After years in the making, numerous delays, changes in the cast and uncertainties, director Bala's Naan Kadavul has finally hit the screens. Given the long gap since his previous release, his past movies and the hype surrounding this project, the expectations were naturally high and Bala, in my opinion, has not diasppointed. Naan Kadavul has turned out be an emotionally haunting movie that has been worth the long wait.
The tag line, Aham Brahmasmi - which nearly sums up the movie, is a very debatable topic and trying to spin a celluloid tale around this can be a very tricky exercise that offers a high risk path to high rewards. To his credit, Bala has almost pulled off a neat trick with his abilities.
The story has two tracks running in parallel and intercepts only at the later stages to provide a poignant climax. The movie begins in the city of Kasi, where a father comes in search of his son Rudra (Arya), who he had left in an ashram there, heeding the warnings of astrologers that his son would bring ruin to his family. The father locates his son who has become an aghori, a sect of sadhus who believe that they are God incarnates and possess the power to give moksha (prevent future births) to others. Returning to his native Malaikovil, Rudra continues his ascetic ways much to his parents' grief who, at one stage, realize that they have lost their son for good. Malaikovil is also where Thandavan runs a macabre business of owning disfigured beggars and appropriating their collections. Hamsavalli (Pooja) is a blind girl who finds herself caught in his web and suffers at his hands. Rudra, seen as someone with special powers, lives an isolated life hardly mixing with anyone. He spends most of his time smoking ganja and utters some high decibel verses but for the most part takes no part in what happens around him. When things come to a head, Rudra gets involved in the proceedings and brings relief to some and delivers justice in his own way.
While the more common view of death is that of an unfortunate happening, the movie tries to take the other view - that of death as a relief to someone who is under extreme agony and has very little to live for. The protagonist of the movie seems to be Hamsavalli rather than Rudra. The latter is shown as an instrument in the deliverance of the former and relieve her of her wordly sufferings. Both Arya and Pooja have been doing the odd movies but with Naan kadavul, they have announced their arrival in style and couldn't have asked for a better launch pad to propel themselves higher. The last scene where Hamsavalli pleads with Rudra for relief is particularly powerful and Pooja has done a great job. Arya does not have much opportunity to showcase his emoting skills but does his part really well, daring to take on a radically different role.
Arya's character comes across as just a tad undercooked. We directly get introduced to Rudra as the aghori ascetic and his unusual ways. Bala could have dwelt a bit more on developing Rudra and his transformation and his losing his earlier identity and gaining a new one that could have lent more depth. It was also a bit disappointing that the story moves rather quickly away from Kasi to Malaikovil which left me wanting more. On the same note, Pooja's character was scripted really well. It was refreshing to see Brahmins getting portrayed in a positive light in a Bala movie - a significant deviation from his earlier way of taking a dig at the community. I also wish that he grows over his fetish for including a dance routine for an old movie song no matter how out of place it looks.
The movie throws light on the hitherto unexplored and dark side of begging and the people that actually make a living off it. What was more horrible was when these unfortunate people actually laugh and have fun in spite of what life has thrown at them. Against the backdrop of their misery and suffering, the jokes and funny situations strike a different note and only add to the pathos. The scene where the old man breaks down when his grandchild is taken away from him and mouths obscenities brings out their plight better than anything else.
Arthur A. Wilson's camera work has splendidly captured the grandeur of Kasi and has done equally well to portray the stark surroundings of the beggar dwellings. Ilayaraja's background score is subdued almost unnoticeable in the sense that it has been beautifully woven into the storyline and doesn't stick out. The lyrics for the song "pichai pathiram" can rattle one's soul: athanai selvamum un idathil, naan pichaikku selvathu evv vidathil, verum paathiram ullathu en idathil, athan soothiramo athu un idathil.
Naan kadavul is easily Bala's best one so far and takes you through a journey that very few have attempted to make. Right from the word go, the story holds you tightly and lets go at the end and it feels like a burden has been lifted off one's shoulders. It is, in its own way, a feel good movie that goes for the jugular and can set one thinking, even if only for a while.
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