"Vishwaroopam"- A study of the Master Piece

I watched Vishwaroopam today in Vancouver. It's a shame I couldn't watch a Tamil movie in Tamil, I come back and the next day I get to watch it here. The first time I heard about the ban and the opposition the film faced, I got reminded of another great film maker, Jafar Panahi an iranian film maker who made movies like Off side and the White balloon. He was under house arrest with a twenty year ban on making films and giving media interviews because he was creating “propaganda against the regime". That did not stop him and he made "This is not Film" at his house using cellphone camera and camcorder. He finished the movie in his house with whatever he had. The movie was smuggled to the Cannes Film Festival on a USB drive hidden in pastries. This later was played in Cannes and many other film festivals. Such was his the love for the art. Many directors including mighty SCORSESE came to the rescue signing a petition.
Kamal Haasan is no different from Jafar Panahi for the love of his art. 50 Years in Film he has been in most of the departments and has an ocean of knowledge. But then again it's a shame that no one came to the rescue. That tells you the sad state of Indian film industry. Film is business but first it's an art. Unfortunately it saddens me to make the comment "Indian film industry has sold its soul for money".



Now that Kamal Haasan is doing his Hollywood directorial venture there is a ray of hope, a hope that Indian Cinema is not going to ashes. It's not Indian cinema if it’s made in Bollywood or Kollywood. It's the feeling of being Indian and the sentiments, the Style and the vision that we bring with us and above all the love for art in this great nation, which has given us geniuses like Saint Thyagaraja, Kalidasa, Satyajith Ray and many more. This is not the first time something like this happens. Deepa Mehta who made the movie "water", which was banned in India and again it’s a shame it won an Oscar for best foreign language film from Canada. The NFDC and other film organizations speak about developing Indian cinema and the first thing they do is crush true genius from existence. We are a country where we nominate a movie into the Oscars because "The heroine wore the costliest saree in the world". I hope I am not there when Indian films go to ashes, I hope it does not happen in my time. But then, when it happens all that would be left is people like Mrs.Mehta who settled down elsewhere.

Vishwaroopam is not an Anti Muslim or a Propaganda movie, it's a Social commentary like Hay ram or Virumandi. The impact of terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world. He never says or Propogates any anti muslim stuff.
psst: Watch the movie you'll understand it for yourself.



First of this is neither a review nor a criticism, this is a mere interpretation of art. Even though I have tried to keep spoilers to the minimum, if you have not watched the movie yet, Close the tab and come back after watching.




My film guru John Pozer has always told me "A movie starts in the first frame and ends in the last" I saw it for the first time in Tamil cinema. The way the title comes up on the screen starts the story. I then see a shot of a rack with Pigeons flying all over the frame, I sit and watch that block frame for the next two minutes and my mind wonders with a question "the significance of the shot?". Then I see a man come into the frame. At the end of the sequence the camera follows a pigeon which flies out of the compound. You might find it insignificant at that time.
Kamal Haasan uses the Pigeon as a Motif that keeps coming in the movie every now and then. Pigeon plays and important role in the movie plot which am not getting into. Even in Afghan there are just but pigeons. As a director he has chosen the best motif that the movie about violence and terrorism could ever have.

The other motif that is in the movie is the puddle of water. There is a scene where there are constant droplets of water and they create a puddle. They create a similar image and it stands in the mind as a metaphor for blood. In the warehouse, it also acts as a fore shadow for all the bloodshed that's going to start and that will never end.
The first time we see Vishwanath, is through a window. We look into his house through the window (I would have been happier if it was a frame within a frame) where the man is dancing, we "look into it". He comes out from the darkness to light. A wonderful way to introduce the character. This brings me to the image system "The Glass". Reflections of characters and looking into them through glasses. We only see the reflections of a few characters like Vishwanath, Ashmitha. These are the people we need look into and not just look at. That is a tool that a director uses to bring in metaphor (Sounds new in Tamil cinema right? I know!).

The movie doesn’t follow your everyday style of non-linear narrative. Every flashback is well thought, I also loved the way he has connected the flashbacks with the bullet time technique, yeah! it’s the fancy VFX shot we all saw in Anniyan. But this was used with a purpose in this movie, it almost acted as a Tableau Vivant. Every one of that sequence was a painting, they were a paintings that moved. And speaking of Tableau Vivant, when the Nato blasts the Village there is the shot where everyone are dead and are lying in the last posture that they were. Absolute brilliance is not the word that could describe that shot. It was emotionally stunning, it was Tableau Vivant which had a purpose and it impacted us. It really bombarded what he wanted to tell us (I wish the shot was longer though). And I did notice the Mickey Mouse that was lying at the blast in the Afghan village. The shot inside the School bus where the kid in the foreground was wearing a bear costume and all the kids look at a blast behind. I feel Kamal is trying to express the impact of violence in children. Mise-en-scène was perfect, Everything in the frame had a purpose, a theme to it. The whole Afghan sequence except the action part had the camera flowing like poetry. So smooth, as if life were pleasant, then comes the action that takes you out and shakes the life out of you (again brilliant use of camera as a narrative tool).

There are sequences in the movie which were extremely powerful. The Kids playing, I have played as if I were riding a motorbike when I was kid. Those kids in Afghan play as if they are shooting. Rahul Bose plays with his kid as if he were shooting him, with his hand.
The kid does not want to play at the swing, but wants to become a doctor and the Jihadi who wants to play at the swing. We come back to the shot of the boy playing in the swing when he dies as a suicide bomber, was brilliance in narrative story telling. The Sheikh publicly executed. His mother cries amidst the gun shots and the constant chanting the god is great with the song "Anuvidhaitha Boomiyile" was visual poetry.
Kamal makes us feel as if we had a glimpse of the God. That’s what the Character feels and that what we feel when we get a glimpse of the shaikh “OSAMA”. The whole sequence was well built.




He started the digital age in India with Mumbai express, He brought in live sound in Virumandi. Bless this man he has brought the live sound again! The sound of Ghungru in the begining of the Song "unnai kaanaddha" was like honey in my ears. I hope Live sound is adapted more, which means Female actors can't just be sexy (#Just saying).

I know I am from a family that loves Kamal Haasan, I myself have been a fan since my childhood. But the thing that blows my mind is the calibre of this man! An actor who sings and knows classical dance (that’s no biggie actors need to know all that stuff), Produces good movies (now we are getting somewhere) and the best Indian director of our times(now that's what am talkin about). What great movies!, Hay ram (my personal favourite before watching Vishwaroopam, First Parafiction movie in India), Virumandi (A perfect homage to Kurosawa and it did not merely copy that style of storytelling but had a soul of its own). It deeply saddens me that he is still not able to release Vishwaroopam in madras, which has been his muse for years. It’s a shame on the government, on the democracy and the people. I want to watch him direct a movie. That he just directs (I am sure it would turn into a masterpiece because he is just doing that and that alone not having to worry about anything else).

I am not sure if I will get to watch the movie here again, am sure waiting for the blu ray to release which might be sometime after next six months I am going to the buy the first copy then and may be one day I would it signed by the man himself. Like any other film school kid I hope I work with him someday or at least watch him do his magic.

A film is true 24 times a second, So stop bullshitting and let the movie release.


A humble fan of this extraordinary Artist #isupportkamalhaasan

Corruption is Evil, Power is Corruption, and Knowledge is Power. Be no Evil, Do no evil. We don need no Education ! ! !

“Vignesh! No hall ticket for you this time, you lack attendance”. This is one familiar statement I often hear except for the name changing. What the hell man! We are supposed to be “viscom students”(you know these dudes with long hair and very rugged beards and jeans) aren’t we supposed to be exploring around? No?

Not to forget my college (I don’t want to mention its name, not that am afraid. Even if I say it no ones bothered) with its great faculty (now when did I last meet my Hod? I think the first statement exactly suits my “Hod”), I have a Professor who “teaches” computers to us, he went 2 days of claiming he has his “Thalai Deepavali” this year but he never came back. Thanks to him many of my friends failed in practical exams and yes he did save a few thousand bucks by not coming, like even when he came he just got his salary.

My college is the finest and the best with state of thy art equipments (not to forget one of its kind the restrooms you know no water broken closets and you know the strong “fragrance” of urine greets when you are the at my department entrance). Now coming back to what I wanted to say!

It took me or anyone for that matter 15 to 16 years of schooling just to learn to survive in this complex mess of ours. We are always made to sit in between four walls and shut inside doors and windows, but we are supposed to be exploring nature or you what people call “learning the hard way” that is best way I would say.

Humans are part of a school, the oldest and finest. Millions and millions of years legacy, we are just in the elementary level learning the ABC of civilization. We have always scoring a “F” in out progress reports. We can not or we have decided not to adjust of adapt ourselves to this environment bur adjust and adapt the environment the way we want it to be. We think we have simplified but we have complicated a very high end creation of the ultimate power “Nature”, the ecology. It is an easy job to survive but we have complicated things such that we are trying new was to erase the mistake we did and we end up making more.

Change is the only constant, but the only change is being constant. Humans may have created great technologies but we are still infants in understanding ourselves.

“Corruption is Evil, Power is Corruption, and Knowledge is Power. Be no Evil, Do no evil. We don need no Education!”

All I need to do now explore and enlighten not exploit! Peace                                                                                             

SUPERBIA

The past is a gaping hole. The more you try to run from it the more deeper and darker it grows behind you. Its edges yawning ar your heels.

It's got into my mind. It's dictating terms, am helpless am just like the fish inside a fish tank. My mind is in one place. It's my pride. I feel am dead, I realise my mistakes. My pride took over me. It took me for a ride, a ride too far. Too far than i expected.
Fine sunday evening I decided to write my biography. I sat down at my table, with my "cross" shining like a silver cigar. I would say it's not my biography , it's my confession. The confession that I should make. I have the best carrier record than any police men in this country has. Neither have I had my hand dirty nor my shirt soiled. I was one of the best or rather "the best" of policemen. I have done it all from catching the Ganja mafia to killing dons and god fathers(as they think themselves to be one). My last encounter was terrible, it haunts me and it will haunt me rest of my life. Law and Righteousness are the two words I tell myself to sleep in the nights.

Convicts are usually ellusive objects, they always tend to escape no matter whatever trap set against then. Just like the one who was running in front of me. Yes ! it was an encounter the first time i encountered "LIFE". That day changed my life. Every one is born in this world , they grow like every other animal, trees and plants, but only a few live ! live for a cause or a dream. May be even a distant dream they are chasing. I am one among them I am now running behind time and my dream. The dream which took me 25 years to realise. Am now counting my days to grave, am afraid I would see my dream come true.

Recalling that day back. I could see fear in his eyes, his lips struck with sheer horror waiting to kiss the mouth of my gun. I shot him below his left knee disabling him to run futher, I should have killed him else I would'nt be writing this. Any way it did not make any use after all he ended up in a dead end. He made himself comfortable under a lamp post. It was well past 11 and the place was as silent as grave. I stared going near him with my gun ready to bust his head off. He broke the silence "whom do you want to speak ? The CM? The Minister? tell me who . He was well built with every cell in his body made of arrogance. I gave him a sinister smile like "The Satan on a Christmas day!". He understood Iwould not show any mercy for his words. I guess he stopped beliving in people and he found a new friend "money". I poined my gun towards him this time really closer to his head. Ha ha ! his friend had betrayed him.

He held my leg really tight . Tears from his eyes polished my shoes, He then came up with a sad story the story of his own. He cried begging for life "I have a wife and two children, and people working under me, their families! I beg you sir!". May be he acted like a pro , I would not say I was moved. But I started thinking different may be I was old, or I had just began to think as human rather than a policemen. I could see no meaning in this encounter.
I did not know what to do! I was in a mental trauma. I started speaking to him, I din't know I spoke so long to him. Our conversation lasted for nearly 3 hours. I started ralising life, a philosophy something larger than this war,crimanals and other "worldly things".

I made up mind to let him go, I know i can come up with a good story and manage to getaway with it. I decided to let him go, I told him to look out for a new life and move from the city or state. I Started walking away and he was relieved and he was taking a deep breath.
F**k something struck me! yes those were the late days of my carrier and I will have a dirt in my shirt or in my skin which i can never clean off. And what happened me ? where did my work ethics go? I should not be leaving a "criminal" out there!
All these ran over when i walked the next ten steps. I still remember that moment , moment of my foolishness, the moment when Satan took over me!
That second the trigger was plotted,with the bullet trembling in it's dark nest ready to blow his head off! I shot him , not once not twice five times finishing my ammo! Every gunshot was a questionmark leaking out! I felt the gun fused in my hand. He is dead!

Even though after retiring I started fighting for human rights that day took over my life!
One mistake, I know I was foolish.My pride took over me. I was affected by "IT". It's a deadly disease which every one have! everywhere I could only see it. They call it "SUPERBIA".

Am back!

This is the first time I am going to blog. Every time I create a blog, but i have never been serious. So here i am Metal Kid \m/ !