Making sense with a little silence

I overheard a conversation between two fellow movie audience members during the break --  "this movie has been shot in a short film style. It doesn’t look like a full length feature film". I personally feel it doesn’t matter. The movie is yet another interesting attempt by burgeoning movie makers and of course Balaji Mohan is to be observed closely going forward, because one cannot fake it for the second time :-P. Vaayai Moodi Paesavum is quite a witty take on several important serious issues in the society today. They've tried to wrap it around the most forgotten, extremely essential message - "Just shut the trap. Talk  what is right at the right time". How often do we forget when to close our mouth? Whether it makes sense or not, whether it is called for or not, whether it affects someone or not, we continue yapping. Most of the ruckus around can be cleared  with just minding what one speaks and speaking the right thing at the right time. yes, I'm happy about the moral of the story. And I should say that the crew has done justice to the way it has been written and shot. There was a clear, detailed definition of the lead characters in the movie. Dulquer Salmaan is fresh to Tamil cinema. What brings a relief is that he has dubbed in his own voice and his accent does not have a Malayalam influence to it. Nazriya who is most often trapped in a bubbly-young-girl image has tried the flip side in this movie. The contrast between the lead characters and how they come along is written in an interesting manner.

 

Apart from the main plot, the sub-plots keep the rhythm going. The sustained silence brings out the most precious in each of the characters. There was realization and discovery in each of them portrayed, right from the artistically inclined kid to the non-forgiving old couple.  It would be absurd not be intrigued by the name “Vedanthangal Veedu” (“Annai Illam” and “Siragugal” are the most repeated when it comes to Tamil movies. It was such a relief to see something different.). Just shows how thoughtful the creative team had been. The obvious spoof of the media TRP drama and hunger strikes cannot be forgotten. what makes it all the more funnier is how “Javvu mittai” makes and breaks relationships ;-)

 

The challenge  when it comes to this movie was the half an hour of the film of complete silence-the non-yapping zone. In fact it made me feel it would be awesome to have something like that in reality. For a movie, it is a risky attempt. You might lose the audience if they do not understand what you are trying to convey or if they are simply bored. Balaji has tried to use simple gestures and easy to understand conversations (of course without opening the mouth) to keep it simple. The re-recording definitely deserves an applause for this half an hour. The music helped in conveying the message better when everything else was silent. It wasn’t overpowering neither was it underplaying. To keep up with the funny tone set right from the beginning, the usage of back ground music similar to that of "Silent movie era"(yes, I got reminded of Charlie Chaplin movies) has helped. Though not all the songs caught my attention, "Kadhal ara onnu vizhundhuchu" is in my playlist. Muthamizh has come up with some interesting metaphors in this song. ShakthiShree Gopalan need not have been roped in for this number. Any singer would have done justice, a talent as unique as Shakthishree was not required. "Sundaralingam sir" quick cut song was creative. Usage of fresh faces always delights me. Good acting skills is more than a plus. Apart from the introduction of fresh faces, this movie has brought back some of the experienced artists after a long break. Madhu Bala and Vinuchakravarthi are not to be forgotten. Lovely MadhuBala in specific has come back with so much grace. I would love to look as young and lovely as her when I’m in my forties;-) Her character portrayal was also very special. People will definitely remember her for this role.

 

I would say there was message overload for one movie. Too many takeaways  at one go. But my best bet was “A little silence could stir things up to the level of re-discovering or transforming oneself bringing the best to the surface. Shouldn’t hurt to try it sometime”.

Adding a few layers to the self…

One of the weekends a few months ago I was hell bent on visiting the Cholamandalam arts village on the ECR and preferably alone. I kind of liked doing it alone that weekend. On a hot afternoon, took my two wheeler and reached the art gallery. I’ve visited this place once before, but this time I was in search of something. I wanted to find out if I can absorb some inspiration for new thoughts. Thought that would be refreshing. I wanted to see what comes to my mind when I see the paintings and sculpture. The freedom the art forms give for interpretation is something I enjoyed. And as I expected some paintings gave food for thought and served as inspiration for my poems- my kavidhais. In fact the inspiration was more for me as a person than for my kavidhais. I went there like an open vessel, ready to be filled in and what I received was overwhelming.

I observed how the two genders interpret each other and how these worlds are different and alike, how the natural self is constrained by the learnt self and how artists preserve their natural self or probably not allow to pollute their natural self. I got new perspectives on the way world is perceived by different people, the equation between the dominant and the subordinate and their role in having an effect on each other in every aspect of life and in every relationship. I got reminded of how the widely perceived notions might just be communicated to be perceived that way and need not necessarily be the truth. One of the paintings of Krishna with his gopikas made me feel this way. I just felt that usually gopikas go in search of Krishna and he has the reins in his hands. But the painting I saw showed something different. I felt gopikas were in complete control through their love and Krishna was following their wand. Why dint I ever think of this?

There was another painting the thought of which lingers in my head almost everyday after I saw that. It was a beautiful painting of a woman, probably a queen or a professional cart rider who effortlessly drives her horse cart. The character portrayed was so intense and an inspiration. She lay back in the cart with one hand on the horse's reins, her hair flying so gracefully. The effortless knack with which she rode the cart showed her professional skill and how that skill turned out to be her second nature. She displayed a style and looked like a leader. She looked like she was lost in her thoughts which she cherished. The scene was so poetic with the breeze that gently blew her hair and clothes. Probably the painting was a perfect portrayal of an ideal self that I would admire and I could relate so much to it.

My next observation revolved around woman and the less spoken aspects of her. There were a few paintings that revealed the self sufficient aspect of a woman. A plethora of characteristics and skills and inborn nature makes her so close to being a complete self. The innate beauty in her, the grace in her ways, never grows out of style. The power and leadership she displays is so adorable. One other thought that popped in my head was about the concept of beauty. The thought was about how we are taught what comprises beauty and what not. This learning strains our natural choice and eventually makes us a consumer of popular notion rather than recognizing our natural inclination.

I wanted to spend more time there in the gallery. Observing and interpreting one after the other made me realize that thoughts and ideas are just lying somewhere within a person, and the external artifacts are just needed to tick the inspiration off to the surface. We always need reminders, to tell us who we are, what we are capable of. Sometimes it takes years to wake up from the slumber, but the wait is worth it. The journey in search of the lost or the forgotten gives so many new learnings, wild experiences, unexpected turns and a completely surprising view about ourselves. Every step adds a new layer to a person and changes, and changes, and evolves him/her to a completely new self, that remained undiscovered for years together. Introspection brings realization of the quantum of transformation that has happened. Changed perspectives make us laugh at ourselves, revive relationships, give them a new meaning, creates new bonds, revives old bonds. Unworthy leaves and deserving stays. Losing oneself to the journey is the key.