Viru viru mandi virumandi. Review on Virumandi Movie

“Expectation”-it is a very dangerous terminology in cinema because it can make a movie the greatest of all times on the other hand greatest flops of all times. Many examples are there around to justify the above statement. Naturally for this movie the expectation is so high, not mainly because of kamalhaasan and his new crew but also because of the controversies that raised from the date they started shooting of this movie in Theni with the name “Sandiyar”. The promos for the movie and the interviews with kamal and other crew on pongal day on all TV channels increased the expectation even more. Does the movie meet the expectation?

To answer in one word “Yes” if the people look for a classy experimental venture and also the movie has all commercial elements to satisfy the common audience.

SSDD: Kamal haasan.

A very usual plot set in a village backdrop with a surprising unique presentation. the story has lot of twists and turns in it. It is a very sensational plot that deals with rustic riots of villagers, a man’s desire for property which leads to all the evils that happens and its consequences and a poetic love between annalaxmi and virumandi and finally he has tried to convey a universal message about the “Capital punishment”. the best thing about the plot is that you can’t predict what is going to happen next? and also It doesn’t proceed in the way you think and expect. Even though the climax is a bit cinematic the way the villain dies is stunning.

The screen play is outstanding the best I have ever seen in Indian cinema and it is well executed. Two perceptions for same incident wow great only kamal can execute such tasks well. The movie runs fastly (just like that 2.5 hours passed) without giving you time to think and even you need to watch it carefully to understand and appreciate a scene.

The dialogues in madurai Tamil slang are simple, very natural, and witty and also sharp at some places. Some of them that stand in my mind are

Sharp: “manikka thrinjavan manusan, manippu kaekkuravan periya manusan”

Meaning: “a man who knows to forgive is a human being and a man who seeks it is a great human being”

Witty:”enakku unnai pathi ellam theriyum”, counter statement “ellam theriyuma, sari, enakkippa arikkudu enga arrikudhunnu sollu paapom”

Meaning:” I know everything about you” counter statement” Is it. It is itching somewhere in my body, can you tell where it is”

Direction:

As a director it is his second film after “Heyram”. As a director he has brought the realism and commercialism together in this film. But the commercial element never distracts the classy look and feel of the movie. They are mixed in right proportions and presented. He has brilliantly executed each and every scene and he has extracted the best from all the cast and crew members. The best thing is that he has selected fresher as the main technicians in this movie. It shows his guts.

Please note: There are adequate M2M’s in the movie between kamal and abirami.

Cast performances

The most admired about the movie is the natural performances by all the characters. Even the small characters have done their job well. It is really a “Nadippu thiruvizha” as stated by Kamalhaasan himself.

Kamal haasan (Virumandi) is obviously brilliant in Virumandi character. He has done an incredible job. The best thing is his dialogue delivery in maduari Tamil slang and his voice modulation according to the situations. The scenes in which I admired his performance are “when he speaks about the greatness of his possessed land and the soil”, and “when he cries for her grandma’s death” and in all the scenes with abirami and an innocent lover.

Abirami (Annalaxmi)she is apt for the role and I could not think of any other girl in Tamil cinema in this character. Her height, looks and her physique and most importantly her vivid Tamil in tongue makes her best suitable girl for this role. I liked her performance in the scenes “When she gets angry on virumandi and breaks a pot on his head “and the following sequence, when she gets tortured to the extreme by the villains. She excels in these scenes.

Pasupathi (Kothalathevar) His performance is the backbone of the movie. He is not an ordinary villain that we see in usual Tamil cinema. He is brilliant and he plays safely and cunningly. His eyes are expressive and so his body. Unlike his previous movie “Dhool” and “Iyarkai” he has done a character with equal importance to the hero character. He has done a fabulous job. We have got a good character artist to Tamil cinema.

All the small characters though appears for a short span lives in our hearts when we leave the hall they are Nallamma nayakkar(Nepolean),IPS(Nasser),Anjela kaathamuthu(Rohini),Grandma(SN.Laxmi).

Other crew members who has crafted this movie are

Cinematography: Kesav prakash. His lighting pattern and his selection of filters are like that of experienced cinematographer. He really brought the feel of original theni village on screen. He has concentrated more to give a natural look to the visual than looking beautiful. He has done a good job especially in “Onne vida” song; the whole song is shot under moonlight at night. The song is a visual treat.

Art director: M.Prabhakaran. He takes whole credit for the creating the natural theni village in campacola grounds in Chennai. It is a magnum opus in his career. He is going to get national award for this movie surely. The virumandi temple, pond, railway gate, the residence kothala thevar, nallamma nayakkar and the jallikattu spot, village streets, the central jail interior and exterior are crafted sets .Unbelievable work by him.

Stunt direction: “Vikram”Dharma.Almost 60% of the movie is stunts. So he is next to the director. The stunts are so natural and well choreographed. The jallikattu scene and the climax stunts are really great.

Audiography: H.Sridhar. The most unnoticed part of the movie and that is its success. As the movie is shot with live sound recording and as it is shot in sets and not in the real village, it is necessary to concentrate to give a complete natural feel and they have done it convincingly. The best is the audiography in jallikattu scene you feel even you are also there in the ground really watching the jallikattu.

Original score and background score:The music is by Maestro Illayaraja. He has given his best as the songs for this movie and has proved again that he is the “King of folk music”. The songs are purely situational and with full of nativity. The “karpa karagam vittu” song fits well in the climax elevating the speed and force in the situation. How well a song with same tune blends well with two different situations.Onna vida song is great, it is poetic visually, lyrically and musically. ”Madavilakkae” song sounds great with the visuals.

Mostly he has used traditional instruments for the BG score too. The title music itself is great grandly orchestrated and different. In the scene when kamal starts revealing the flashback to rohini the BGscore perfectly reflects the mixed feelings of Virumandi his anger and pathos. Great job there and also in jallikattu scene the BG score excels.

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