I want to kick off this blog with one of my all-time favorite movies.
Mouna raagam - silent melody.
The title says it all. Its the ultimate movie nirvana for any film buff.
This movie comes across as a simple story, expertly handled, well etched characters and above all wonderful realistic acting by the lead actors. You can come out of the movie hall with a kind of satisfaction and happiness that engulfs you when a gentle zephyr blows across your face taking you to exalted heights of pleasure and making time stand still just like what revathi (the main protagonist in the movie) experiences when singing the opening song and getting drenched in the rains of pleasure and making you feel jealous (I still believe that kajol’s opening salvo from DDLJ pales in comparison with this song)
The story unfolds when a young manager (Mohan has given his career best performance in this role) from a private company in Delhi visits madras to see a prospective bride (revathi) of his parent’s choice. Its infatuation at first sight for the introvert mohan whereas the heroine is not ready for a marriage yet. But due to the compulsions of her orthodox parents and after a clichéd heart attack to her father, she agrees to marry the hero. But the unhappiness of the heroine comes to the fore when she asks for divorce as a wedding gift from her husband. The gentleman he is, mohan brings both the divorce papers and a golusu (paayal) and asks her to choose between the two. She chooses the former, tells him about her past life - her Mills and boons type romance with a lovable rogue(what a cameo by kartik!) and why she cant love anyone else other than karthik. The rest of the story is all about how the heroine gets influenced by the warmth and affection showered by her husband and in the process getting reunited at the end.
What can one say about mani ratnam? He shows that he is a class apart from the rest of directors, who churn out hopeless potboilers, by making a simple tale so engrossing and arresting. His command over the language of movies is absolute and nowhere can you find a fault with his grammar! The scenes when love blossoms between karthik and revathi is a sheer delight for any purist and also made youngsters yearn for more at the same time.
Illayaraja has come up with some absolute stunners and proves that he is the undisputed king of melody. His background score also contributes to the mood of the movie and makes it even more engaging. PC sriram’s cinematography is of the highest order and its amazing how he comes out with some stunning lighting effects inside mohan’s house. He yet again shows that he is the Mozart among his Indian contemporaries.
Coming to the performances, the scene stealer is mohan with the most understated performance by a lead actor in commercial tamil movies. Revathi both as the young wife and the forlorn lover comes up with a commanding performance and proves that an Indian actress can win the viewers’ approval without shedding her clothes. Karthik as the lovable brat holds your attention in a brief cameo and compels you shed a tear when he dies in front of his lover.
The separate comedy track with vk ramaswami doesn’t gel with the movie even though it is good. But other than that I cant think of any other negative points in this truly remarkable chapter of tamil movies. Go watch it and you will fall in love with the MANI RATNAM BRAND OF CINEMA.
Labels: mouna raagam tamil review movies lokesh
8 Comments:
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A good critic would always proof check his review before it goes on air. There are several obvious errors (there’s something called the title case for proper nouns). Moreover, you need to be slightly careful while describing emotions. ‘Jealous’ is too negative a word to be used. Envious could have been a better option. I’m slightly unsure about ‘Infatuation’ also. Maybe there’s a subtler way to put it across.
‘A clichéd heart attack’ – are you sure about this? Now, in 2007, the scene might seem predictable. But, for all that you know, Mouna Raagam could have kick started this line of thought. This is what happens when you review a movie that’s about 20 years old. You lose track of the facts. So, you ought to be extra careful.
Critically analyze only the movie that you’ve taken up. Give the pros and cons. But talking about other directors is uncalled for. Something as strong as ‘he shows that he is a class apart from the rest of directors, who churn out hopeless potboilers’ is not really good assessment. Don’t generalize.
But you’ve covered a good deal of the movie. It’s quite balanced. Though you’ve just written a line or two about Karthik, it captures the intensity of his contribution in the movie. What you’ve written, is quite sharp and short, just like his role. A good picture, overall. Nice attempt!
ok
Looks like a grammer class to me...Neither new for the reviewer nor the critic...;)
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its important lokesh...u cant take things for granted...:D
Mr. Chandramouli.... Mr. Chandramouli...
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