracy. The answer lies in his cellphone - he rightly concludes and manages to get rid of the phone by throwing it into another car while making his getaway. In the process, though, he had to leave behind his friend. Govind makes his way to the airport office and tries to see if the package can be stopped from going to India which of course cannot be done. Now, Fletcher too makes his way to the airport office aided by information from the friend who Govind had left behind. Finding no other way, Govind tries to slip into the cargo hold and ends up slipping and falling into one of the cargo containers. He loses consciousness but the loading process ensures that he too is on that flight to India.
Fletcher - finding that he too needs to visit India - looks around for somebody who can speak the local lingo. Enter Mallika Sherawat. While adjectives aplenty can be heaped towards her for her lissome and shapely body structure, not many words (at least nice ones) come to the mind when talking about her facial beauty, expressions or lack thereof. There is the inevitable club song here after which Fletcher instructs Mallika to take out the scientist boss just so that there are no loose ends. And Fletcher too flies to India with Mallika in tow.
When talking about Fletcher, I get the distinct impression that Kamal has used insets in his boots to increase his stature. All in the effort of getting into the character though - which is to be appreciated.
Now starts what is probably the movie's most enjoyable section - the introduction of the Telugu detective Balram Naidu. Here is where Kamal's sharp witted dialogue - which is inherently funny and replete with innuendo - shines through. In fact every scene featuring Balram Naidu brings a smile to the face. Again, top notch voice modulation by Kamal is on show where nobody anywhere could fault him for not getting into the character. Just as he is absolutely American when he is Fletcher, he is absolutely a Telugu speaking person when he is Balram Naidu.
Balram Naidu starts questioning Govind in the airport - which in itself is a small comedy of sorts. Govind tries to explain the concept of a bio-weapon but finds that the officiousness and thick-headedness of Balram Naidu prevented any coherent transfer of information. In the meanwhile, it is announced that detectives from FBI have arrived and that they were going to take custody of Govind. Fletcher manages to squeeze into the interrogation room before the poor FBI agents who are sagging and delayed by the weight of the coconut husks and garlands on them. The ex-CIA man puts down the guards and gets away with Govind and an inspector as captive.
As they try to make a getaway, yet another version of Kamal makes an entry - Avtar Singh (Punjabi pop singer). Kamal, one feels, has done a top notch job on vocal intonation in this character too. Even the Tamil or English spoken by Avtar Singh is tinged with the rich Punjabi flavour. It is a delight to see such a showman in his element. Jayaprada - the ever-vibrant dame pairs up with Avtar Singh as his wife. It appears that Avtar Singh is not so well and when he collapses in front of the airport exit, all hell breaks loose and in the confusion, Fletcher makes his exit with his captives - all this while firmly pointing his middle finger in the direction of the security camera!
Kamal manages to escape from Fletcher's clutches once again. Otherwise, how is the story going to move? This time he goes in search of the package which he has learnt is heading for Chidambaram. Keen but tired readers - please stop and consider. Here is another small significance. Chidambaram is a Shaivite shrine and boasts of a huge temple of Lord Shiva there. Not surprisingly, the package is delivered to another Kamal avatar. This time a nongenarian lady - Krishnaveni. Arguably this is the worst ever made up character that Kamal has played. While still allowing for the fact that 90 year old grandmothers are not the best lookers, the getup of Krishnaveni was eminently forgettable - mostly because it was not very believable. However, Kamal's body language, accent and actions - even the dull eyes that afflict elders, was outstanding even here. It was unfortunately not enough to save this character in this rollicking but not necessarily riveting script.
While Govind tries to wrangle the bioweapon from Krishnaveni, Fletcher too arrives with Mallika to the scene. Apparently he had obtained the information too that the packet was headed to Chidambaram. There is a fight which ensues in which Mallika is killed. And when she is taking her last breath, Fletcher eases out her misery by putting a bullet into her. Although she was asking him to save her, this was apparently his way of saving her.
Before this, the wily Krishnaveni patti (she is actually said to not be in the best of mental health!) had put the bio-weapon inside the statue of Perumal (a Vishnu avatar) as the idol came in procession. Readers would again note the way the story again embraces the Vishnu concept here. It is also mentioned that Krishnaveni had lost her mental health only after the loss of her son - Aaravamuthan long back. Govind manages to snag the Vishnu statue which is seen by the excessively devout grand daughter - Asin. In order to save the statue she too runs with Govind. They run on, then they go on a train and eventually go by truck when they reach a sandy portion beside a beach near Pondicherry. Before this, during the train journey, there is a nice bit of dialogue between Govind and Asin which portrays the casteist sentiments which are still prevalent in some Brahmin minds. There are also digs at Periyar, untouchability and atheism. Again, some quick thinking dialogue saves the day here.
The tired Govind and Asin finally reach the sandy beach portion and decide to rest a while there. Readers would not be surprised to note that this was the spot where the old Vishnu temple was originally located. There are ruins scattered around everywhere. After the routine bickering that takes place between two people who are just about to fall in love but dont know it yet, Govind and Asin decide to seek some refreshment in some nearby shop. Since it would be odd to go into town with a Vishnu statue in hand, they decide to bury the statue in the sand there - just where the old Vishnu temple used to be. Touche`. Enroute to the shop, while still not out of the sandy beach portion, Asin smacks her knee on a pillar protruding out of the sand. This, tireless readers, is the same statue at which Asin (as the wife of Rangaraja Nambi) had thrown her mangal sutra (thali) at. Deja Vu, eh?
Elsewhere it is learnt that all is not well with our singing and dancing Sikh - Avatar Singh. He has got cancer in his throat and requires to make a decision between his career and his life. He chooses life with Jayapradha - quite surprisingly. He also decides that the concert that he is about to give at Chennai is the last one he would ever give.
Govind, when finally getting to the shop, understands that he is being framed for a lot of things by the police and he cannot risk being exposed. With Asin's help, they get what they need and go back to the sandy beach to pick up the buried statue. But to their dismay they find only sand smugglers. When it looks like they are outnumbered and Asin's modesty is about to be outraged, enter another one of Kamal's avatars - Vincent Poovarahan. This is a role of a Dalit Christian which is performed with panache by the veteran actor. The makeup was still not upto the mark - with paint gleaming on his face. Poovarahan is supposed to look black and so they had to resort to a lot of paint to probably get the fair Kamal to look the part. And it shows through in the movie. Apart from the makeup though, Vincent Poovarahan even gives the character of Balram Naidu a run for its money. Small script and smaller scope for this character, yes. But a lion-hearted performance nevertheless.
He comes with television cameras to grab a shot of the sand smugglers in action. This social message (that illegal sand quarrying is a big menace) too is added to the others such as blind idol worship, violence and anarchy in the name of religion, bio-weapons and its inherent hazards etc. in the film.
Now, this diversion is made use of by Govind and Asin to again escape the clutches of the law and they take a lorry used for sand quarrying to help them in their escape for good measure. While Govind tries to drive the vehicle onwards to Pondicherry, the irrepressibly devout Asin wants to get the statue back to where it belongs and tries to wrest the steering back so that the lorry makes a U-turn. No, madam, lorries dont come with power steerings. What results though is an accident with the lorry hitting another van coming from the other side and both parties go crashing into the sand.
Lo behold another Kamal clambering from the van Govind crashed into. This Kamal seems to keep on coming out of the van. He is about 7 feet tall. Khalifullah is a overgrown Muslim man living with his father (Nagesh) and a suitably large family. This avatar too competes for the worst getup with Krishnaveni and George W. Poovarahan is saved because of the script and the ample scope for performance. Here, Govind narrowly escapes the clutches of Fletcher who is still on the lookout for him and hot on his trail. Govind plans to reach Balram Naidu and ask for aid. However, he also ends up missing Balram Naidu who too happens to be searching for the scientist on the run.
Meanwhile we missed the entry of yet another Kamal version - a Japanese martial affairs instructor. Mr. Martial affairs happens to be the brother of the Japanese lady who was killed by Fletcher in the US. His single point agenda is to get rid of the murderer who killed his sister.
Things converge to a scene in a hospital where our Avtar Singh is also admitted. Govind helps in getting the Muslim family treated while keeping the Vishnu statue in a cool storage box in the hospital. In usual clinical efficiency, the hospital staff switches cool boxes between Avatar Singh and Govind. So, Avatar Singh gets the Vishnu statue and Govind gets the cancer drugs.
This does not prevent the gutsy Sikh from performing in the show as scheduled. A peppy number 'Oh Oh Sanam, oh oh Sanam' is performed by Avatar to the delight of the crowd. Jayaprada too dances with him and still manages to look graceful and hold her own. No small thing this at her age. Probably the only better preserved leading lady of yesteryear is Hema Malini.
Govind, yet again, uses the distraction of the concert to escape with the statue from Avatar Singh's cool box. But not before Fletcher shoots Avatar Singh in the throat. A small but frenetically paced chase scene ensues where Fletcher chases Govind in the legendary Bullet motorcycle. Over the years, many of Kamal's scenes deserve appreciation. Notch one more gem up for appreciation. His skill at handling the beefy thumper left me breathless. Even in the best of times, it is tough to smartly alight from the Bullet. But to do that on the run and to let the bike slide out from under you on a platform while still maintaining the balance needed to hit the ground running is something worth mentioning. We dont know for sure that it was Kamal who did that scene but it did look like him. The jury is still out on this though.
The chase scene slowly creeps toward the Chennai beachfront. Meanwhile Vincent Poovarahan is invited to the illegal sand quarry guys' leader's house. The corrupt leader tries to tempt Poovarahan with wealth but when he finds that the brave Dalit man would never compromise on his principles, things take a turn on the uglier side. Before too much could be done though, the sea gods intervened.
Lets cut over to the chase at this point. Fletcher finally manages to corner Govind for a final fight. Some adept rope climbing and ladder climbing on a building under construction amply showcases the arm strength still possessed by Kamal. Tamil movies have certainly seen better action sequences, but this movie is certainly not bad by action standards set by Tamil movies. Fletcher did not however bargain to meet the Japanese martial instructor here. Kamal, in the martial guru role, is again good. Although the slit eyed look does not sit too well on his face - his face looks too wide and altogether big for the ideal Japanese look. Once more, there is a small but nice action scene featuring Fletcher and the Japanese martial arts guru. When it is apparent that he is not going to win, Fletcher breaks open the seal on the bio-weapon and consumes it. Everybody is aghast at this - for surely the end of the world is nigh upon them.
The sea gods had other plans though. Knowing that this paritcular bio-hazard did not particularly like Nacl (or salt), they decided to send a friendly tsunami the Chennaiites way. The sea rises up and consumes anything and everything in its path - including Fletcher in his dying throes. Of course, Govind along with Asin and the Japanese martial arts instructor manage to escape.
Elsewhere though, things are not so cosy for Poovarahan. Even though he wishes to leave the place in a huff, he cannot abandon the sand quarry leaders' family in the roiling waters of the tsunami. In an effort to save his adversary's young children, Poovarahan perishes - a poingnant end to this character.
Krishnaveni had earlier been taken in for questioning by Balram Naidu. She now chances upon the scene with Poovarahan on the ground and dead. She is convinced that this is her son long thought to have departed the land of the living - Aaravamuthan. She finds solace and closure. This scene also highlights the underlying casteist sentiments among a few from the Brahmin sect but Krishnaveni firmly quells any such thoughts about caste and colour with simple but powerful dialogue.
After the hectic escape from Fletcher, Govind and Asin get a moment together when they finally realize that they are made to be together. The place where they announce their love for each other happens to be the same spot where the old Vishnu statue, which was submerged with Rangaraja Nambi tied to it, had washed up. A nice touch again.
It is also revealed that Fletcher's shot that passed through Avatar Singh's throat did more good than harm! The shot passed clean through but not before cutting away the cancer too. So, all is well that ends well.
Tying all this together is Kamal's speech on the dais - with the crowd and the dignitaries still patiently listening. The film does give a clue that it has the Chaos theory as basis - in the sense that random events such as a butterfly snapping its wings might result in an earthquak elsewhere and so on. The film ends on a nice note with Kamal once again delivering chaste Tamil dialogue in an exemplary and powerfully evocative manner.
In conclusion it appears that Kamal has tried to imitate the touch of Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino's style of tying together discrete scenes only to tie them all up in the end with panache and style. The factor hampering this idea is the length of the film and the usual masala elements. And it has to be said that Kamal probably appeared in far too many faces. All in all, this is a family entertainer, a light hearted film at heart and a feast for die-hard fans of Kamal Hassan - probably the most talented film artiste in all of India.
[Yay - for those who made it here, congrats and high fives!]
The script in words
[Warning to those who have not watched this movie - all sorts of spoilers lie beyond this point. Beware!]
Leading upto the movie, there was a lot of hype and hoopla. But none of it filtered through to me thankfully. I had not seen a single trailer of the movie or read a single review other than the couple of thoughts put in here at IWD. I went with an open mind to watch an entertainer of a movie.
It is always a pleasure to watch a movie in the Satyam movieplex. I have always loved the ambience and even the parking facilities in the Satyam complex - not to mention the bountiful buckets of popcorn and the other savoury items and delicacies available at the cafetaria there. Yes, consequently it is a bit costlier but I am not a regular movie watcher at theatres - so it is not that big of a deal for me.
Ensconced in the seats with the seemingly bottomless bucket of popcorn, we were regaled with the opening scene which was intended to look majestic, but fell flat on its face. The scene depicted a huge gathering of people with Kamal on the stage in the act of making a speech and with dignitaries of the calibre of George W and Karunanidhi sitting on the dais. What ruined the entire shot was everything looked artificial. Right from the crowds to the stadium to the various people sitting on the stage. They were more like props. From random talk, all comers had praised the graphics work done by some Hollywood artiste. But it did not look all that cool to me.
I have always appreciated Kamal's clear and precise enunciation of Tamil with the right amount of gravity and pause in his spiel. One could see that the timbre of his voice still remained the same during the speech. It appears that Kamal was recounting a scene back in the 12th century to that whole gathering. There was pin drop silence in that huge stadium and they apparently had limitless patience (these are small flaws in the script and direction, in my opinion).
Everybody seems to praise the scenes showing Rangaraja Nambiar - a Vaishnavite intent on saving the Vishnu statue from being desecrated in its own temple. I did not think they were too special though. With no shirt on him, Kamal looked the part of a man past his best physical condition. Mass was there but not muscle. He was a bit too bulky for those action scenes and it did not look very good. The next disappointment was Napoleon being casted as the Chola King and an ardent follower of Lord Shiva. He was a complete misfit from start to finish. It was not the physical aspect of Napoleon which jarred. It was only when he opened his mouth to deliver dialogue in chaste Tamil that he gets found out. Maybe they could have used somebody like Nasser for this role. It would have leant more authority and presence that the Chola King ought to have commanded.
Or was this another way of focussing the viewers on Kamal with no distractions at all?
I also thought it rather strange that the Vaishanvites simply lined up in their vast numbers and stood silently with not too many guards to block them. I would have thought there would have been some sort of an uprising which might have required some show of force from the Chola side. But I am willing to take it in the spirit of the presentation of the movie. What happened next though was purely silly.
Kamal, Rangaraja Nambi, is captured and tied with the statue. After being asked to say Om Namashivaya by the Chola King who just incidentally happens to be his childhood mate, Kamal does not find it in himself to say those words in praise of the three eyed lord. He instead resorts to 'Om Namo Narayanaya' - this time in the rich, luscious voice of Hariharan. Those three words, when rendered by Hariharan have their own beauty.
Kamal is then strung out and hung on hooks pierced through his hide. Even when being swayed from side to side, he finds it in himself to sing a philosophical song with metre and rhyme. As a song, it was OK. It was the best song in the movie, perhaps. But it was immensely jarring considering the turn of events and the current status of the man who was singing the song. The song concludes with the statue of Vishnu being submerged in the seas. A small bit about the grieving, angry wife Asin is also interesting. She removes her mangalsutra (thali) and throws it at the Chola King but she misses and it lands on a carved lion pillar. Small events such as this are linked together at various different parts of the movie and spotting them gives you a small sense of delight.
From here we go to the protagonist Kamal - a scientist in a lab in the US. This is probably the first movie (Hollywood ones included) where I have seen scientists being portrayed as types who would use machines to walk even the corridors within their own buildings. If nothing else, it was accurate and cool. It appears that the scientist team is testing a bio-weapon and the test subject is a monkey. The production appears to have been successful but the security situation of the monkey was not very believable. It appears to have been enclosed within a latch operated, glass lidded container. When news filters down to Kamal that their project had been chosen for funding by none other than George W, Kamal goes and sits in on a meeting with the head honcho.
We also get to see Kamal as George W - horribly over made up and jittery in his movements. But what was accurately depicted was the nasal twang and the accent of George W. Meanwhile, inevitably, the idiotic latched lid came loose and the monkey escaped. And what is more - the bio-weapon was apparently kept in such a way that it was easily accessible - even to a monkey (pun intended). Long story short - the monkey made a meal out of the bio-weapon and was reduced to a grisly, smoking mess in a matter of seconds.
Kamal, the scientist, opts to then wipe out the entire lab area along with all the costly equipments (much to the chagrin of his head honcho) with nothing but - hold your breath - Nacl (Sodium Chloride). Thats common salt for guys who missed their chemistry classes at school. I do not know the science behind this, but I doubt if common salt can prove to be a potent deterrent to bio-weapons.
Now the head honcho who was not totally pleased with the destruction of his lab equipments had new problems to deal with. Kamal, the scientist (his name is Govind Naicker) had now developed new found barriers in his hiterto asleep conscience which did not let him proceed with the bio-weapon manufacture. Lets not miss the Vaishnavite connection here in the name, folks (Govind is another name for Vishnu). These are the small bits that can bring a smile to your face if you take the time and the effort to spot them.
While Kamal quits the scene after a smartly worded conference with his boss, the latter has other plans which preclude the entire team of scientists. He now plans to sell this complete technology to a group of terrorists.
Kamal chances upon his boss' plan and tries to make up his own counterplan to prevent what could turn out to be a global catastrophe if the bio-weapon went to the wrong hands. He succeeds in foiling the evil plans of his boss and escaping with the bio-weapon sample.
Enter Kamal as Christian Fletcher - a hardened ex-CIA agent with more hair on his chin than scruples. He is now a hit man for the forces who wish to buy the bio-weapon from Govind's boss. This is one of the two American characters that Kamal has done in the movie and both are indeed done artfully and differently. Even though George W was only a bit character, one could readily spot the difference in tonality and accent when Kamal provided voice to each of the characters. Where George W's was a nasal twang which jarred against your eardrums, Fletcher's was the slow nonsensical almost-Texan drawl which grated rather than jarred your eardrums.
Govind's first destination is to go to Washington where one of his team mates - another Indian stayed with his japanese partner. It was a good touch to get the Japanese lady to speak some Tamil to show her familiarity with Govind who was her husband's friend. As it turns out, his friend too had sold his loyalty to the corrupt scientist boss and inspite of being asked by Govind to contact the FBI (good luck trying to convince them if and when they get there!), he calls his boss and informs that Govind is in fact at his house. Govind though is eavesdropping on the call and confronts his friend with his opprobrious act. In a matter of seconds, Fletcher is out there by the glass window of the apartment in a helicopter. Now, that was odd. It was cinematic but did not make for good scripting. After a short action scene, which also featured the Japanese lady involved in a Karate showdown with Fletcher, Govind manages to make good his escape. In direct contrast to Rangaraja Nambi's not-so-nice action scenes, the Fletcher combat sequences are all a joy to watch. Kamal still retains his physical coordination and balance. The Japanese lady, inevitably is killed in combat with Fletcher - thereby sowing the plot for the entry of another character. All in good time though.
Govind meets up with an old friend in a very opportune manner and his friend ends up mistakenly sending the packet containing the bio-weapon to India. Fletcher, meanwhile, has tracked Govind down to the courier office as well. This time, Govind thinks hard about how he could be tracked down with such accuracy. The answer lies in his cellphone - he rightly concludes and manages to get rid of the phone by throwing it into another car while making his getaway. In the process, though, he had to leave behind his friend. Govind makes his way to the airport office and tries to see if the package can be stopped from going to India which of course cannot be done. Now, Fletcher too makes his way to the airport office aided by information from the friend who Govind had left behind. Finding no other way, Govind tries to slip into the cargo hold and ends up slipping and falling into one of the cargo containers. He loses consciousness but the loading process ensures that he too is on that flight to India.
Fletcher - finding that he too needs to visit India - looks around for somebody who can speak the local lingo. Enter Mallika Sherawat. While adjectives aplenty can be heaped towards her for her lissome and shapely body structure, not many words (at least nice ones) come to the mind when talking about her facial beauty, expressions or lack thereof. There is the inevitable club song here after which Fletcher instructs Mallika to take out the scientist boss just so that there are no loose ends. And Fletcher too flies to India with Mallika in tow.
When talking about Fletcher, I get the distinct impression that Kamal has used insets in his boots to increase his stature. All in the effort of getting into the character though - which is to be appreciated.
Now starts what is probably the movie's most enjoyable section - the introduction of the Telugu detective Balram Naidu. Here is where Kamal's sharp witted dialogue - which is inherently funny and replete with innuendo - shines through. In fact every scene featuring Balram Naidu brings a smile to the face. Again, top notch voice modulation by Kamal is on show where nobody anywhere could fault him for not getting into the character. Just as he is absolutely American when he is Fletcher, he is absolutely a Telugu speaking person when he is Balram Naidu.
Balram Naidu starts questioning Govind in the airport - which in itself is a small comedy of sorts. Govind tries to explain the concept of a bio-weapon but finds that the officiousness and thick-headedness of Balram Naidu prevented any coherent transfer of information. In the meanwhile, it is announced that detectives from FBI have arrived and that they were going to take custody of Govind. Fletcher manages to squeeze into the interrogation room before the poor FBI agents who are sagging and delayed by the weight of the coconut husks and garlands on them. The ex-CIA man puts down the guards and gets away with Govind and an inspector as captive.
As they try to make a getaway, yet another version of Kamal makes an entry - Avtar Singh (Punjabi pop singer). Kamal, one feels, has done a top notch job on vocal intonation in this character too. Even the Tamil or English spoken by Avtar Singh is tinged with the rich Punjabi flavour. It is a delight to see such a showman in his element. Jayaprada - the ever-vibrant dame pairs up with Avtar Singh as his wife. It appears that Avtar Singh is not so well and when he collapses in front of the airport exit, all hell breaks loose and in the confusion, Fletcher makes his exit with his captives - all this while firmly pointing his middle finger in the direction of the security camera!
Kamal manages to escape from Fletcher's clutches once again. Otherwise, how is the story going to move? This time he goes in search of the package which he has learnt is heading for Chidambaram. Keen but tired readers - please stop and consider. Here is another small significance. Chidambaram is a Shaivite shrine and boasts of a huge temple of Lord Shiva there. Not surprisingly, the package is delivered to another Kamal avatar. This time a nongenarian lady - Krishnaveni. Arguably this is the worst ever made up character that Kamal has played. While still allowing for the fact that 90 year old grandmothers are not the best lookers, the getup of Krishnaveni was eminently forgettable - mostly because it was not very believable. However, Kamal's body language, accent and actions - even the dull eyes that afflict elders, was outstanding even here. It was unfortunately not enough to save this character in this rollicking but not necessarily riveting script.
While Govind tries to wrangle the bioweapon from Krishnaveni, Fletcher too arrives with Mallika to the scene. Apparently he had obtained the information too that the packet was headed to Chidambaram. There is a fight which ensues in which Mallika is killed. And when she is taking her last breath, Fletcher eases out her misery by putting a bullet into her. Although she was asking him to save her, this was apparently his way of saving her.
Before this, the wily Krishnaveni patti (she is actually said to not be in the best of mental health!) had put the bio-weapon inside the statue of Perumal (a Vishnu avatar) as the idol came in procession. Readers would again note the way the story again embraces the Vishnu concept here. It is also mentioned that Krishnaveni had lost her mental health only after the loss of her son - Aaravamuthan long back. Govind manages to snag the Vishnu statue which is seen by the excessively devout grand daughter - Asin. In order to save the statue she too runs with Govind. They run on, then they go on a train and eventually go by truck when they reach a sandy portion beside a beach near Pondicherry. Before this, during the train journey, there is a nice bit of dialogue between Govind and Asin which portrays the casteist sentiments which are still prevalent in some Brahmin minds. There are also digs at Periyar, untouchability and atheism. Again, some quick thinking dialogue saves the day here.
The tired Govind and Asin finally reach the sandy beach portion and decide to rest a while there. Readers would not be surprised to note that this was the spot where the old Vishnu temple was originally located. There are ruins scattered around everywhere. After the routine bickering that takes place between two people who are just about to fall in love but dont know it yet, Govind and Asin decide to seek some refreshment in some nearby shop. Since it would be odd to go into town with a Vishnu statue in hand, they decide to bury the statue in the sand there - just where the old Vishnu temple used to be. Touche`. Enroute to the shop, while still not out of the sandy beach portion, Asin smacks her knee on a pillar protruding out of the sand. This, tireless readers, is the same statue at which Asin (as the wife of Rangaraja Nambi) had thrown her mangal sutra (thali) at. Deja Vu, eh?
Elsewhere it is learnt that all is not well with our singing and dancing Sikh - Avatar Singh. He has got cancer in his throat and requires to make a decision between his career and his life. He chooses life with Jayapradha - quite surprisingly. He also decides that the concert that he is about to give at Chennai is the last one he would ever give.
Govind, when finally getting to the shop, understands that he is being framed for a lot of things by the police and he cannot risk being exposed. With Asin's help, they get what they need and go back to the sandy beach to pick up the buried statue. But to their dismay they find only sand smugglers. When it looks like they are outnumbered and Asin's modesty is about to be outraged, enter another one of Kamal's avatars - Vincent Poovarahan. This is a role of a Dalit Christian which is performed with panache by the veteran actor. The makeup was still not upto the mark - with paint gleaming on his face. Poovarahan is supposed to look black and so they had to resort to a lot of paint to probably get the fair Kamal to look the part. And it shows through in the movie. Apart from the makeup though, Vincent Poovarahan even gives the character of Balram Naidu a run for its money. Small script and smaller scope for this character, yes. But a lion-hearted performance nevertheless.
He comes with television cameras to grab a shot of the sand smugglers in action. This social message (that illegal sand quarrying is a big menace) too is added to the others such as blind idol worship, violence and anarchy in the name of religion, bio-weapons and its inherent hazards etc. in the film.
Now, this diversion is made use of by Govind and Asin to again escape the clutches of the law and they take a lorry used for sand quarrying to help them in their escape for good measure. While Govind tries to drive the vehicle onwards to Pondicherry, the irrepressibly devout Asin wants to get the statue back to where it belongs and tries to wrest the steering back so that the lorry makes a U-turn. No, madam, lorries dont come with power steerings. What results though is an accident with the lorry hitting another van coming from the other side and both parties go crashing into the sand.
Lo behold another Kamal clambering from the van Govind crashed into. This Kamal seems to keep on coming out of the van. He is about 7 feet tall. Khalifullah is a overgrown Muslim man living with his father (Nagesh) and a suitably large family. This avatar too competes for the worst getup with Krishnaveni and George W. Poovarahan is saved because of the script and the ample scope for performance. Here, Govind narrowly escapes the clutches of Fletcher who is still on the lookout for him and hot on his trail. Govind plans to reach Balram Naidu and ask for aid. However, he also ends up missing Balram Naidu who too happens to be searching for the scientist on the run.
Meanwhile we missed the entry of yet another Kamal version - a Japanese martial affairs instructor. Mr. Martial affairs happens to be the brother of the Japanese lady who was killed by Fletcher in the US. His single point agenda is to get rid of the murderer who killed his sister.
Things converge to a scene in a hospital where our Avtar Singh is also admitted. Govind helps in getting the Muslim family treated while keeping the Vishnu statue in a cool storage box in the hospital. In usual clinical efficiency, the hospital staff switches cool boxes between Avatar Singh and Govind. So, Avatar Singh gets the Vishnu statue and Govind gets the cancer drugs.
This does not prevent the gutsy Sikh from performing in the show as scheduled. A peppy number 'Oh Oh Sanam, oh oh Sanam' is performed by Avatar to the delight of the crowd. Jayaprada too dances with him and still manages to look graceful and hold her own. No small thing this at her age. Probably the only better preserved leading lady of yesteryear is Hema Malini.
Govind, yet again, uses the distraction of the concert to escape with the statue from Avatar Singh's cool box. But not before Fletcher shoots Avatar Singh in the throat. A small but frenetically paced chase scene ensues where Fletcher chases Govind in the legendary Bullet motorcycle. Over the years, many of Kamal's scenes deserve appreciation. Notch one more gem up for appreciation. His skill at handling the beefy thumper left me breathless. Even in the best of times, it is tough to smartly alight from the Bullet. But to do that on the run and to let the bike slide out from under you on a platform while still maintaining the balance needed to hit the ground running is something worth mentioning. We dont know for sure that it was Kamal who did that scene but it did look like him. The jury is still out on this though.
The chase scene slowly creeps toward the Chennai beachfront. Meanwhile Vincent Poovarahan is invited to the illegal sand quarry guys' leader's house. The corrupt leader tries to tempt Poovarahan with wealth but when he finds that the brave Dalit man would never compromise on his principles, things take a turn on the uglier side. Before too much could be done though, the sea gods intervened.
Lets cut over to the chase at this point. Fletcher finally manages to corner Govind for a final fight. Some adept rope climbing and ladder climbing on a building under construction amply showcases the arm strength still possessed by Kamal. Tamil movies have certainly seen better action sequences, but this movie is certainly not bad by action standards set by Tamil movies. Fletcher did not however bargain to meet the Japanese martial instructor here. Kamal, in the martial guru role, is again good. Although the slit eyed look does not sit too well on his face - his face looks too wide and altogether big for the ideal Japanese look. Once more, there is a small but nice action scene featuring Fletcher and the Japanese martial arts guru. When it is apparent that he is not going to win, Fletcher breaks open the seal on the bio-weapon and consumes it. Everybody is aghast at this - for surely the end of the world is nigh upon them.
The sea gods had other plans though. Knowing that this paritcular bio-hazard did not particularly like Nacl (or salt), they decided to send a friendly tsunami the Chennaiites way. The sea rises up and consumes anything and everything in its path - including Fletcher in his dying throes. Of course, Govind along with Asin and the Japanese martial arts instructor manage to escape.
Elsewhere though, things are not so cosy for Poovarahan. Even though he wishes to leave the place in a huff, he cannot abandon the sand quarry leaders' family in the roiling waters of the tsunami. In an effort to save his adversary's young children, Poovarahan perishes - a poingnant end to this character.
Krishnaveni had earlier been taken in for questioning by Balram Naidu. She now chances upon the scene with Poovarahan on the ground and dead. She is convinced that this is her son long thought to have departed the land of the living - Aaravamuthan. She finds solace and closure. This scene also highlights the underlying casteist sentiments among a few from the Brahmin sect but Krishnaveni firmly quells any such thoughts about caste and colour with simple but powerful dialogue.
After the hectic escape from Fletcher, Govind and Asin get a moment together when they finally realize that they are made to be together. The place where they announce their love for each other happens to be the same spot where the old Vishnu statue, which was submerged with Rangaraja Nambi tied to it, had washed up. A nice touch again.
It is also revealed that Fletcher's shot that passed through Avatar Singh's throat did more good than harm! The shot passed clean through but not before cutting away the cancer too. So, all is well that ends well.
Tying all this together is Kamal's speech on the dais - with the crowd and the dignitaries still patiently listening. The film does give a clue that it has the Chaos theory as basis - in the sense that random events such as a butterfly snapping its wings might result in an earthquak elsewhere and so on. The film ends on a nice note with Kamal once again delivering chaste Tamil dialogue in an exemplary and powerfully evocative manner.
In conclusion it appears that Kamal has tried to imitate the touch of Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino's style of tying together discrete scenes only to tie them all up in the end with panache and style. The factor hampering this idea is the length of the film and the usual masala elements. And it has to be said that Kamal probably appeared in far too many faces. All in all, this is a family entertainer, a light hearted film at heart and a feast for die-hard fans of Kamal Hassan - probably the most talented film artiste in all of India.
[Yay - for those who made it here, congrats and high fives!]
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