Re: Rajini and Kamal appreciation thread.

[plum]

Me also MSV first. Orchestration unfortunately sattila avLo dhAN but what a composition otherwise!

[plum]

BTW, someone(Nerd?) I think had commented about the odd-ness of Garjanai as a whole.

Turns out that this was planned as a Malayalam movie 'Garjanam' with the then Mallu action superstar Jayan. Since Jayan died in that fateful Helicopter accident while doing a daring stunt himself for another movie, Rajini replaced Jayan. I think the other feller in the Varuvaai Anbe video is the one. Now, this feller was at the top for barely 4 years (76-80) during which he made like 110 mindless quickie action movies, with barely an intelligible script it seems(with a few exceptions). That probably explains Garjanai's odd and disjointed screenplay and tacky prod values.

This was apparently supposed to be Rajini's entry into Malayalam as a action hero, replacing Jayan's loss. Didn't quite work out that way - and many local heroes were later tried out for that place in movie after movie, one of whom was a Mohemmad Kutty, who later grew into a different kind of superstar in Malayalam.

[app_engine]

tacky prod values.

This is where one has to appreciate the "professional standards" of IR :Wink:

He was way above the industry standards, if one goes by the terrific, futuristic, guitar & synth-heavy score for garjanai!

[2040]

Softie - idhaiyellAm nIngaLE sourcelEyE kaNdichu vechA nAnga solRa nilamai varumA

yov ennayaa.. ulpaavaadai thiruduna case ellaam enmaelayae pOdreenga

[2040]

Adhu avarrr illeeng. Jaaws expert.

fb'la frends status mattundhaanae paakka mudiyin...??!!

[sagi]

No, if that status has been shared to Public or 'Friends of friends' many can view.

But avinga en fb friend illai-nu naan sonnEnaa?

[2040]

No, if that status has been shared to Public or 'Friends of friends' many can view.

But avinga en fb friend illai-nu naan sonnEnaa?

avinga unga fb friend illainu naan engayum hint pannave illayae...

podhuvaa dhaan kaetaen...

[plum]

Softie - idhaiyellAm nIngaLE sourcelEyE kaNdichu vechA nAnga solRa nilamai varumA

yov ennayaa.. ulpaavaadai thiruduna case ellaam enmaelayae pOdreenga

ha ha just kidding Softie

"out of love for Rahman"-nu ellAm vakkAlathu vAnginIna illaiyA? adhAn vasadhiyA unga mEla case PottuttOm.

[Cinemarasigan]

சிந்து பைரவி ராகத்த சிவரஞ்சனியோட கலந்து, அடானா ராகத்த அரக்கோணத்துல புடிச்சு, ஆதி தாளத்த தொடைல போட்டா கிடைக்குற ராகம்; கல்யாணியா, காம்போதியா, கரகரப்ரியாவா, ஷண்முகப்ரியாவா இல்ல ஸ்ரீ ப்ரியாவா??"

remba nandri friend..

[groucho070]

Oops Grouch the raagangaL pathinaaRu video has gone missing:

Lovely. My choice for MSV would be Sambo Siva Sambo. Encapsulated (had to look it up and confirm) the spirit of both Rajini and Kannadhasan at that time. (as mentioned before, it would have been Kannadhasan who'd be the perfect lyricist for Rajini had he lived longer).

[2040]

apart from the initial screaming... started liking the rajini birthday song... i was expecting like there will be more real ppl montages but disappointed with the studio dance which was not necessary for the theme...

[plum]

as mentioned before, it would have been Kannadhasan who'd be the perfect lyricist for Rajini had he lived longer).

:yes: would have been spared of the karuppu thangam type lyrics by you know who.

[Cinemarasigan]

நான் கண்டக்டராக இருந்தபோது, நிறைய மது அருந்தியதுண்டு. அப்போது சில
நண்பர்களின் தூண்டுதலால் இது நடந்தது. சினிமாவில் நடிக்க வந்த பிறகு நல்ல
சரக்கு குடித்தேன். பிறகு இடைவிடாத ஷூட்டிங்கில் கடுமையாக உழைத்ததால், மன
உளைச்சல் ஏற்பட்டது. அப்போது நடந்தது பற்றியும் ரசிகர்களுக்கு தெரியும்.
பிறகு லதாவை திருமணம் செய்தேன். மது அருந்துவதை குறைத்தேன். யோகா,
உடற்பயிற்சி என என் வாழ்க்கையை மாற்றி அமைத்துக் கொண்டேன். ஆனால்,
அளவுக்கதிமாக சிகரெட் பிடித்தேன். அதனால் வந்த வினை தான், எனக்கு உடல்நிலை
சரியில்லாமல் போனது. நுரையீரல் பாதிப்பை தொடர்ந்து கிட்னியில் பிரச்னை
ஏற்பட்டது. முதலில் சென்னையிலும், பிறகு சிங்கப்பூரிலும் சிகிச்சை
பெற்றேன். இந்த நேரத்தில் ரசிகர்களிடம் நான் கேட்டுக்கொள்வது இது தான்,
தயவுசெய்து சிகரெட் பிடிக்காதீர்கள். அதை இன்றே, இப்போதே விட்டு விடுங்கள்.
தொடர்ந்து நான் மருந்துகளும், மாத்திரைகளும் எடுத்துக்கொண்டதால், சில
மாதங்களாக உடம்பு ‘வீக்’ ஆகிக்கொண்டே வந்தது. உடனே மருத்துவ முறையை
மாற்றினேன். இப்போது சொல்கிறேன். கடந்த ஓரிரு மாதங்களாக ரொம்ப நன்றாக
இருக்கிறேன். டாக்டர்களே கூட, ‘இது ஒரு மிராக்கிள்’ என்று சொல்லி
ஆச்சரியப்பட்டார்கள்.

http://cinema.vikatan.com/articles/news/27/395

Rajni's Speach at his Birthday celebration...

[2040]

thala romba feel panni pEsirukku...

enna sonnaalum sila dogs' thirundhaadhu... :enna_chonnaen:

[Cinemarasigan]

thala romba feel panni pEsirukku...

enna sonnaalum sila dogs' thirundhaadhu... :enna_chonnaen:

naanum unga katchi thaaan hehehe..

[equanimus]

but ivar rangeku erangivandhu ipdilaam vilakkam kudukkanumaa... is it the first of its kind by him?? satthiya sOdhanai

Nope, he did it when there was a controversy (to an extent, valid from the protestors in my opinion) for UPO also. This is consistent with his affinity towards the community. In fact, last week he called a meeting with his fans prior to the audio release. As soon as our people went in to his office he began in a stern tone warning everyone not to create any sort of 'trouble' during the release. He also started explaining that there was some rumors that the film was anti-Muslim and he explained at length why this was completely baseless. Salient points:
- Name Kamal Haasan, his father's contemplation whether to spell the name as 'Qamal' so that everybody would 'know'(think) that it was a Muslim name
- Muslim influence in India, contributions etc. Christianity getting a clean chit but Islam being marked all the time
- Not sure but from the version i heard (possible room for mis-quoting or misinterpretation from my side), he plays a Muslim in VR
- Javed Akhtar is unique because he is from the Muslim community who can address a group of his people and talk pagutharivu without fearing for his life [Note 1: Namma makkal thevai illaama indha kelvi-a kettutrukkaainga There, can we move on now?]

So, i said this before during the UPO controversy - he has an affinity towards the community. Fact. He also knows there is very little margin for 'error' in that community. Idhuvum fact. Idhu rendum mutually exclusive-a irukka vendiya avasiyam illa. Also, i don't see any problem with an atheist having an affinity towards one group and who reserves the most scathing criticism of one particular religion. Idhula edhurkkavo, "madakkitten paathiya" nu nenachuttu kelvi kekkara point-o enakku purila

B(K), oru doubt. Are these salient points you mention here part of the explanation Kamal gave that day?

[Bala (Karthik)]

Yes (to the fans before the audio release). Neraiya pesinaaru nu sonnaanga. Andha nanbar sonnadhu mattum naan inga sollirukken (he was not interested in this topic)

[equanimus]

Oh okay. I've been meaning to respond to this post of yours, hence asked. I'd actually take the "affinity towards the community" angle with a pinch of salt. Even in the UPO programme on TV, if my memory serves me right (correct me if I'm wrong), when he was asked, (paraphrasing) "Muslims are being portrayed as bad people, villains etc., as a film artist, what would you like to (as in do you have anything in mind about) do to show them in good light?" He promptly and politely answered, (again paraphrasing, my memory might be playing tricks with me) "adhu en vElai kedaiyAdhu. ungaLa mAdhiri samUga ArvalargaLum Ameer mAdhiri iyakkunargaLum indha mAdhiri nalla vElaigaLai senjittu irukkInga/seyvInga" or something to that effect. It seemed like he was being quite forthright about the whole thing. adhAvadhu, affinity irukkuRa mAdhiri pEsala. AnA oru show-la participate paNRa aLavu vandhArEnnA, sari dhAn. andhaLavukku, he respects these concerns. maththappadi ivarukku irukkuRadhu affinity-yA, a sort of "soft othering"-Annu yOsikkaNum.

As you might know, I think this whole anti-brahmin/Hindu charge against Kamal is almost always overstated. He's certainly critical of some of the brahminical politics/attitudes but don't think he's been especially extremist in this regard. There are very many people (even within Tamil film industry) who are vocally critical of these things along the same lines. And at some point, what is represented in the universe of his films becomes (as it ought to) a crucial question. அதுல இவர் எந்த அளவுக்கு இஸ்லாமியர்களைக் காட்டிருக்கார்? Has there been significant Muslim characters in his film who are portrayed with the sort of shades which you don't usually see in Tamil cinema otherwise?

[groucho070]

Equa, every ballistic attacks stop at the very gateway you mentioned, the one with a goddam deflector shield, "the universe of his films". Ithukku mEla no kosteen, have enough understanding to get through or get bounced.

[equanimus]

Groucho,
Of course, I agree with you. Perhaps I didn't make my point clear. I'm questioning the point that he has a certain affinity towards the Islam community.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Equa
To me, it seems that he does have this affinity. He has even gone on record saying "I'll be glad if they mistake me for someone among them". He would never accept a Hindu/Brahman identity, on the other hand. Why does he bother to explain and reach out so much otherwise? Of course, he wouldn't say a lot about the religion or radical features of its people outside that he would gladly spell out in private (for obvious reasons)...

[equanimus]

B(K), firstly, my impression is he might have more friendly words for the Muslim community (which is what I mean by some kind of "soft othering") but avvaLavA Muslim identity/demography, Islam spirituality paththi ellAm concerns irukkuRa mAdhiri theriyalainnu solREn.

He has even gone on record saying "I'll be glad if they mistake me for someone among them". He would never accept a Hindu/Brahman identity, on the other hand.

Well, I guess this was in the aftermath of his getting detained in an airport. In that context, it's a pretty understandable response coming from a liberal.

Why does he bother to explain and reach out so much otherwise?

I believe that's because he respects some of these concerns that are expressed.

Of course, he wouldn't say a lot about the religion or radical features of its people outside that he would gladly spell out in private (for obvious reasons)...

And oh, lastly, I don't at all mean to argue that he should be more open and spell out his criticisms on other religions or anything to that effect. edhu avarukku relevant-nu padudhO, adhai avar sollalAm. There's no question of balance or neutrality here. The first part in this post is the point I wanted to make.

[Bala (Karthik)]

B(K), firstly, my impression is he might have more friendly words for the Muslim community (which is what I mean by some kind of "soft othering") but avvaLavA Muslim identity/demography, Islam spirituality paththi ellAm concerns irukkuRa mAdhiri theriyalainnu solREn.

maththappadi ivarukku irukkuRadhu affinity-yA, a sort of "soft othering"-Annu yOsikkaNum.

Should have paid more attention to this line. "Soft othering" may be a better usage than 'affinity'. In the lines of compensating for all the flak they receive.

He has even gone on record saying "I'll be glad if they mistake me for someone among them". He would never accept a Hindu/Brahman identity, on the other hand.

Well, I guess this was in the aftermath of his getting detained in an airport. In that context, it's a pretty understandable response coming from a liberal.

Comparable situation la (solla vendiyirundhaalum) Christian-a eduthukitta paravalla nu solluvaara therila. Kandippa Indhu-va eduthukka vida maattaar

Why does he bother to explain and reach out so much otherwise?

I believe that's because he respects some of these concerns that are expressed.

அதத்தாங்க நானும் சொல்றேன். ஏன் இந்து/பார்பன concerns-a (இந்த அளவு) கண்டுக்கறது இல்ல? Like i said, oru velai naan affinity-nu sonnadhunaala 'blind' a (Islam-a) support panraaru nu imply panna maadhiri irukko....

And oh, lastly, I don't at all mean to argue that he should be more open and spell out his criticisms on other religions or anything to that effect. edhu avarukku relevant-nu padudhO, adhai avar sollalAm. There's no question of balance or neutrality here. The first part in this post is the point I wanted to make.

That was a routine reflex addendum (specific-a உங்களுக்கு சொல்லல). Oru disclaimer maadhiri pottu pottu pazhagiruchu, as a Kamal 'apologist'

[jaiganesh]

Sorry kamal fans - Kamal mostly is treading the lines his party president K.Veeramani has laid.
Christians appdinnaale - vellai udai nuns helping the train accident victims within 1 hour of the accident.
Islaamiyargal endraale - hindu nanbarai panakaara villainidam kaatti kodukkaamal bullet vaangi kuzhikkuL poagum thiyaagi
and when it comes to hindus - now let us show every inner jaadhippirivus and segeregate the "Brahmin" from everyone else and blame them, ridicule them while for every one else except dalits apply avan lateaathaan varuvaan sappai kattu - why because his legs are stuck on the neck of the dalit he is oppressing and put the entire blame on the brahmin's neck - because he some how poisoned them all...
This unidimensional approach when it comes to portraying other religions and specific targeting when it comes to hindu society strikes ODD.
However it is not surprising - for self preservation a person belonging to Brahmin community is forced to take this approach in the pseudo rationalist thamizh political milieu.

[Bala (Karthik)]

I will reiterate my zero tolerance policy for paarpana whining here just for the record. Of course what I tolerate or not has no bearing on anything

#BrahminsExcuse #nolocusstandi #Balanceandperspective

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