“Amaidhi Padai”

 

Sometimes, I have these little mindless lines of thought where I think of crazy things like “What is the best Kamal-Rajni combo movie?” or “What is P.C. Shreeram’s best work?”  Along similar lines was my question—What is Satyaraj’s best performance?  I’ll be honest—it was hard to decide.  Balu Devar in “Vedham Pudhidhu” has been his most terrific turn as a character actor.  But it is in “Amaidhi Padai” that he and the director who has awesome chemistry with him—Mani Vannan—combined their creativity and brilliance to create one of the sleaziest-yet-unforgettable villains to grace the screen— Nagaraja Chozhan M.A., M.L.A. alias Ammaavasai!

 

            “Amaidhi Padai” is the story of one of the slimiest politicians one could ever find, and how his never-ending thirst for power and political ascendancy affects a set of people, and how his son’s sole ambition is to give him his much-delayed comeuppance.  Instead of playing it straight as a revenge story or a teaching-a-lesson tale, Mani Vannan makes it a scathing satire of contemporary politics and politicians, by keeping the focus on the Satyaraj Sr. character. 

 

            The strengths of this movie are undoubtedly Satyaraj and Mani Vannan’s direction.  Known for his patented, unique dialogue delivery, cutting remarks to all and sundry, and committing heinous acts with casual remarks, Satyaraj creates a character that makes us laugh our hearts out, without losing its credibility (or should I say ‘cruelty!’).  He is perfect for the part.  Probably the only person for the part!  Tall, majestic, with a white shirt, white dhoti and gold-framed glasses, he looks the part too.  There are two standout scenes for him as an actor.  One is the election scene.  As the announcer shouts out the number of votes by which he is leading (which increases with every announcement), his level of arrogance gradually increases (look at the way he gradually settles into his chair with every subsequent announcement) and the way he puts off Mani Vannan by saying, “Ennanga Mani,” is one of the best ever build-ups in Tamil Cinema.  Illayaraja’s superb non-intrusive score adds to the effectiveness of the scene.  Another memorable scene is the one where he meets his son for the first time.  Satyaraj (also playing the son) beautifully demarcates between the two characters.  His offhand remarks like, “Idhu dhaanda blood relasonsip” has us doubled up in laughter. 

 

I could watch this movie over and over, without worrying about the story, just for the conversations between Mani Vannan and Satyaraj.  This movie’s strength is not the plot or screenplay but Mani Vannan’s dialogues and how Satyaraj delivers them.  Just watch a villain at workJ

 

Satyaraj Sr.’s screen presence is so imposing that he steals every scene from his co-performers, including Satyaraj Jr!  Mani Vannan is the only person in the cast who can hold is own.  All the others—Ranjitha, Sujatha, Kasthuri and Malaysia Vasudevan—are mere passengers and pale into insignificance in this rollicking ride led by Mani Vannan and Satyaraj.  On the technical side, Illayaraja tunes are ordinary but he compensates for it with an awesome background score.  “Vetri Varudhu” provides a rousing start to the movie.