The Strength of a Thousand Elephants

In my school days, occasionally there used to be these story-writing competitions. The major incentives these contests offered included a free set of pens, the chance to look cool before lesser-read classmates and more importantly a legitimate excuse for bunking classes. An early crushing truth that a well meaning English teacher revealed to me was that I would never be able to win any of these competitions as the judges weren't exactly known for their patience in deciphering Hieroglyphic scribblings of the students before evaluating their work. But with the carrot of incentives mentioned before dangling in front of me, I used to still go and give a shot at them. These competitions involved writing a Story with the Title or the Moral-of -the-Story or a sentence which should appear somewhere in the story being given. Sometimes, I used to reach the end of my story before realizing I had forgotten to include the sentence I was supposed to, so I would end the story in a convoluted manner with some character mouthing the singular sentence.

Gautam Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram, touted as a film which surely would bring back nostalgic memories of pieces of your own life succeeded in bringing back this quirky detail from my schooldays when in the end mother Simran looks at son Suriya and mouths some incomprehensible "Thoozha-Tamizh" phrase beginning "Vaaranam Aayiram...". At that moment, I realized what a feel-good movie was, for I really felt good that I was not alone in having problems with including titular sentences in my works. Apparently Gautam suffers from it too.

"Vaaranam Aayiram" meaning " The Strength of a Thousand Elephants" is the starting line of a stanza in Aandal's "Naachiyar Thirumozhi" where she dreams of being carried by a procession 1000 elephants strong to her beloved Lord Ranganatha. A poetic title for a Tamil film in these times of "Pandi", "Villu" and "Dindugul Sarathy". Surely suggested by Gautam's default "aasthaana" lyricist ThamarI (that's her new spelling) like she suggested the other figurative titles of his works like "Pachaikili Muthucharam", "Vettayaadu Vilayaadu" (from old MGR songs) and "Kakka Kakka" (from the Kanda Shasthi Kavacham shlokas).

But Gautam had to do it. He had to make Simran blurt out the film's title in the end lest the audience is left wondering why the title was chosen in the first place.Though the paradox is, the prospective candidates who could end up liking the movie, the bourgeois urban youth who think in English and address "Mattu Pongal" as "Cow Pongal", wouldn't just get what she was hymning. As for the masses, it would be the last nail in a nail-infested coffin, if they remained seated till then that is. Had he simply left the title in the end, or as a song in the end- credits, it would have brought the film to the smooth flowing end it deserved. After all, people didn't protest to find out why his previous fare was called "PachaiKili MuthuCharam (PKMC)"

Having said that, I must point out that Gautam has made a film to which he has poured his heart out. The film works because it is intensely personal, we can literally feel Gautam's yearning for his lost dad. We can feel the intensity of the emotions that he must have gone through while crafting this tribute to his father, just like we feel Shah Jahan's love for Mumtaz oozing out of every minaret of the Taj Mahal. And it is this conviction of the director that turns our eyes blind to the film's follies.

We choose to ignore the native sensibilities (or the lack of it) of the director who makes the Dad Surya call Son Surya as "Kiddo" and the Mom Simran telling her children their dad "swept her off the feet". We choose to disregard the fact that the story offers nothing new in terms of story and content; its just old wine packaged in one nice glittering bottle called "First Half." But post-Interval, the director finds his bottle of sparkling wine has emptied itself and he has no stock left. But he has to entertain us for yet another eternity; it's only Interval; " Picture Khatam Nahin Hain. Aur Bhi Baaki Hain". So, not knowing what to do, he sets aside the maxim" If you start trying to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing none" and starts hurling at us, an assortment of small 100 ml soft drinks "Requiem for Sameera", "Hostage Drama", "Good son joins Army", "Another Love Story", "Another Hostage Drama", "Death of a Father" and so on. The end result is half his audience are bewildered and the other half are disgusted. But Gautam can take heart that these small sodas are at least more bearable than the acid of a second half that he threw at the audience with "PKMC".

No doubt, the individual segments are shot brilliantly, but they just don't gel. And the film coming as it is close on the heels of "PKMC", exposes the writing of Gautam once again. Like his previous fare, the film has a brilliant first half, but from there its one big journey downwards. Another failing in his works is that all the characters think like Gautam.As a result, all the characters appear to come alive from the world of Hollywood and English books, uttering phrases like "It was like a Rock Song!". People haven't forgotten his TN-Policemen-shouting -FREEZE antic in "VV". Gautam needs to go the Mani Ratnam way. In the early 90's Mani realized that his characters started sounding similar and the vision driving his stories started to get repetitive, he stopped writing the dialogues and entrusted it into the safe hands of Sujatha. Gautam needs to find a Sujatha for himself too, otherwise he would find his position as a director who appeals to urban sensibilities being usurped by a director whose characters can speak in different tongues.

Some friends of mine felt that the film was just a rehash of "Autograph" and "Thavamai Thavamirundhu". I beg to differ. Though at the surface it might look like "VA" is simply these films written for a hipper crowd, they are not even in the same league. Make no mistake, it is easier to make a "TT" because such gut-wrenching stories of fathers suffering for the sake of the family are available dime a dozen, and the treatment as such was flat in-your-face expression of Fatherly Love. However, Gautam shows his class here by making the father's character more of an inspirational presence. Except for one or two scenes, where it is revealed that he is struggling to make ends meet and where is admonished by a Seth for not honouring his debt payments, we are not really made aware of the trials and tribulations faced by Dad Suriya. The film is about Son Suriya, and the director doesn't get distracted much away from it. And the film is not emotionally manipulative like "TT", there is no warring Daughter-In-Law to make it look like a Mega Serial unfolding on the silver screen.

If at all the film has any value in the legacy market, it must be due to the fact that it is the last film, (at least as of now) of the Gautam-Harris combo. Maybe having realized this before embarking upon this project, the duo churn out song after song in the first half (as many as 5 in the frst half and only 2 in the second) , like a couple lovemaking like there was no tomorrow. The songs are catchy, and hence you are able to sit through the torrent of music unleashed. Harris as usual recycles some of his own work in the songs, and screws up the Background Score like always; but overall a Pass Mark for old time's sake.

But the biggest legacy of the film has to be the emergence of "SURIYA" the dependable actor. Suriya is adequate in the role of the caring Dad, reminding one of the late Raghuvaran in more than one occasion. But it is Suriya the son who carries the movie in his shoulder and walks away with all the honours. The 6 pack may be THE proof of his commitment to the character, but he looks equally convincing as the 17 year old Suriya who dances for the "Yethi Yethi" song (a not-so-apparent tribute to Kamal of the 80's with a poster of Satya and a dance which fleetingly resembles the "Raaja Kayya Vacha" song ). I can't imagine any other actor playing the roles essayed by Suriya with the possible exception of Kamal if he were lot younger. Here's waiting for Suriya's next.

Simran plays her part well, the other heroines Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana (previously known as "Kuthu" Ramya) are adequate. The campus of University of California, Berkeley, has been beautifully shot by Ratnavelu, the cinematographer of Endhiran. This should please the Endhiran trackers, anxious about the work of this little known technician. Technically, the movie is chic and the songs too have been shot in a flowery manner with lot of sets used, though the graphics deployed to show the Madras of Yore in the "Mundhinam Parthene" song sticks out like a sore thumb like the initial portions of "Paartha Mudhal Naale" song from "VV" did.

Gautam Vasudev Menon gives another promising film with "Vaaranam Aayiram" and cements his place in making niche films targeted at the Multiplex Audiences. His next venture "Chennayil Oru MAzhaikkalam" pairs him up with A.R Rahman for the first time.Looks like the tables have turned since Harris Jeyraj replaced ARR in Shankar's "Anniyan". Gautam is a bold auteur, making films the way he wants to, though often he finds himself succumbing to commercial demands.

"VA" works because of Gautam's deep conviction and Suriya's stellar commitment in bringing his characters to life. When a film touches you like "VA" does, you tend to ignore its failings and emerge out of the theatre feeeling satisfied. So a big thumbs up for "VA".