Yeah, that's right ARM, I'm putting you in the hot seat. But don't worry. This here's a Kangaroo court, and you just made the cut. Your movie rocked, dude, and you should just keep going on like this. Please don't ever change your style, coz whatever you've got goin' on for it, its working for me.
Your latest offering, 7aam Arivu, blew my mind. Your vibes penetrated my skull boiled off the intra - cranial fluid and fired my neurons to an all new sensory level (hence the title of this entry). And here's why :) Wait, there's a why not section too, because questions on opinion should always be why - or - why - not type (CBSE gold standard 101).
Q: Did your latest offering blow my mind? Why or why not?
A1: Your latest offering blew my my mind because:
India:
Being a staunch patriot, anything that shows us in a positive light makes me smile and brings a fuzzy feeling to the base of my ... (this being a wholesome family oriented blog, go watch James May driving a Ferrari 250 GTO on Top Gear to get the rest of it). And you've got it - patriotism - in spades, judging by what you showed us in this movie and in Ramana. God, how many Discovery Channel and NatGeo documentaries on ancient Indian culture have I watched vainly hoping to see the day when a fellow Indian lets us know that the genes we were born with are worth more than the jeans we love to "live in."
Message:
Science is a big deal and superstition sucks. Yeah, yeah, Galileo said it, Gauss said it, Gavaskar said it (not really, but isn't a picture perfect straight drive a science in itself?). But you had Surya say it - say that turmeric is an antibiotic.[Aside: Boy that sentence had too many says and saids in it.]
And as far as desi science goes, why is it that the Native American wolf - man synergy has more media exposure than Sukra's limb attachment surgery techniques or the ZERO for crying out loud? For god's sake, Surya - our G2V yellow dwarf (available in in an exciting range of colors from yellow to orange; specify zip code to get a quote from your friendly local dealer, terms and conditions apply), and incidentally the nice guy in your movie - had dibs on our solar system way before Copernicus stole that idea from us. So, way to go on that advert for Indian science, my friend.
China:
I've only ever loved two things about China ... the Chinese circus when I was a kid and my Chinese friends a little later in life. But you showed me that the Bombay circus is just as good. Honestly, I think we did a better job with the forced sterilization thing; atleast we had the decency to put the kabosh on Sanjay, and our we - two - ours - one slogan makes a much pithier bumper sticket than their if - you - first - born - wins - an - Olympics - gold - you - can - have - another - one! As for communism we were clever enough to bofors out Rajiv from office before he mortgaged all our gold (that was the idea anyway, but the Tigers got to him first!). Seriously, between cornering the junk - for - a - dollar market in the US, selling guns in Africa and stocking up on our steel - who's advising your politburo? Rupert Murdoch?
[Disclaimer: I don't personally believe that the People's Republic would wage bio - warfare (except on their own athletes).]
Surya and Shruthi:
This item had IT. They were awesome together. Surya is one of my favorite actors, and he looks very refined. While we're on the subject of looks, Shruthi Hassan does a commendable job of being the scientist next door. She's cute, but not vampish, and she somehow seems to hold sway in that gray zone for non - six - pack guys between "look at Surya, I want to kill myself :(" and "Hey, maybe she would go out with me :)" That's another kudos to you for showing a heroine as a regular person rather than a size zero supermodel.
I have tremendous respect for Surya for putting himself through the rigours of circus training for this role. He didn't have too many opportunities to showcase his acting talents (what with this being Die Hard meets Vector, and all), but you managed to make him seem like the guy who will bowl you an extra over for gaaji, while at the same time letting you know that you have an extra tire to get rid off. Whatever that last brain - fart meant, his performance was top notch, as always.
ARM, let me tell you something about your choice for female lead. You are one of several (four) directors that actually encourages your heroine to act, and it shows. Shruthi did a wonderful job in this movie. The scene in which one of her friends "Allah ke pyare ho jatha hai" was reminiscent of the time when Kamal's son kicked it in one of those horrible petrol bunk explosions that slay six (RIP Nizhalgal Ravi). Kamal sir, your daughter has the potential to be the best heroine after Saroja Devi (see fun fact below).
[Fun fact: Shruthi Hassan is only the second lead lady in Tamil cienma to dub her own dialogues. Do you know who was the first?]
Although, I must say that being the daughter of Pammal Sambandham, Sakthivel Gounder, Singaravelan et al., I think her Tamil accent would be better served in Thenkasi than on the Thames. Seriously though, she is a multifaceted person and I'm sure that she can hold her own opposite anyone.
Story:
In two words - "a fantastic and original socio - political - economic - family - thriller."
Visuals:
We seem to be getting better and better portraying a world unblemished by the human touch. Not so good with the action sequences yet. We're getting historical locations right, but kinda suck on the physics of acrobatics... Hmmm, why is that? Global warming?
Music:
Knew it was Harris with the Martian interludes in the Ringa song. A word to Harris: dude, I love your music, but you should really consider using more ... er ... um ... oh ... WORDS in your songs!
A2: Your latest offering did not blow my my mind because:
China:
Dude, for a country that runs half the world's economy and practically makes all the shit we use (and has a veto at the UN), why would it resort to bio - wars on potentially its single largest consumer? Not cool! I have Chinese buddies I have to answer to, so cut it out!
Pandemics in India:
From the plague to dengue to malaria to chickungunya to AIDS, India doesn't have a prayer on dealing with pandemics (hell, we needed Mother Teresa AND Steve Waugh just for leprosy, and we still haven't shown that the door!). Maybe, just maybe, show one scene on how to deal with these killer unicellulars on a national level competently for once rather than a nation in peril ... we see that every monsoon anyway.
Dong Lee:
Best hypnotist ever! Nah, this really isn't a why not ... just forgot to put it in the why section. Coolest villain, man. He rocks!
Hitler meets Stalin and they have high tea with Mao:
Seriously, who kills 30 million in 60 days? It took Stalin almost 40 years, Hitler six, and Mao atleast a 100 days. Get real.
Jingoism:
Did you know that the gun has killed more people than cars and dirigibles combined? Stop supporting the Tamil Eelam already. They were a terrorist organization that eschewed the peace process, and they killed Rajiv (see reference above).
Hormones:
Jon Stewart's excellent thesis - Earth: the Book - states that 92% of all the male brain functions are oriented towards sex. Why, oh, why, Mr. ARM did you have to put a romantic dream song just after your protagonists escaped a bloodbath? This may yet be the conlcusive proof needed to authenticate Stewart's claim!
Verdict:
Hollywood in Tamil. Go watch it!!!
