Paruthi Veeran

The film did not have a 'theme extrordinaire'. The canvas is not new. End is gory. Songs, though with regional fervour, are long and at times, poke at you.

But what is not missed in Ameer's third film, is the realism. Karthik, the debutant hero, has emoted well and has a face which has an ability to show a repertoire of classic expressions. Dubbing often reminds Sivakumar's famous mellifluous voice. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score is more apt than in the songs, but the songs nevertheless are fine melodies and folk music in Tamil film music, at its best. The movie has a capricious blend of folklore, folk music and folk dance, though at times, is bit lengthy. Very realistic performances and apt casting helps the film to thrive on these elements.

Tone of the cinematography is bit harsh throughout but angles and movements are jerkless and conveys the required mood, partly due to editing. As for the cast, Saravanan, as the paternal uncle of the Hero, steals the heart. Ponvannan's stereotypic remarks could have been remodelled. All supportive staff are good in their performances.

And Priyamani....

A modern belle, only captioned sofar in rustic urban roles, stuns one by her performance. Her looks, dresses, walk, head tilted stare and that thick, not-so-feminine voice - all add to the character's worthiness. Though well shaped by Ameer, Priyamani steals the show throughout the movie. Her guts in be it, receiving blows from her father and continuing to eat with tears flowing eyes, countering paruththiveeran or at the climax, where she falls prey to a bunch of thugs, and the portrayal is commendable.

Then, why should a film with a anti-hero subject should end with a penalizing climax? That too why should an unquenchable here be punished with his lady being humiliated? Why is this slightly perverted justificastion? (which reminds Virumaandi and few other cliche Tamil films)
Apart from this stigma, I feel this is one film which made the characters lively with good technical contributions. Ameer has given a movie which will linger in our minds for long.

My new model on nationwide policy implementation

Model on Nationwide Policy Implementation

(I.B. Saravanan)

A project which needs to be implemented throughout a country should either be for a public cause like awareness on polio or AIDS or national cause (like government saving on import or increasing income from exports etc. which would later translate to public cause). Implementing such a project requires Vision of Leaders, Political Will of Stakeholders, Stability of Governments, Public Flexibility and Adaptation Mechanisms available in the country.

Vision of Leaders

When the leaders in a country are qualified, ambitious and are visionaries, then those countries prosper at a faster pace. It is this vision of a leader, who leads a people and organization of people which benefits the nation. Unambiguity, clear defined path and self corrective measures are few traits of visionaries who lead their countries towards success in economic and commercial front.

Stability of Governments

Stability of successive governments is vital for any projects’ continuance and hence, its success. The forms of governments or methods of election to power matter less in front of a basic realization on the laid down vision for the country. Frequent upheavals in the political arena cause turbulence and unrest among the stakeholders, resulting in either discontinuity of the programme or decreased moral support/funding for the same.

Political Will of Stakeholders

The stakeholders in any nationwide project’s successful implementation are the government, the funding institutions, the public, NGOs and private participators. Success largely depends on the well oiled progress between all these stakeholders towards a common goal. Even a small mismatch between them on compatibility, in their interests, would seriously hamper final achievement by delaying the process and/or the realization targets.

Public Flexibility

When consensus from the policy makers has reached the public, the major stakeholder, an evaluation process begins. It could be any form of a social organization like a community, a town or a cooperative. When the policy directives are such that it conveys the evaluator that his/her social organization will benefit more on measurable counts in comparison with existing situation, the public accepts the directives and involves themselves in the project. It is observed that if the benefit on the longer run is greater, then small hardships are accepted at the current instance. Acceptance notwithstanding, the flexibility shown by the public after evaluation may vary with different social setups, with respect to their existing comfort levels, social values and ethos and culture.

Existence of Adaptation Mechanism

Success of the implementation greatly rests on proper identification of areas to invest which is invariably related to the existing knowledge and adaptation mechanisms in the country. It is much easier to implement a course correction for a country which is traditionally cropping corn with lesser benefit to sugarcane cultivation with higher benefits, rather than to change it to an orientation with ITES industry.

I.B. Saravanan, Consulting Editor,
Icfai Research Centre, Chennai

Darkness

It is Eternal
It is Equal
It is Divine

It is shameless
As it knows no discrimination
It is completion in totality

Fountainhead of life
as a mother's dark womb

Unseen, unsmelt, unfelt, unheard and untasted Unknown is darkness

Equals lack of light

What is lack of darkness?

The Devil's Advocate

Recently, I saw Al Pacino's 'The Devil's Advocate', for nth time, since I've lost count of how many times I would have watched the movie.

Pacino's mere screen presence (eventhough he looks his real age), just carries the film and its message.

The coy smile, slightly exaggerated body language to suggest the lavishness and luxury of Devil and the modulation.... Al Pacino just steals the frames with the co-actor Keanu Reaves looking hapless.

Especially, in the climax block, when Al Pacino (read Devil) offers the young advocate the world (literally!), if he becomes a part of the empire and agrees to create a devilish-nexgen, one could see what seperates an ordinary actor and an extraordinary one like Pacino. He coerces, begs, commands and all the while moves and occupies the total stage like a conjurer listing out all his tricks to listless audience.

His gravely voice goes back and forth, high and low, reverberating and echoeing the message he wants to convey, all so powerfully! With a very subtly mixed FX as backdrop, when he completes his act, you are spellbound and could never help but applauding this great actor and such a great performance. The film, apart from Pacino's performance has a very noteworthy cinematography, background score and an apt editing, not racy not too subtle.

Al Pacino as Devil in the Climax

The film has its many ironies and paradoxes, intentionally inbuilt, like Keanu's mother, a staunch loyalist to God, is mothered by the Devil.

Comparing his contemporaries, the role what Al Pacino had played, one gets to think, could have been portrayed by Robert De Nero, but one doubts how far he would have fared. After all, after seeing Pacino, we compare with a benchmark!

The Wanderer

Like Phaedrus,

my mind keeps travelling restlessly.....

Alternating between

sanity and insanity
Wearing and discarding masks
doing so in ultimate acceptance
For the audience gaze in disbelief
In absolute silence
...............

The recent halloween I've worn
suits me fine and suits them fine
How long and how fast
Only the wanderer knows!