Settled down to watch this much lauded,much anticipated Film in a lesser known Theatre in Saidapet.
At the outset, I have to say that this Film lives up to the pre-screen hype that surrounded it. The plot isn't exactly novel but Thiagarajan Kumararaja has created an incendiary Film that manages to keep you riveted to your seat throughout its playing time by the usage of carefully orchestrated,stylised violence and dialogue laced with irreverence and quintessential Tamil urban cockiness.
The BGM showcases inspired brilliance at places but I had a feeling I had heard most of it before somewhere without quite being able to put a finger on the source exactly. Jackie Shroff's burnt inflections epitomise the sombre and ponderous tone of the Film but his role fueled tedious idisyncracies doesn't quite come off as well as it could have. Perhaps he was too "tight" or self conscious in essaying the role.
Sampath's character has a lot of meat in it and he has grabbed the chance with both hands. As the violent but disarmingly astute Pasupathy who is second in line to Singaperumal (Shroff), his quick enterprise and willingness to get his hands dirty for a job that needs to be done is essayed with surprising panache and virtuosity.
This is that rarest of rare Tamil Films where the Fringe players throw in their weight to make this a heady cocktail. The men who play Gajendran and Gajapathy (Rival hoodlums) scare the crap out of you with their raw physicality (THAT scowl will give you the heebie-jeebies), in-your-face aggression and oily malevolence. Heck, even Ravi Krishna (with all his acting limitations) is adequate in his role as "Sappa". A word about the hilariously talky Somasundaram who plays the quirkily funny Kalayan and Master Vasanth as his canny,worldly son. These are the 2 characters who catapult this Film to the "very special" category.
Kumararaja pays homage to Tamil cinema a la Godard and Tarantino in his own inimitable way and his respect for Tamil pop/punk culture borders on genuine genuflection. Lots of people have likened him to Tarantino but I saw strains of the Coen brothers' style more than anything else. Unlike Tarantino whose Films pulsate with reckless energy, this is a leisurely paced,sombre almost speculative mood piece interspersed with sudden bouts of violence that propels the Film along. And there is a Femme fatale in here so the Film can lay claim to being Tamil Cinema's first modern day Noir classic. Yasmin is no Bacall/Stanwyck and her lingo grates on the nerves sometimes but that is forgivable in an otherwise largely enjoyable Film. The slo-mos in the violent sequences reminds one of "Bloody" Sam's immortal style and that is one more reason to watch this wonderful Film.
"Aaranya Kaandam" is a vociferous scream that echoes into the inky blackness of the Jungle night for Tamil Cinema to wake up. Will it?
At any rate, well done Thiagarajan Kumararaja!
Kumararaja pays homage to Tamil cinema a la Godard and Tarantino in his own inimitable way and his respect for Tamil pop/punk culture borders on genuine genuflection. Lots of people have likened him to Tarantino but I saw strains of the Coen brothers' style more than anything else. Unlike Tarantino whose Films pulsate with reckless energy, this is a leisurely paced,sombre almost speculative mood piece interspersed with sudden bouts of violence that propels the Film along. And there is a Femme fatale in here so the Film can lay claim to being Tamil Cinema's first modern day Noir classic. Yasmin is no Bacall/Stanwyck and her lingo grates on the nerves sometimes but that is forgivable in an otherwise largely enjoyable Film. The slo-mos in the violent sequences reminds one of "Bloody" Sam's immortal style and that is one more reason to watch this wonderful Film.
"Aaranya Kaandam" is a vociferous scream that echoes into the inky blackness of the Jungle night for Tamil Cinema to wake up. Will it?
At any rate, well done Thiagarajan Kumararaja!
