I had got an opportunity through my college to take part in "Madhan Movie Matinee" (TV show) which will telecast tomorrow (30/Nov/2014) on Puthuyugam tv. The movie being reviewed tomorrow by Madhan sir (Film critic) is "Kaaviya Thalaivan" (Tamil,2014). Yesterday the college had booked tickets for the movie, I watched the show along with my few seniors. On 29/11/2014 I went to the studio along with my classmate, and few seniors. Director of the Movie Vasantha Balan sir had come to the show and we had a chance to express our views on the movie, discuss regarding the movie.
Madhan sir being an author himself has a wide knowledge about Indian history, which is so clear in his book "Ki mu Ki pi" and he had lived in the generation where Drama was the only source of infotainment. He told us how Drama influenced Cinema, and why one shouldn't forget such a period. He made us more clear how the drama troop used to function day and night. I asked the producer of the show if she could allow me to ask a few personal questions to Madhan sir, and she arranged it :) After the shoot he humbly asked "Somebody said they want to talk with me" I raised my hand and said "Sir, yes it's me!". "Okay then after the shoot we'll talk" "Okay Sir I'll wait".
This is the conversation we had with Madhan sir:
Me: From my preteen years
I have been immensely influenced by your works in media which includes
caricatures, film criticism and so on .My first acquaintance with you took
place when my father used to read the tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan to me and
that is how I came to know about you. My reverence for you increased by leaps
and bounds after watching the film Anbe Sivam,in which you were delegated with
the role of a dialogue writer .
1) Why this long break after Madhan's
Thiraipaarvai and Jaya tv?
Ans: I am a freelancer
and I’m also working in designing cartoon calendars. After Vijay tv, I worked
for Jaya tv. I don't think it is a big gap. In between this gap, I didn't get
good offers as a freelancer. I couldn't impulsively accept the offers like
hosting quiz shows like the cine quiz just for the sake of money. I lead my
life in a simple way. I own a 3 bedroom flat and I'm happy. As I was waiting
for a good offer, pudhiya thalaimurai opened doors for me to be a film critic
again .I have been a film critic in Vijay tv and Jaya tv previously, hence
reviewing films is not something unexplored for me. Watching cinema and telling
their opinion, we all do it. Who isn't a film critic now? In this world
everyone who comes out after watching a movie talks about cinema. I am doing it
on screen. And there is not much differences between them.
2) Nowadays everyone
has started to review movies using social media as a tool. Do you think movies
are getting affected?
Ans: one may not know
this. But they are worried from their own point of views because trivial stuffs
arise.
3) nowadays a new
trend has arose: a person who doesn’t personally like a genre, be it in movies
or books, comments about it in such a way that it colours other’s opinions
about it.
Ans: In this case
genre is totally off the table. See, at a certain age maturity is inevitable;
the same thing applies even for reviewing. A person must not misuse social
media like Facebook and Twitter, which nowadays tend to colour the feelings of
the users in a very pervasive manner. For instance, take yourself, in near
future you have made a movie. This movie you’ve made receives lukewarm response
from the viewers. Because of this fiasco you are being denounced badly and as a
result of this your career comes to a dead-end. Just give this a thought.
Everyone over here is battling. We have to see it (movie/book) in a undogmatic
perspective. Even myself, I can't censure movies severely. They (directors)
have given their best. We have to say the good and the bad facets in a settled
and subtle manner in a way that they won’t be offended. I have seen many people
who criticize a lot. Mr.Bosskey, a very good friend of mine, reviews films in a
very facetious manner. In a way we, the film critics are responsible for a
person to watch or not watch a film. The thing is that, when my review comes to
a close, a person will be able to decide on his own whether to watch the movie
or not. I don't use explicit words like "Don't watch this movie"
"Dragging plot".
4) Sir how was it
writing dialogues for Anbe Sivam? Was working with the phenomenal actor kamal
hasan and his tenet in atheism influence the dialogues?
Ans: Firstly, The
dialogues were not coloured by concrete factors . They are not my ideologies.
We, writers delve into the characters and write their ideologies as dialogues.
Secondly, it is entirely Kamal hassan's encouragement. If you get closer to
Kamal Hassan, he'll
inspire in such way that you'll eventually start to write with enthusiasm. He
gave me abysmal freedom. He is a very good friend of mine. One can bond with
Kamal Hassan in the same way one bonds with his friends. Occasionally, He gave
his own ideas. He also wrote a few.
5) The dialogues of
Anbe Sivam were afresh and is still ineffaceable, is it because of Kamal Sir or
the script?
Ans: After that, I
didn't get many opportunities for writing dialogues in cinema.
Me: Late recognition it is.
Madhan Sir: I could
have got if I had written punch dialogues for that movie. But I didn't expect
such chances to strike again.
My senior:
Punch dialogues can be forgotten, but not these dialogues.
Madhan sir: As a
matter of fact even Anbe Sivam had punch dialogues.
6) You have asserted
on many convoluted ideologies like communism, atheism etc in Anbe Sivam. How is
that, despite their intricacy, the dialogues were explicit as well as
comprehensible so that even common audience can understand?
Ans: As a matter of
fact, Tsunami was first mentioned in this movie. I read about this natural
calamity in a book. Henceforth in the movie (anbe sivam), it was stated that
Nalla Sivam's father faced death by tsunami.
Kamal asked me, if
there was any chance that Tsunami could strike Chennai? I said wherever there
is sea, Tsunami can manifest.
In the movie, the
protagonist(kamal hassan) questions Madhavan, "Tsunami, have you heard
about it?". "Yeah I know everything sir, the big wave” replies
madhavan. After Tsunami struck Chennai everyone was perplexed about how Kamal
Hassan knew about it beforehand? Kamal told me "Look you wrote it but I
got the fame, I think that is our (an actor’s) power".
My senior: Even recently in
Dasavatharam he had metioned about "Ebola virus".
Madhan sir: It is very
malignant .If that virus gets into our body and develops. It multiplies to
2,1000,2000. Like cancer, it affects the brain.
I don’t think we don't need someone like
Raavanan anymore to destroy the humankind; just an inconspicuous virus is
enough. We gleefully enjoy the waves near the shore in a beach. But the same
wave can turn into a Killer wave. "Killer wave" is the phrase for the
Japanese word Tsunami.
8) Nowadays every film personality has a facebook
or twitter account why haven’t you got one? And why aren’t you stepping into
social media?
Ans: I don't have a
facebook or twitter account because I don't have the knack to manage them. In
fact I'm not familiar with the computers and I am not used to them. Moreover I
was not born in the era when technology was much developed and I didn't attempt
to learn using them. Even now I don't know to type, if I have to mail, I get
help from either my friend or my daughter
9) Can we expect
further books from you?
Ans: Yes there are 2
to 3 books yet to be published. Now I am working on "Kaadhal Vaazhga"
a book based on love. Another book "Genius" is in printing stage and
it is yet to be released soon. Look "a talented person is different from a
genius". People like "Mozart" are genius. We misinterpret a
talented person to be a genius. A genius doesn’t know anything else other than
his own field of interest, and it is a wonderful thing. This book answers the
question “who is a genius?”. This book provides the life histories of those
geniuses too.
10) How come you are
very much engrossed in history? Even in your book "Ki mu Ki pi" this
very aspect of yours is evident.
Ans: first of all how
come you all read Tamil books?
Me: *Laughing*
11) So can we expect
you in the magnum opus project of kamal hassan “Marudhanyagam”?
Ans: The question is
that “can one expect “Maradhanayagam” the movie itself?” You can't expect me in
Marudhanayagam. The reason is the Kamal has already prepared everything.
My senior: There are
many rumours about Marudhanayagam in social media. The one that caught my
attention was that Kamal sir himself had said that his death in the movie will
be shot after his natural death. Is that true?
Ans: No way. Kamal
wouldn't utter such word. I know about him. What else can we do?
Even I saw a
facebook group in my name and I also got to know that another person is running
my official page without my consent. That page even a section called Madhan’s 'Question and answers'. I fear that problems might arise due to this.
Many film personalities have started to declare that they don't have any
accounts in social media publicly. I am hoping to do the same.
It
is slight difficult. Can we show Amitabh Bhachan as a college student now?
*smiles*
12) Recently Tamil
cinema has witnessed the advent of innumerable commercial films. How healthy is Tamil cinema now?
Ans: It is inevitable.
The disadvantage is that many heroes have a compulsion to act in a certain type
of movie. They rarely get chances in anti-cliché movies. One such example of
anti-cliché movies in recent times is kaaviya thalaivan.
If an actor acts in an
action movie, his rival will be forced to act in an action movie too. There is
no friction between the actors themselves as there is between the fans. I
myself have seen them in parties and so on. They talk jovially together and
socialize.
My senior: do you have
any words on Marudhanaygam?
Ans: There are
hundreds of freedom fighters like Marudhanayagam himself. In fact my book
"Vandhaargal Vendraargal" is about the mughals. Why couldn’t they
adapt it into a film? Why haven’t they made films on Jahangir or akbar? There
are many such prominent historical figures in india like Jhansi Rani,
Kattabomman etc. Why can't they make a movie on Kattabomman again? Sivaji
Ganesan’s version was more dramatic than factual. The truth is that kattabomman
was a telgu speaker. He was not a tamilian but a naikar. As a matter of fact
his real name was Veerapandiya Kattabomma Karuthayya
Nayakkar(naidu).
My senior: Sir few
words about Utthama Villain. Do you know anything about the film?
Ans: No, I don't know
anything about the film.
13)In today’s scenario
Tamil cinema is lacking realistic movies. Meanwhile glamour and humour have
become an integral part of movies. Is there any way to bring out realistic
cinema in Tamil?
Ans: Realistic movies
are not obsolete yet. They have carved out a path for themselves. Both
commercial and realistic films will flourish. I have said the same previously
in an interview. And this will be the final question of your's
Me: *laughing* okay
sir.
If a big office is running
successfully, everyone in that office are not responsible. In that office there
will be 10 people in the higher level. They are the ones who will run it
successfully. Likewise. If youa are in a group and the group is happy, everyone
in that won't be responsible. It would be only because 2 or 3 people.
Likewise in between so many Masala movies, or in between 50 directors.
Few directors like Mani Ratnam, Vetrimaran or Vasantha Balan will seem
different. They will give non-commercial films
The thing is, while taking non-commercial films, you have to take in
account of other movies which has been alongside with this.
If we don't encourage
non-commercial films, you'll find only these movies. As you think it is not he
majority which leads, it’s the minority.
14) With the advent of
myriad commercial movies, the periodical movies are getting affected. What
would be the reason for this downfall? Are there any steps we could take?
Ans: The movies will
definitely get affected but it has to overcome the perils. But movies of that
genre will not halt in its progression. There is recourse to better the
situation. As you (Viscom students) come to college, you will be introduced to film
appreciation. Cinema is such a grandeur thing. Cinema has even given us Chief
Ministers. Cinema rules! Why not cinema be introduced as a subject in school?
Students can start to study cinema from 9th grade on. Once in every week, say,
on Saturdays movies can be shown. These classes can be reserved only for
cinema. Students have value education, sports etc and why not cinema as a
subject? Appreciating films is a practise to critically analyse things that we
see in daily life. You will eventually start to watch films, paying attention
to the minuscule nuances. Okay! Let us see! Thankyou!
Me: Thankyou sir.
Madhan sir: All the
best! God bless you!
© Lohithaksha Sreedharan (lohithaksha.s@gmail.com)
NOTE: This conversation was in Tamil, and I had to translate into English. If there is any mis-interpretations I am responsible.
Edited by: Nivetha Sivasamy ** Thanks a lot! You brought a whole new life to this. :) **
Thanks to my buddy Nazeer Hussain for letting me know about this :)
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