Guna

As the summary says, I think this is the best movie from Tamil Cinema. The intricacies displayed in this movie are unparalleled and something never seen in Tamil cinema!! That it comes as no surprise that this movie failed in the BO where junk-commercial movies are only expected to do well(Except in some urban centres where it was raved about, amongst the youth and Kamal Haasan's admirers). The film had since then acquired a cult status among the Tamil movie audience!

The greatest thing about the movie is , as much as for its intricacies which goes uncomprehending for normal viewers, it is equally a simple movie! If you have seen the movie "One flew over the cuckoo's nest", then you will be able to grasp "Guna" better. The screenplay is one of the best to have been written for Tamil Cinema. The out of the world music rendering by Ilaiyaaraja and Kamal Haasan's brilliant poignant acting makes this movie a memorabilia! If this movie doesn't deserve 10/10 then NO Tamil movie does! A must see movie for ANYONE ! Even if you haven't ever seen a Tamil movie then make this the only one. You would get the glimpse of the best of Tamil cinema with THE best technicians of there Kamal Haasan, Ilayaraja, at their finest!

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Of course, it takes a lot to understand the character of Guna in the movie. But it sure was a truly realistic character and Kamal Hassan is at his best in the title role. It is perhaps one of the best movies that describe what pure-love means to a guy who grows up totally devoid of it. The movie delves deep into the psyche of the viewers and the cast is really excellent. Ilayaraja's score and BGM add to the excellence of this movie. Not recommended for those who prefer the usual masala-junk seen in most of Indian movies. No wonder, it wasn't a hit among the tested-formula-preferring-mass of tamil audience. But I for sure have seen this movie over 10 times and this movie has stayed in my mind as one of THE GREATEST movies. Make sure you watch it coz, we don't get movies like these any more !!!

From the one shot with which the movie begins, the one thing that kinda haunted me throughout the movie was how this really needs a restoration instead of this old capture for the VHS that doesn't do any justice to the technical mastery of this movie. The cinematography is outstanding with the use of so many long oners and other clever usage of shots which accentuates the themes as well as Kamal Haasan's brilliant performance.

The film also seems to be highly influential in Indian cinema as I can see the influence in films of various languages. Although, there are aspects I'm not too fond of it too.

Way too many people seemed to have interpretations that are closer to the trend of films this started where psychotic love was glorified. Here, they have tried to show how even the girl is broken inside, a bit like Alia in Highway but not that explicit. Gunaa's love is pure but that isn't pure love as many like to interpret it. The divine metaphors or Gunaa's delusions are there because of how the world treats people but at the same time, the film is also clear about not giving those delusions legitimacy. The existence of these thoughts itself is clearly shown as deliberate poisoning of his simpler mind. The film has some confusion here to confirm his victimhood or divinity because it wants to be both. But even with that, it was a pretty incredible film that tried to do a lot of things within its framework.

A flawless movie made in Tamil. Guna has nice twists and turns. Good pace. Strange events. The best Tamil movie recommended for non-Tamils too! Songs are great. Kanmani song was very creative, yet possible in real life. Unnai Naan Ariven was excellent in blending of diverse spots. Notice the little make up Rekha does just before entering a room for a customer – very real – attention to details! At the beginning of Paartha Vizhi – observe the sway in the queue. Songs are not just cut and paste bits. They all blended very nicely with the story flow. Guna is one of Ilayaraja's master pieces! Do we need to say anything more about the music? Just listen to all songs again and again and again….

Kamalahasan and everybody else acted wonderfully. Kamalahasan contributed much in this movie making along with director Santhana Barathi. Both deserve high appreciation. When the plot moves from the congested place somewhere in Hyderabad to hillside somewhere else, you could really feel the change of climate. When I watched this movie in a theater I almost felt like suddenly breathing fresh chill air then (may be the theater guys lowered the temperature or turned on the fans?). The handling by the police force during the climax is very real. You could expect similar things in real police adventures too.

Some may say that this movie cannot claim originality of the plot. As a matter of fact I did exactly have that same thought, what Guna had, when I was growing up – waiting for my dream girl. Many would have. It is simple common dream many boys and girls have, nothing new for a movie. But how the story portrayed makes all the difference.

This was not a hit movie, may not be appealing to everybody. However, if you watch it, with little extra attention to details and a feeling for people who are not very regular, you will really enjoy this movie.

Remember everybody is mad in this world. Mad about something or other. Among ourselves we brand only few as "mad". What kind of mad people we are!

Gunaa (1991) : Brief Review -

Gunaa may have an Outlook of Psychological disorder and abnormality but from Inside it's very Intellectual and absolutely Normal. Kamal Haasan deserves more hype for this Classic. In technical words, Gunaah is a psychological Romantic tragedy but one has to understand what this film actually teaches to normal people by being abnormal itself. Recently i have used these words abnormality and normality for two outstanding films, one is Bollywood movie 'Ahaan' and second one is Korean Masterpiece 'Miracle In Cell No. 7' (you can take it as informal recomendations) and now i came across this film 'Gunaa' which was made exactly 2 decades ago. So, i have to loud for its path-breaking timing and how sensibly it deal with the subject needs even louder praise. A neurodivergent individual escapes the family he despises and the asylum he is kept in by creating fantasies to marry his dreamgirl. The following events shows us that how this highly educated normal girl falls in love with this abnormal guy and then how the so called normal people around them causes them hurt. There are many scenes in this film which i wll keep with me forever. This kidnapping formula is old, it doesn't offer anything great but the character's point of view and the perspective it offers are the two things which makes it special and different from other romantic films. It is still very much predictable film with few fantasy theories co-incidentally or intentionally completed by reality. Believe me, that's some DRAMA to watch. Kamal Haasan as Guna is extraordinary. I would take this one directly into his Top 10 performances and perhaps even in Top 5. It's better than his many other popular ones and deserves same hype, No, more hype actually. Well done Santhana Bharathi and the entire team of Gunaa. I hope our so called Sane society understand this film.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.