Virumandi

Virumandi is another masterpiece from genuis kamal.The way in which the story has been told is something amazing and very rarely you can see in Indian Cinema leave alone Tamil Cinema. I was very much depressed when films like Anbe Sivam and Hey Ram failed with people but hats off to kamal for his perseverance and hardwork and never giving up attitude to stage a great comeback in Virumandi and scripted a message in Film Industry that realistic and Quality films can also do well in box office. In my opinion currently Kamal is the best in Indian film Industry when it comes to making high quality films.Look at Virumandi - the way in which story being told with flawless screen play, powerful dialogues and aesthetic direction and utilising the technology to a fullest extent. I think his mentor Balachander should be proud of his student.

As an actor he has already proved that he is No 1 in the country and from film Direction point of view he is the process of taking Tamil/Indian cinema to International arena. Probably in years going forward we can witness a range of International awards being confered on this great artist.

The movie is too rooted in the culture of south Tamil Nadu for it to receive universal acclaim. Non-Tamil Speakers, Urban Tamil folks might have serious difficulty understanding the language and culture depicted in the film.

The movie is about a brash, honest, foolish bumpkin who is caught up in the politics of two warring villages. The rivalry between castes, which is a highlight of South Indian politics, has been etched out neatly.

The jail riot scenes remind you of Natural Born Killers vaguely but the jail set, actors and dialogues fit to the T. The capital punishment angle seems a tad bit forced into the movie as the movie doesn't really have anything to do with capital punishment apart from the cameo by a former Indian Judge. That apart, Virumaandi is one of the finest movies to have made it to Indian screens.

The Pros: Brilliant acting, Clever dialogues, Interesting narration, Good Music The Cons: Made for a very niche audience

At a time when cliched tamil/indian movies are being made, one could only Kamal Hassan to come up with something innovative and striking!

What is most exciting is the narrative set-up from two angles, two very different versions of the same story, a crime committed, 24 murders in a village in Tamil Nadu (kamal hassan and pasupathy). The underlying tension throughout this morbid tale is effective. In fact very difficult to make out who is good and evil, till the very end. Fantastic Characterization's.

Excellent photography, background score. Direction by Kamal is first rate, with an interesting screen play.

Regarding performances, pasupathy steals the show, along with Rohini. Abhirami as the main female lead is impressive. Kamal, the actor is not at his best, but makes up enough with his direction.

It falls short of a great movie on account of a poor climax and excessive violence. Not a great movie, but definitely a good one.

Kamalahassan has proved a point with this village based script. Though his acting is not his magnum opus, his direction and screen play skills shines through out the movie.He has done meticulous work in sketching the plot and in small details of the village set. Pasupathy, napolean have done a commendable job. Songs and background score gel well with the story. Slightly inspired by the Hollywood movie "Life of David Gale", the movie stood out as unusual good movie among the clichéd kollywood movies. Abirami has done her role well, adding a pinch of romance to the movie. The gruesome fight scenes though realistic adds a negative attribute to the movie. All in all its an exceptional movie of its time.

The story adapts the screenplay from Akira Kurasowa's Rashomon in an entirely different style. Brilliant performances from Kamal Hassan and Pasupathy elevated the movie. Maestro Ilayaraja's music has been used in perfect. The Climax riots scenes were slightly adapted from Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus. Again used in an excellent way. The bull fight is amazing. Art work needs a real appreciation. Both the sets of village and the central prison are a great piece of work. The movie is simply awesome and a must watch entertainer. Those who interested in making good cinema can learn a lot about film making from this movie. Kamal shines as an actor, director, producer, Lyricist, singer and lot of hidden work. Hail Kamal!!!