Indmov, you did make an interesting observation that it could be that the
audience thinks in Tamil which is why they feel that Mani is not that good in
Hindi. While it is a valid observation, I do not think it applies to me, since
I am not a Tamilian and do not speak Tamil. The only Tamil I know is what I
learnt watching Tamil movies. It could be a more general South-Indian mindset,
but I do not think that's the case.
Dil Se.., like I said, left me cold the first time I watched it, but the more I
thought of it, the more impact it had. I felt it can be perfectly summed up by
the Mirinda tagline a few years back... Zor ka jhatka, dheere se lage. So I did
like Mani's first foray into Hindi, but still, I felt that Mani was struggling
to create endearing characters that he can create with so much ease in Tamil.
Arundhati Nag for example, while good, cannot really compare with the lady who
played Madhavan's elder sister in Kannathil Muttammittal.
I guess discussing AE vs. Yuva is a moot point, since we prefer a different
take on the movie. But, one thing that I felt was a very important scene in AE,
that was not there in Yuva was the first meeting/ fight between Suriya's
character and Madhavan's character. That scene was very deftly handled and very
well made, since it was just the 2 of them getting a feel of each other, sizing
each other up. This adds more importance to their final fight on the bridge,
since they both know that it's no longer time for playfulness and it's serious
business. With that scene missing in Yuva, I think that Ajay's character and
Abhishiek's character only meet for the first time in the final fight and it
does not have the same impact as the Tamil version, where they already have
fought before. Of course, the fact still remains that Abhishiek shot Ajay, but
did Ajay see who shot him clearly enough to remember him later? I don't know.
Still, I you have your reasons to
prefer Yuva, while I have mine to prefer AE. It's different strokes for
different folks I guess.
Coming to Guru, I do not think the movie disappointed his usual fanbase since
it had more commercial than artistic values. I think the Mani's fanbase is so
big because he can mix commercial and artistic so well. No Mani movie can be
dismissed as an artsy movie. And no movie can be dismissed as an out and out
commercial film (well, the jury is still out on Thiruda Thiruda). Even when he
casts Rajnikanth, the very epitome of entertaining masala films, he manages to
tell a touching story from the Mahabharata. So, I do not think it's the
commercial aspect of Guru that let me down. I do maintain that Abhishiek was
amazing and no other director can make a good actress of Aishwarya like Mani.
Mithun was great too. But these are more like exceptions that the rule for the
movie. It generally is the other way round for Mani movies. It's always
excellent, with just a couple of bad things, if any.
The beauty of casting Bharathiraja or Natarajan in the movies is that Mani does
still make them very entertaining. I am sure the roles would have the same
impact even if others were cast. I know this from personal experience, because
when I saw Alai Paayuthey, I didn't even know Madhavan's dad was Pyramid
Natarajan. It's only later when I happened to check out my Rahman collection
that I saw his photograph on one of the cassette covers and realised who he
was. I know Bharathiraja of course. But I didn't know he'd make such an
interesting villan. The slime and venom he brings to the role is just so much
more involving than Om Puri's turn as the corrupt politician.
I also feel that equating writing off Mani after only 3 movies in Hindi is
similar to writing him off after Pagal Nilavu and Idaya Kovil - is not correct.
Mani had a lot of classics under his belt before he came to the Bombay Film
Industry. He had enough experience, which he lacked in his first 2 Tamil
movies. And actually, his first movie, Pallavi Anupallavi is considered a very
good movie. So, when Mani started to make movies in Hindi, he carried with him
a huge baggage of expectations. I personally feel that he hasn't really met
them, which is why I have lowered expectations for Raavan.
As for another director who has moved out of the South, into the North, I think
pre-Sarkar Ram Gopal Verma does qualify. Before he became a walking punchline,
RGV made classics like Rangeela, Satya and Company. He seemed to grasp the
nuances of Hindi films. It could be that he picked the right script and
dialogue writers, but you can't take anything away from his direction. Of
course, he did make turkeys like Daud, Mast and Jungle. But the point is that
he was able to "think in Hindi". I guess I expected even Mani to be able to
grasp this technique with his Hindi movies. I feel he hasn't, which is why my
expectations are not that high.
As I ramble on, I just want to address the final point. I am sure a lot of
people prefer Dil Se to Delhi 6 and Roja to Jodha Akbar. That is not the point.
If we were to think like that, I think the Mani-ARR combo and Rahman in
general, would have disappointed me constantly, since I feel no ARR work can
match up to Thiruda Thiruda. The point I am trying to make is that, Rahman has
crafted an excellent album with Jodha Akbar. He has crafted a modern
masterpiece with Delhi 6. He has created waves with VtV. We even got an
excellent 90s album of Rahman with Ada. These are all recent releases. Now,
when Rahman can make such excellent albums with other directors with whom his
rapport is definately not on the same level as Mani, isn't it disappointing
that, with Mani, who he shares the greatest rapport with, he makes an album
like Guru, which I really don't think compares to the other albums I have named?
Well, anyway, we are coming from opposite sides, but I guess both of us want
the same thing... a classic album from the Mani-ARR combo and a classic movie
from Mani. I am yet to pick up the soundtrack of Raavan, (having become a new
father keeps me really busy), but I will buy it sometime today and maybe after
a few months, when the music sinks in and I have watched the movie a few times,
we can continue our discussion!! And if I end up not liking the album much, I
will not as for my money back and risk Gopal's wrath!
--- On Mon, 4/26/10, Indmov Buff <indmovb...@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Indmov Buff <indmovb...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [arr] Re: Hope no songs like "baazi lagaa" and "Ek lo Ek muft"
will be in Raavan
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, April 26, 2010, 12:27 AM
<SNIP>
