Kandukondain Kandukondain

That Jane Austen's novel "Sense and Sensibility" is a terrific piece of literature goes without saying. Ang Lee adapted Austen's story for his film of the same name. The film won Lee accolades for his ability to portray the relationships that Austen weaves with finesse. Seven seas across from Hollywood, Indian filmmaker "whizkid" Rajiv Menon has created a second, and an even better visual adaptation of Austen's book. "Kandukondain Kandukondain" is simply an enthralling and enchanting adaptation of a great piece of literature.

While he borrows the basic plotline from Austen's novel, Menon changes and adds to numerous portions of the story. Setting it in contemporary, modern Indian society, Menon gives the film a more identifiable and consumable quality than Lee's version. The principal characters of the two sisters, played by Tabu and Aishwarya Rai are a notable diversion from the conventional nature of female characters in Indian cinema. These are strong, determined, and capable women. Unlike the norm of female characters in many Indian films, these women do not have an obsession with love. It is just an integral part of their life which the film focusses on. Rajiv Menon's ability to handle the relationship between the characters of the two sisters and the men who come into their lives and leave, is highly impressive. While Ang Lee did a commendable job in his treatment of the relationships, one could not identify or even feel for the character because the nature and society in which they were set were too distant. In "Kandukondain Kandukondain," the characters are real. They are one of us, we are one of them.

Menon has added a lot more material to the plot in order to increase the film's saleability. However, what sets this film as a class apart is the fact that the addition of "masala" as Indian film industry auteurs like to say it, does not interfere with the artistry of the film. Menon uses the conventional technique of mass-hybridization and creates an amazingly entertaining, yet fulfilling, "feel-good" film.

A.R. Rahman, the musical genius, adorns Menon's film with some exceptional music. The songs are simply wonderful with Vairamuthu's lyrics drawing inspiration from the poems of Bharathi, perhaps one of the most prominent personalities in the history of Tamil literature. Bharathi's poems also form an intricate link in the story that is used as a catalyst to build relationships. This artistic, and poetic feel is something that not only Lee's adaptation lacked, but even the original work by Austen.

The cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran is breathtaking. The extensive use of color stands out, but never gets too loud to be replusive. The color combinations are very pleasant and used effectively to create meaning within every shot of the film. The sets during songs like "Kannamoochie" seem to involve numerous characteristics of modern three dimensional abstract art. The remaining songs are picturized on locations in 70 MM CINEMASCOPE from the rice fields and waterfalls of South India to the pyramids of Egypt and the castles of Scotland.

The film boasts exceptional performances from both Tabu and Aishwarya Rai. Mammootty is the pick of the lot with his highly sensitive, and underplayed performance as Major Bala. Ajit, Manivannan, and Srividya are very competent. On the whole, "Kandukondain Kandukondain" is a masterpiece of Indian cinema because of its ability to wholesomely entertain with a lot of intelligence, sense, and sensibility.

I liked this movie a lot - the characters were engrossing & the music wonderful. But.. and it's a big one, the DVD version that I saw is horribly subtitled. The sentence structure is garbled, words are misspelled and worst of all the subtitles flash by on the screen and sometimes cannot be read even with the speed set at slow plus often times they are way behind the action on the screen. It's really a shame because it is a contemporary & culturally interesting adaptation of Sense & Sensibilty if you can see your way clear of the subtitles. This is actually one time I would have preferred a dubbed version. Perhaps with the success of Bride and Prejudice someone will see fit to release this movie with the subtitles it deserves.

Indian movies are unlike any other movies I have ever seen--and I've seen a lot of foreign films! I was initially surprised to see some very odd clichés--even in a drama like this reworking of Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility the actors periodically break into MTV-like music video songs! The first couple times, this movie really surprised me--as out of no where, groups of dancers magically appeared and the main characters suddenly appeared in such diverse locales as Scotland and Egypt! However, once I got past the oddness of this and the music, I found I actually liked the musical numbers--they were strangely endearing.

But, the best thing about this story was the script. It started off weird--with a group of Indian soldiers being ambushed while on a peace-keeping mission. I certainly did NOT remember that when I read the book!! Try to look past this and the singing and you will find a very vibrant script with characters you really care about and that will touch your heart. I found myself getting quite misty-eyed near the movie's conclusion!

I came to this film with the background of having watched and thoroughly Bride & Prejudice, and having not read Austen's Sense & Sensibility. (I did re-read P& P after watching B&P and enjoyed the contrast.) I was intrigued to see a "real" Indian movie, since Bride & Prejudice is by its own admission a blend of Bollywood and Hollywood. When I read the reviews of I Have Found It on Amazon, I was intrigued by comments about the difference between Tamil movies such as this and Bollywood musicals. With that and of course Aishwarya Rai to attract me to this film, I was expecting something good, and I was very much rewarded. I have the Kino DVD which has good subtitles. I particularly liked Major Bala--my hat's off to Mammootty for his portrayal of a man torn between love and the fear of pity. He is the steady center-point while the rest of the characters whirl tumultuously around. In addition to funny scenes, as when Manohar meets Sowmya, there are many funny comments (e.g., about the necessary elements of Tamil films) and visuals (e.g., the opening shot of a waterfall that seems so romantic but turns into a military scene). Probably a lot more if you know India and its film industry. The songs do manage to convey some of the story and not just stop the speeding train (another of Menon's comments on Tamil films), especially my favorite in which Meenu laments losing her poetry. This is a film one can enjoy over and over.

Having watched Bride and Prejudice and being an Austen fan, I was more than curious to see how this adaptation of Sense and Sensibility would turn out. What a treat! This film takes the basic plot line of two sister's and their journey with love. There is an older sister who longs for love, yet puts family above her own needs, and the younger one, who nearly misses true love because of her inability to see past her romanticized ideas. The opening battle scenes are definitely not Austen, and neither are all the MTVized song and dance numbers. BUT, that's what makes this movie a unique screen experience. It's the blending of Western and Eastern ideas of a universal plot: love lost and love regained. There is comedy, romance, even action in this one. We are becoming definite fans of Bollywood films. They bring a new twist to the old Hollywood musicals of yesteryear, and subtitles don't get in the way of the entertainment. Very colorful, fun, and even enchanting.