Rarely comes a movie about the tinsel world that takes potshot on its fellow-mates in a satirical humour way. Very few dares to do it because it is like throwing stone from a glass house. Writer & actor Srinivasan has succeeded in making a movie running down his colleagues yet walking away with accolades from them. The title says "All characters in this movie are fictional. Any resemblence is a co-incidence" but as the incidents unfold you could relate it with which you know and had read about…. like Meera Jasmine, Sita, Manju Warrier and star tantarums we had read a lot. This is all the recent super-hit "Udhayanannu Thaaram" (Udhayan is the star) from Kerala is about.
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The movie, set in Kodambakkam, revolves around three main protagonists Udhayan (Mohanlal), an aspiring director trying his luck for 12 years, Madhumathi (Meena) top heroine & an ardent lover of cinema who insists on good scripts alone and having a troubled relationship with her family, (reminding Meera Jasmine sometimes), sharing a mentor relationship with Udhayan, and Rajappan (Srinivasan) a wannabe star with below average looks inspired by Vijayakanth & Rajinikanth. One fine day Srinivasan steals the screen play of Mohanlal and becomes an overnight sensation. Meanwhile Meena elopes with Mohanlal. The industry blames him for curtailing her hot 'n' happening career and Mohanlal finds it difficult to cope up with the pressure of a star's husband. They part their ways and fate brings Srinivasan and Mohanlal together for a movie and a series of funny incidents take place. Cunning Saroj Kumar tries to teach Udhayan a lesson by giving him tortures in the film sets. How Mohanlal becomes a top director taming Srinivasan forms the climax.
The best part of the movie is its racy script. It shifts from comedy to serious and then to comedy with ease without straining you. Even though it had ample scope to make a stand-alone comedy, Srinivasan deftly handles it topping with all emotions making a wholesome entertainer. It takes a look at the darker side of struggling wannabe directors and ego clashes of star couples, how compromises between commercial and creativity are made, and pains that comes along with plagiarism, that strikes you hard yet not in a depressing manner. It was told in a totally natural and compelling manner that you feel like peeping into the life of a director without his knowledge. But before we come to a conclusion that it will become a classic, there comes a series of cinematic sequences of taming Srinivasan to complete the movie. Let us forgive these peccadilloes as this is a honest effort to give good cinema.
The movie takes potshots at every one of Malayalam film industry and touching Tamil industry then and there, never mind how big they are. Starting from Mamooty for his passion towards sun glasses and stern looks, inability to dance and romance, it touches MGR then and there. However I feel the target is Dileep. Mohanlal calls for saving the Malayalam film industry from the clutches of mimicry artistes who churn out crass comedies at an alarming rate. Even a kid knows whom he is referring to…..none other than Dileep. In the movie Rajappan changes his name from wild Rajappan to suave Saroj Kumar. Remember a small time assistant director Gopalakrishnan Pillai rechristined himsef as Dileep and went on to become a superstar. To make the innundoes clear, he names Saroj Kumar's hit movie as Dosha Raghavan, reminding "Meesha Madhavan" that catapulted Dileep to Stardom.
The best part of the movie is its racy script. It shifts from comedy to serious and then to comedy with ease without straining you. Even though it had ample scope to make a stand-alone comedy, Srinivasan deftly handles it topping with all emotions making a wholesome entertainer. It takes a look at the darker side of struggling wannabe directors and ego clashes of star couples, how compromises between commercial and creativity are made, and pains that comes along with plagiarism, that strikes you hard yet not in a depressing manner. It was told in a totally natural and compelling manner that you feel like peeping into the life of a director without his knowledge. But before we come to a conclusion that it will become a classic, there comes a series of cinematic sequences of taming Srinivasan to complete the movie. Let us forgive these peccadilloes as this is a honest effort to give good cinema.
The movie takes potshots at every one of Malayalam film industry and touching Tamil industry then and there, never mind how big they are. Starting from Mamooty for his passion towards sun glasses and stern looks, inability to dance and romance, it touches MGR then and there. However I feel the target is Dileep. Mohanlal calls for saving the Malayalam film industry from the clutches of mimicry artistes who churn out crass comedies at an alarming rate. Even a kid knows whom he is referring to…..none other than Dileep. In the movie Rajappan changes his name from wild Rajappan to suave Saroj Kumar. Remember a small time assistant director Gopalakrishnan Pillai rechristined himsef as Dileep and went on to become a superstar. To make the innundoes clear, he names Saroj Kumar's hit movie as Dosha Raghavan, reminding "Meesha Madhavan" that catapulted Dileep to Stardom.Page 2
When Meena's father bursts out "Whenever a new girls rises to top, some assistant director or small time actor elopes with her and curtails her career. This is the curse of Malayalam cinema". Again the references are towards Dileep who thwarted Manju Warrier's career by marrying her when he was a non-entity while she was a demi goddess of Malayalam movies. It goes for Biju Menon and Samyukta Varma too.
In this process Mohanlal didn't spare himself too. Once becoming successful, Saroj kumar starts exporting Parathas and Appalams to Gulf with his face on the covers. Mohanlal does the same with "Mohanlal's Tastebuds". Saroj prefers to don home productions only when his market is in full swing just like Mohanlal does with his secretary. Even the secretary of Saroj Kumar is a reminiscent of Mohanlal's man-Friday Antony Perumbhavoor.
However the best comical sequences are with Srinivasan and Jagathi Srikumar, where the latter grooms the former and training for "Navarasas". The tantarums Jagathy and Srinivasan throws are not only comical but also shows the problems directors and producers face with stars.
Mohanlal provides a refreshing change from his larger-than-life routines, in "Narasimham" & "Natturajavu" and other eminently forgettable movies, by playing a loser and down-to-earth person. He is the only actor we can think of who can play the role of a loser gracefully. Others would have made it gloomy but Mohanlal performs it with a style. Hope he chooses to play the roles which audiences can easily identify and relate with. His timing for comedy is perfect and swings to emotional scenes with ease.
Meena… Is this the same Meena we have been seeing in mediocre movies in Tamil. She looks stunning and 'ek dum' fresh in this movie. Even though she doesn’t have great histronics to carry off, she gives a dignity to the role of mentally tormented actress she is playing. Infact she has lesser dialogues and her eyes speak volumes than words. As said earlier her role reminds of Meera Jasmine sometimes.
The performance will be incomplete if we didn't laud the writer-actor Srinivasan for his commendable performance as 'Super Star' Saroj Kumar. Even though Mohanlal is playing the title role, it is Srinivasan who walks away with best of scenes and dialogues. At the end of the movie you can't help wondering who is the real "thaaram" (Star) - Mohanlal or Srinivasan?
In this process Mohanlal didn't spare himself too. Once becoming successful, Saroj kumar starts exporting Parathas and Appalams to Gulf with his face on the covers. Mohanlal does the same with "Mohanlal's Tastebuds". Saroj prefers to don home productions only when his market is in full swing just like Mohanlal does with his secretary. Even the secretary of Saroj Kumar is a reminiscent of Mohanlal's man-Friday Antony Perumbhavoor.
However the best comical sequences are with Srinivasan and Jagathi Srikumar, where the latter grooms the former and training for "Navarasas". The tantarums Jagathy and Srinivasan throws are not only comical but also shows the problems directors and producers face with stars.
Mohanlal provides a refreshing change from his larger-than-life routines, in "Narasimham" & "Natturajavu" and other eminently forgettable movies, by playing a loser and down-to-earth person. He is the only actor we can think of who can play the role of a loser gracefully. Others would have made it gloomy but Mohanlal performs it with a style. Hope he chooses to play the roles which audiences can easily identify and relate with. His timing for comedy is perfect and swings to emotional scenes with ease.
Meena… Is this the same Meena we have been seeing in mediocre movies in Tamil. She looks stunning and 'ek dum' fresh in this movie. Even though she doesn’t have great histronics to carry off, she gives a dignity to the role of mentally tormented actress she is playing. Infact she has lesser dialogues and her eyes speak volumes than words. As said earlier her role reminds of Meera Jasmine sometimes.
The performance will be incomplete if we didn't laud the writer-actor Srinivasan for his commendable performance as 'Super Star' Saroj Kumar. Even though Mohanlal is playing the title role, it is Srinivasan who walks away with best of scenes and dialogues. At the end of the movie you can't help wondering who is the real "thaaram" (Star) - Mohanlal or Srinivasan?Page 3
Music by Deepak Dev passes the muster and it is the funny picturisations that salvage them. Even though Mohanlal and Meena are paired together, Srinivasan has two duets with Meena leaving no room for Mohanlal.
Cinematography by S.Kumar provides an icing to this sweet movie. I adore S.Kumar for his cinematography because he brings out the best from the ordinary looking locations itself. If you had seen "Meesha Madhavan" he had showed Thirumurthy Hills like a dream location. (In fact I developed a liking for Thirumurthy hills after seeing it on screen only.) Chennai looked like an ideal city and during a song I wondered how they afforded to go to Switzerland for a song. I was fooled. It was our own Pykara lake in Ooty. He didn’t let his cinematography distract the audiences from the story telling.
This movie is a must watch for all those who love movies as a form of literature. Debutant director Andrrews had paid his tribute to 70s style of simple story telling within the commercial format. This movie still keeps lighting the torch of hope that malayalam movies return to the nativity, after dreadful attempts to ape Tamil & Telugu movies. As Mohanlal says in the movie, as long as you offer sub-standard movies to audiences they will get immuned to it that making a masterpiece will be a big question mark after.
Year 2005 shows some promise of returning back to old style of storytelling with the successful recent attempts like "Kaazhcha" (Mamooty & Padmapriya), "Mambazhakalam" (Mohanlal & Shobana)"Acchuvinte Amma" (Meera Jasmine & Urvashi), "Vesham" (Mamooty & Mohini) and "Amrutham" (Jayaram & Padmapriya). Movies to look forward in 2005 is headed by "Vadakkumnathan" (Mohanlal & Padmapriya), whose music takes us back to the classical musical times of Bharatam, His Highness Abdullah and to an extent Aaramthamburaan.
And another crazy thing I wanted to do in the theatre is……..to tear the poster of "Finger Prints" that had Gopika in a traditional Malayalee look. For all those who looked down my crush for Malayalam heroines, let me say that Malayalam heroines & starlets only dominate today whole South Indian film industry. Gone are the days when directors ran to Mumbai models, now there is a gold rush to sign Mallu girls after the stupendous impact of Meera Jasmine in Tamil & Kaveri in telugu. That’s how mallu girls like Asin, Nayantara & Renuka Menon are busy in Tamil & Telugu movies.
Cinematography by S.Kumar provides an icing to this sweet movie. I adore S.Kumar for his cinematography because he brings out the best from the ordinary looking locations itself. If you had seen "Meesha Madhavan" he had showed Thirumurthy Hills like a dream location. (In fact I developed a liking for Thirumurthy hills after seeing it on screen only.) Chennai looked like an ideal city and during a song I wondered how they afforded to go to Switzerland for a song. I was fooled. It was our own Pykara lake in Ooty. He didn’t let his cinematography distract the audiences from the story telling.
This movie is a must watch for all those who love movies as a form of literature. Debutant director Andrrews had paid his tribute to 70s style of simple story telling within the commercial format. This movie still keeps lighting the torch of hope that malayalam movies return to the nativity, after dreadful attempts to ape Tamil & Telugu movies. As Mohanlal says in the movie, as long as you offer sub-standard movies to audiences they will get immuned to it that making a masterpiece will be a big question mark after.Year 2005 shows some promise of returning back to old style of storytelling with the successful recent attempts like "Kaazhcha" (Mamooty & Padmapriya), "Mambazhakalam" (Mohanlal & Shobana)"Acchuvinte Amma" (Meera Jasmine & Urvashi), "Vesham" (Mamooty & Mohini) and "Amrutham" (Jayaram & Padmapriya). Movies to look forward in 2005 is headed by "Vadakkumnathan" (Mohanlal & Padmapriya), whose music takes us back to the classical musical times of Bharatam, His Highness Abdullah and to an extent Aaramthamburaan.
And another crazy thing I wanted to do in the theatre is……..to tear the poster of "Finger Prints" that had Gopika in a traditional Malayalee look. For all those who looked down my crush for Malayalam heroines, let me say that Malayalam heroines & starlets only dominate today whole South Indian film industry. Gone are the days when directors ran to Mumbai models, now there is a gold rush to sign Mallu girls after the stupendous impact of Meera Jasmine in Tamil & Kaveri in telugu. That’s how mallu girls like Asin, Nayantara & Renuka Menon are busy in Tamil & Telugu movies.
Update: This movie is available it Moserbaer DVDs for Rs. 49/- with English Sbtitles and songs features.