by muralimargassery

Charlie: a bohemian pushes you through the state of ‘vagueness’

The new released Malayalam movie ‘Charlie’ directed by Martin Prakkat receives a wide appreciation and huge applause for its framework, which gently fits into the new-Gen ‘spectator-cloud’ rising now and forever. In a way certain popular films are abided with age or ‘influential years’ are underlining the point where “The search for parallel/unconventional life has no longer effective rather, appears withheld concerned to Malayali youth from the very celebrated tolerance of ‘political anarchy’ during 70’s and 80’s.”
Let’s focus only the film now, the way of storytelling wasn’t dull, instead poetic; frames are glossy; costumes are lusty and narrative is well swayed despite any bothering about class and gender values. The fragrance of being ‘humane’ has effectively transferred from one to another. The leading protagonist named ‘Charlie’ (Dulquer Salman) played the role of a Bohemian, who leads an unconventional social life. No matter or what, the movie is keeping your ‘ass’ warm in an order to explore new and vibrant things in life; Which makes life more meaningful (in their definition).
But I observe, the movie silently or unknowingly admits its own inability to illustrate the “state of ‘anti-establishment’ can always dig a path to make one’s life political other than ‘petty’.”

The reason which I am bringing the argument here is “more often the visual sequences in the movie showcased the tendency to ‘look into the past’ (life) of characters and instances from the perspective of a humble present (signifies the ‘state of joy’). In real-time (outside the silver screen), this fancy way of approaching things might overhaul the positive actions/re-actions towards any occurring of tensions in the ‘present’ rather keep it aside and look right over from a more comfortable upcoming occasion; in other words it transforms you reluctant either apolitical.
Let’s take some example to amplify the statement above.
Sequence 1:
The female protagonist named ‘Tessa‘ (Parvathy) strives her search about the person (Charlie) who lived in the (old) apartment house before her arrival. If you can re-collect the visual sequence of the scene; she starts exploring about him with utmost excitement and curiosity after browsing a graphic story written by him. The story discharged immense suspense regarding one of his past incidents.
Continues ‘tight’ shots of a graphical image ‘thief’ (indicates: looking into the dark and pointing out something valuable); empty portions behind the pages of graphic story (signifies: two sides are demanding to speak, but there is only one visible so far); the emotions of the reader (means: ultimate curiosity generated in viewers); background score (BGM) sharp ‘cuts’ is also leading the narrative in a more effective manner.
We can have a same sort of visual reading in every case, but wishing to opt out!
Sequence 2:
The graphic story ends while the leading protagonist and supporting character looking into a house over the roof, where the camera was also entered inside from ‘top’ (means: looking into something more curiously and the object found bit inferior).
Later the story also takes to the past life of a person whom they found inside.
Sequence 3:
The leading character in the movie celebrated his birthday by publishing own ‘obituary’ in the newspaper apparently declares his inner thirst to deliberately authorize his attachment towards the people he mingles with. He discovers everybody loves him a lot.
The repeating habit of ‘selfie’ substantiates it (even at the end of the movie, it shows the potency in holistic).
Sequence 4:
The character ‘Tessa’ later re-discovers/recollecting/identifying the actions took place in a lodge, where her meeting with ‘Charlie’ went unsuccessful.
Sequence 5:
The women, who was pulling a tragic life with HIV infection gets an opportunity celebrates her birthday with ‘Charlie’ in a boat at late midnight with the happiness of the moment. Her life story (disastrous) was later told by ‘Charlie’ to another supporting actor.
Sequence 6:
Kunjappan, the role handled by ‘Nedumudu Venu’ was running an old age home, where ‘Charlie’ used to be an occasional visitor. The character was so depressed due to his loss of love in teenage, those past stories gleams when he meets his old girlfriend in the old age. Obviously the instance was made by the character ‘Charlie’.
Now, I want the people to argue that “There are movies made with much flashback narrative (or looking into the past, at least visiting or revisiting the past), and it has been political at its best way.” The classics such as ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Rashamon’ and ‘Psycho’ were made with such manner of ‘storytelling’. Now, those films taking its pursuit into the past are with the intense pressure of conflict created by the present.

In Rashamon, the same incident was discussed and narrated by men in multiple angles. In the real sense also the filmmaker Kurosova takes us into the ‘confusing circumstance’ where decision of withdrawal from the World War was made by Japan authorities after sequences of atom bomb blasts in the country.

In Citizen Kane, the last word Kane uttered before his death ‘rosebud’ creates tension in the present and director ‘Orson Wells’ leading the spectator into the past life of Kane.
In Psycho, the viewer faces a serious challenge to find reasons for the actions of ‘elder woman’ as well as a serious doubt created by ‘Norman Bates’ with his behavior. This intersects the conflict pressure of real-time with the past incidents.
Aren’t we learned the fact that the sense of ‘politics or rebellion’ will happen to meet an individual only his/her conditions faces challenge as well as conflict with present or the immense pressure given by the past life?
In that context the movie ‘Charlie’ forcing us to be uninvolved and reluctant throughout its narrative till the end, where all of us are forced to walk out of the screening room by thinking ‘Charlie’ is there to look after every known tensions. Our role is just to draw ‘applause’ for him.
Now, what if the movie winds up with a permanent absence of the leading character?
Okay, it’s a time for not to involve much in the artistic freedom.
The movie ‘Charlie’ keeping you as a leech in the seat of the darkroom and asked you to walkout as an irresponsible, disoriented, reluctant and apolitical consumer of the mainstream cinema. But I certainly appreciate the selection of ‘Cultural gathering’ at the very end, where everything was pointed out specific later dragged into the crowd and acted uniformly for the moment.

Holy or unholy, whatever you take it!

PS: Appreciate the overall effort and crew members.

– Murali Margassery

09.25.13

by muralimargassery

Man-nature conflict, with an additional warning

Diversification as well as insertion of social values into themes, furnishes the classy outlook to all released assignments of MT Vasudevan Nair – Hariharan team in Malayalam film industry. Their films always obtain immense attention among the viewers and co-film makers even the neighbor film circles since the ‘Golder-era’ of Malayalam cinema (1980 – 90). Panjagni, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Parinayam, Amritam Gamaya are some of their notable outcomes.

Pazhassiraja was the one movie got fair attention from the viewers but less feedback from the ‘box office’ (according to the industry dialogue).

Let’s talk about their recent work, ‘EZHAMATHE VARAVU’ relea

sed few days back; Just after few hours of watching the movie, I wish to state “The movie tells about the man-nature conflict and it warns at the end, the reaction of nature may become a beating over the territory, which keeps the things down inside the soil forever.”

Movie begins with the ‘top-angle static shot’ of a water pond and it trembles by the entry of an unknown. The unknown will be recognized by now by its roaring. Here the camera moves unbalanced into the deep rain-forest and it ends by a ‘circle pan’ shot. Now the viewer would get the clear idea about the geographical location of the story. The movie ends with a ‘circle pan’ shot and there is a message OR meaning OR advice is being given by the story teller as well as film maker.

Story line: Dr. Prasad (Vineeth), an archeologist arrives to Waynad woods to dig and unearth the available deposits of Chera Kingdom, which might relay under the soil since a thousand year. He meets Gopinath (Indrajith) a wealthy planter of the region and his wife (Bhanu). Nagu works as the guard of an estate bungalow and his daughter Mala jointly helps Dr. Prasad to gain the comfortable accommodation at bungalow owned by planter Gopinath.

Dr. Prasad digs and finds new evidence to substantiate the existence of the Chera dynasty. He ensures somewhat pleasure at the lap of the forest and grip to its love of musical symphony. The inhabitants, their life, art and beliefs slightly enter into the lonely life of the young man. The story gets a new phase when a Nari (tiger) visits the settlement of inhabitants and seizes women in continues days. The conflict of the story begins here till the death of _______ (What? that I could not reveal right now here, because I want you to rush into the theatre to watch).

bhavana-indrajith-and-vineeth-stills-15912

_____________________________________________

Man-nature conflict has been discussing through the movies, stories, drama and other form of arts but it never reduce the value or need of another talk. The tiger had been a symbol of a rigid reaction of nature against of human or his acts. How the fear accumulates to the eyes of human after facing cruelty is excellently drafted in the scenes of the movie. In the movie, the tiger targets only women, what it means to us. “Women is the idol of reproductive system,” Right? In India, we tie all the reproductive matter/objects/stuffs into the women name. Here we could really fetch the essence of values combined with the movie.

The ‘Adivasis’ of the forest believes that the tiger is the ghost of an old man and it stops hunting the women only at the number ‘7’. The hunting of women by the wild continued every day in various instances. One may happen at mid night, the next would be at twilight. The hunting reaches to ‘6’ people keeps away from the forest due to fear of life, but some of them seriously waiting for the tiger’s 7th arrival (EZHAMATHE VARAVU). Who are they? (Now you can’t move away without watching the climax).

This movie was adopted from an unreleased movie ‘EVIDEYO ORU SHTHRU’ by the same creators, but did not release that day by un-luck. Since it is an old story, everybody think there might be a romance. Yes, it is there, but I wontedly skip it from writing for no reason.

In my personal opinion it is a wonderful movie, must be watched by everyone.

Regards,

Murali Margassery

muralimargassery@hotmail.com

06.15.13

by muralimargassery

War and Peace, Which one you will opt?

‘War and Peace’, for me it was not just a documentary film, instead it acted as a podium for an non-ending discussion beyond the boundary of culture, language, class, sex and it could cross all the geographical restrictions also. ‘War and Peace’ had done by ‘Anand Patwardhan’, the famous documentary film maker of India. He became the creator of a set of sensational documentary films. Ram ke naam (in the name of god), Jai Bheem comrade are few among them.

Watching a documentary is entirely different for an individual viewer and community audiences while comparing to Films. The major difference between these two is ‘real content and artificial content’. In a cinema the film maker do an effective homework to make things available in his frames, none of the object will be allowed to float inside the frames without his / her permission! But in the documentary film making the whole idea is different, every single incident or an object, if it has got a serious face then it will definitely captured in the camera, also keeps as an essential tool in the sensible documentary film making. Anand Patwardhan is the very gifted documentary film maker in that sense. He use all the small pieces of the visuals efficiently in his films (own perception of the writer).

‘War and Peace’ starts with the narration of an incident took place in 1948, which was ‘Gandhiji’s Assassination’. The director narrated himself since the very beginning. He made The relation between the visuals, voiceover and his stand is clear in the docu in the beginning itself, he starts “Gandhiji was assassinated two years before I was born, and the grief of this moment never really went away, unconsciously transmitted through the love of parents and family, that our family like Nathuram Godse and his co assassins were upper caste Hindus cured me forever of any narrow understanding of nation.” Hindu nationalist organizations like Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh were banned soon after the incident took place, because Godse was nested in RSS’. The visuals played above the voice over, ‘Gandhiji’s body takes into the flames, ‘Agni’ received with the presence of the enormous crowd’ , as a very normal viewer felt a crucial pain inside the heart while watching it.

Gandhi was a man, who kept try to pour the peace and happiness throughout his life into the lives of the common men of this nation, and sacrificed his whole life for the same. Nobody expected his life will reach to an end by the mainstream Hindu violence;

The documentary takes diversion from here. It starts explaining about the nuclear bomb attack of US in Nagasakki and Hiroshima.

– Just after the World War – II, most of the countries started believing that they will be powerful only if they clutch nuclear bombs in their lap, This thought guided Ruling Congress govt in 1974 and the BJP govt in 1998 to push India to the chair of ‘nation with nuclear power’ (Pramod Mahajan’s speech elaborates about this in the documentary late r)

The documentary discuss about India’s first step to become the nuclear power nation. In 18 May 1974, the day of Buddha Jayati, India’s autocratic ruler as well as Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi took an initiative of the nuclear detonation in Pokhran (Pokhran I). The responsibility of detonation is handled by the Indian Army in their test range. The ruling BJP govt made 2nd initiative for detonation in the same place as Pokhran II — Cylindrical Underground Nuclear bomb, both of these parties leaders never forget the contribution of Dr. Raja Ramana, a nuclear scientist for setting up something like this confidentially as a leader.

India done the Pokhran II experiment on 13 May 1998 and Prime Minister AB Vajpayee’s state level announcement followed “greatly successful and India become the full-fledged nuclear state”, there were agitations begun inside and outside the country. India was not serious about the nuclear strength till the end of India-Pakistan war – 1971. Earlier there were discussions initiated by the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with USSR, but it could ever reach the target till 1974. The sad part is that the first experiment mission they have conducted on the date of Buddha Jayanti and named the secret mission as “Smile of Buddha,” Buddha was the person who brought the people into the light of peace and purity, how can Buddha able to smile if his people believes that the strength is something related to the nuclear power.? Who gave the permission for them to use fame of a Historical / Religious figure for such an idiotic action?

The oligarchy may controlled by the Congress family but not this biggest nation’s culture and people. The term usage has become controversial and protests arise against it.

Against the strong and continues agitations in1998, the BJP government worked out a promotional video on Indian Military and its strength with newly made nuclear bomb. Something can pour national emotion on the innocent minds.

After the initial discussion, the documentary film maker brings us to the path of Pokhran and to the places near the ‘nuclear test zone’ (Pokhran I and II); all must know that this place was chosen by the Indian Military already as a firing range. There is a poor village just 15Kms far from the Pokhran test site, Anand Patwardhan could drafts a clear diagram between his camera and the viewer, which extends the discussion into the issues facing by the people due to the recent nuclear tests. When the state detonate the bomb the whole villagers were watching it – they hear the noise and saw the smog accumulation, but they did not know how much crucial of its after effect. There were 14 people had a direct interaction with the test or we say the cancer disease find an easy reach to the 14 poor villagers. Government never sit idle, they send a special medical team and convinced the poor people and said “It’s not because of the nuclear explosion.”

Now the state got the power, what if the poor villagers lost it?

The documentary leads you from the village to other parts of the country and into Pakistan as well. There were mixed reactions arises from the people. Some people of the country thought “Wouldn’t it offer a little confidence when your nation proves its power” But it cannot reduce your fear rather accumulate mre fear and anxiety, when you hear that your neighbor country also became powerful with the nuclear bombs how can your confidence will balance? The history proved that all the bombs which used or placed above the poor people. It never misplaced just above the heads of the authorities or political ideologists, who might plan for the creation of such items.

The documentary captures visuals from our neighboring nation Pakistan, and it shows the artists as well as activists who works for the peace between these two nations. The road and transport relations between India and Pakistan had to close for such a long time after India’s Pokhran II experiment. In India the peaceful agitation begun in the anniversary day of Pokran test, it was a rally to cover 100s of villages with walk of 1500Kms. They collected signatures from the villages against nuclear bombs. But the local BJP activists and leaders blocked them at the entrance of Pokhran. There were a clever game BJP and Sangh Privar played in that climate, they usually misunderstand the poor people of the nation to win on the vote-bank politics. Injecton of communal poison in the hearts of innocent people is the strategy they found and used from the history till now. In another documentary named ‘Ram ke naam’ done by Anand Patwardan is deeply discussed about the making of communal violence for vote-bank politics and just before the Babary Masjid Demolition by Kar Sevaks. Rakesh Sharma’s Final Solution is another good example. AB Vajpayee become the Atom Bomb Vajpeyee for the BJP and crew, now he is not there under the light but shadow– that is another politics, need not have to discuss here. These peace protesters asked to go to Pakistan by the BJP-Sangh cohorts.

What was the result of the whole? That clearly explained in the documentary. Pakistan crossed the line of control (LoC) at Kashmir and another India-Pak war opened after 1974. 100s of Indian soldiers lost their lives while flushing them back. Somewhere we felt the dangerous situation come face to face for exchange nuclear bombs. Like how Patwardhan explained “every war is just a war and every enemy devil in calm night”. The television brought out the war visuals into our living room, and we understood the depth of every visual and the crying of war affected people. The snow filled ‘tiger hills’ of Kashmir filled with smog made by Rajive’s Bofors guns. “The war has brought death to many for a few it brings fresh opportunity. The BJP national politicians met a good opportunity for the next general elections and Indian corporate companies accumulated a large amount of money from special ‘War advertisements and special live programs’. Of course NDTV Journalist Burka Dutt awarded much better journalistic popularity from her war coverage.

What Congress received from Gandhi’s saying and What BJP-Sangh Parivar cohorts received from the India’s Culture are balanced. And we felt both political outfits are vicious on the people!

Now I shall ask you, War and Peace, Which one you will opt?

– Murali Margassery

muralimargassery@hotmail.com

04.15.13

by muralimargassery

Amen: Magical Realism stands in opposition to the Syrian Christian orthodox social arrangement

The movie ‘Amen’ must be considered as a brilliant attempt of the Director Lijo Jose Pellisseri, Script writer PS Rafeeque and Producer Fareed Khan, and I felt those people had the genuine caliber to approach cinema very seriously. Recently the movie ‘Life of Pi’ come up with the concept of Magical Realism, it gave focus to ‘Belief system, love, human-nature relationship, etc.’, but the movie ‘Amen’ discussed about social fragmentations and hardcore reality. The podium of the movie is the church controlled Syrian Christian village and it’s innocent people. The autocratic church set-up believes that every people of the village should continue their life under the shadow of church driven orthodoxy. Moreover the Village Kumaramkari’s and its forefathers took ‘band music’ as its soul for a long time and ‘Gee Vargese Band’ team is being sponsored by the church in recent years. But the constant failure of band team in various competitions Made struggle for the people who live with it. One more struggle happens in parallel, outside the boundary of the band team. The clarinet player Solomon (-Fahad Faazil Presented the character- Son of the renowned clarinet player esthappan, who is no more) finds difficulties to get along with his graced talent of clarinet playing. He is chucked out of the church band, because he unable to play the clarinet before the public except his lover Sosanna (Swathi Reddy). These parallel struggle moves till the end in a common pace and both overcome the problems in the end as well.

“Social system needs to be developed from the scratch that is something what educated through the movie. In Indian socio-cultural system, the religion and cast never become old but their thoughts will definitely. The democratic freedom will never be agreed inside the structure. The two well-known religious practices such as Christianity and Islamism has its own richness with its social commitment, at the same time Huge amount of conservatives is stuck on it. Those who believe the Hinduism is a religion, who is also conservatives. Within this fragmented social setup, making a movie like ‘Amen’ is real courage.”

The movie begins with a historic mysterious storytelling about the popular devoted legend Saint Geevarghese Kumaramkari, who made an appearance before Tipu Sultan, when he and his military trying to control the church during Tipu’s monarchial ruling.

Let’s break The move into few pieces and continues the analysis:

ü Kumaramkari’s Church

ü Fr. Francis Vattoli

ü Love and Innocence of the people

All these three pieces are different parts of the story and they are Interconnected in terms of Music – What I meant is Band Music. We detailed the political set up of the Kumaramkari church, but it is really valuable in the minds of the poor people. They need a place to get together; and we could see the pain and the crying of the people when the Priest Fr. Ottaplacken (Joy Mathew) decided to demolish and re-build the church. In some particular part of the Movie the whole society has needed someone to support and protect the social harmony. ‘Innocent people pray god in the struggle period’ – A young priest named Fr. Francis Vattoli (Indrajith) entered into the story – His thoughts, Perception of life, vision of society, and even understanding of the bible is entirely different from others but his heart driven by the peace and love. Fr. Vattoli never found difficulty to reach into the hearts of the common man of the village. He gets close to Solomon initially and to the French woman Michelle (Natasha Sahgal) also. Fr. Vattoli presented himself as a young gentleman and danced with Michelle at boat in their first meeting. After few meetings Fr. Vattoli become a splendid icon to Michelle, she might grow her love above the priest – seems a conventional attempt of the film-maker. Fr. Vattoli maintained a friendly relation with Michelle and he left to be a rebel into the diseased social system. (More part of the story reaches you when you watch the movie)

In the climax the Solomon led the Gee Vargese Band team and offers a magnificent success to the team from the constant failure strategy. Now the new priest Fr. Francis Vattoli will send to the Kumaramkari church to take the charge and he appears in the scene, kind of mind transitions also happens in a few people in the rural community.

Finally you will be asked by yourself, “Is the total village is a magical world? Who was the priest who appeared already?”

This Musical film has definitely generated an amazing mood for the viewers; the cinematographer Abinandhan Ramanujam’s work is real admirable. Frames (especially Sosanna’s room window) and many Camera movements violated all the conventional rules and did a lot of experiment to accumulate the real beauty in every sequence. The motion pace of the shots are also seems experimental – slow moves, jerked frames, zig-zag zoom outs – all supported well for the totality.My favorite scene in the Movie: Fr. Francis Vattoli helps Solomon and Sosanna to escape from the village on the of a church fest. Both were performing the cultural tablos in the occasion, and they try to escape from these by switching lights off. Solomon was in the costume of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately both of them caught by the relatives and Solomon beaten very badly. That scene draws symbolic into my mind and it seems how Christ badly treated before crucifixion. The shots and music provided an extra-ordinary feel in the right sequence

All must watch it and add comments here.

– Murali Margassery muralimargassery@hotmail.com