Dear Jayaraj,
Went with my parents the other day to watch your movie, 4 the people.
Guess what? I liked.
I liked the capacity crowd in the theatre.
I liked seeing the various brands of cars lined in the parking lot of the theatre.
I liked observing the madness of many in the audience, groups of them coming forward to the aisle & dancing in ecstasy to tune of Jassie Gift's(music director) hugely popular Lajavathiye song in the movie, not bothered that they were blocking the view of the screen.
I liked everything Jayaraj, I liked everything except the movie!
Infact, when we came out of the hall, I immediately turned to my parents & apologised. Apologised for inviting them to witness this spectacle.
I guess I got carried away by reports of the Kerala youth going crazy(over the songs) in the theatre(police helpless), the box-office collections(super hit) & ofcourse the peppy songs including the famous lajavathiye.
One newspaper even went to the extent of telling that lajavathiye has almost become the new national anthem of the malayalee youth.
Ofcourse, you(especially Jassie Gift) must have been flattered by the adulation.
But tell me honestly, amongst all these showers of praises, did anyone criticise to you about the movie as a whole? Any negative comments?
I think not, because if there were any, you would have been more cautious with the making of your just released movie, Rain Rain, Come again(which got a verdict from Sify movie review as Trash!).
So, money talks. No one complains or comments when money talks.
Why was this movie named, 4 the people?
Let me try.
Is it because the story is about 4 idealistic young men, who disgusted by corruption, take law into their own hands & chop off those hands which are greased by undeserving Rs.500 notes(?!) & become instant heroes for the people?
Is that why? You mean, these 4 men are for the people? Excuse me, for the people, you say?
I am one among the people. This movie should have been named, 4 the police! - they, not the people should have accepted these 4 with open arms!
You know, I know that this movie succeeded, even became a super hit mainly because of Lajavathiye & some backing from few other decent songs in the movie.
But even the song picturisations were disappointing.
For lajavathiye song, the boy(Bharat of Tamil Boys fame) & the girl(a newbie, I dunno name) were either sitting in a boat flailing their arms(silently crying for help?) or standing & shaking their booty!
Just forget how the other songs were picturised.
I never prefer violent movies(some touches okay) but only did I have to sit(& my poor parents) for this 2 hour long purely violent movie but the sore sight of seeing these 4 ladkaas being glorified from start to end left me with a sick feeling in my stomach.
And remember, they were chopping away happily not because the victims were involved in murderous crimes, but that they were only corrupt!
Jayaraj, 4 the people came, saw & conquered(to my dismay).
Nows your chance. Its not late to make amends.
If I was the director, I would have rushed to the nearest temple to offer a neyi villaku *(ghee lamp) to the God or went to the church to do a *kumbasaaram(confession) or.or.done anything to cleanse myself of what I did.
I am scared Jayaraj, scared thinking of your future releases( if they go 4 the people way).
What's in store for the helpless, hands-tied-to-the-back Kerala audience?
Are you thinking of going national or even global with this movie? Thinking of dubbing this movie in other languages & releasing them?
I request, plead in fact, not to do it.
Kerala danced enough already, let not mother India too dance(or dare I say shiver) to the tunes of 4 the people!
Thank you for reading my letter to the end, Jayaraj.
We still have faith in you.
Make a movie that's truly 4 us, okay?
With love,
Manoj
