"Dhevar Magan"
1992 was a great year for Tamil cinema. Kamal Hassan, Rajnikanth and Mani
Ratnam each came up with a modern day classic in "Dhevar Magan," "Annamalai" and "Roja" respectively. It would be unfair to compare the three movies because they are vastly different, catering to different crowds. But my favorite among the three, and one of my all time favorites, is the Kamal Hassan masterpiece. Apart from giving a stellar performance, he also scripted and produced this piece of cinematic brilliance.
"Vedham Pudhidhu" and "Bharathi Kannammaa" are two great movies (they're in my favorites section too) from the 80's and 90's respectively, to have dealt with the futility of the caste system. "Dhevar Magan" addresses the same broad issue but the focus here is on the violence which is one of the major repercussions of the system.
The first half of “Dhevar Magan” revolves around the
Sivaji character.
As the most respected person in the village, he is a man who understands
the futility of caste based separations and violence but is of the firm opinion
that the village traditions are too old and entrenched in the lives of the
people that he does not see any purpose in his son (Kamal)
trying to fight against it. Kamal who has returned to the village after his education
(I wonder if there is a village movie where the son/daughter is not educated in
“Dhevar Magan” is a riveting piece of drama while Sivaji is on screen (the first half). The same brilliance is evident only in sparks
in the slightly less effective second half.
There is substantial screen time allocated to Kamal’s
predicament with his newly wed wife—Revathi, a poor
girl whom he was forced to marry as a result of one of
Mention "Dhevar Magan" to the average cinema fan and the name that will pop up in his/her mind is not Kamal Hassan; it would be "Nadigar Thilagam" Sivaji Ganesan. One of the finest actors of all time, Sivaji was in semi-retirement rarely acting in movies after the classic "Mudhal Mariyaadhai." Falling (rightly) to Kamal's persuasion, the thespian took this role into his hands and gave a sizzling turn. This role, in the hands of a lesser actor could've been commonplace--that of a principled, dogmatic, yet affectionate village panchayat chief who has unbound affection for his son. But by the virtue of a magnetic screen presence, just the aura cast by him causes others (including Kamal Hassan) to be mere spectators, when he is on screen. Of course, the performance itself is legendary. The movie's most famous sequence is the one where Kamal argues, then succumbs to Sivaji's words. It is a powerhouse scene laced with raw emotions. The setup itself is a delight, with Sivaji seated on the easychair and Kamal standing behind one of the pillars, unable to meet his father in the eye. This scene is split into two parts-- the first is the argument between Sivaji and Kamal about the futility/inevitability of violence; and the second is the one which shows Sivaji’s affection for his son. Both parts are punctuated by unforgettable punch lines. Sivaji's line about one's responsibility in life ("Vedhai Vedhacha Udane Pazham Saapada Mudiyumo?") is a sharp one which makes the scene a great one. But what makes the scene one of the very greatest is the part where he breaks down. The way he modulates his voice (after the heated argument, he lowers his voice now) and asks Kamal, "Oru 10 naall irukka maatehala?" will cause the worst cynic to shed a tear or two. Kamal beautifully underplays this scene--his reaction shots complement Sivaji's dialogues so well. The scene has the perfect point of culmination which is a fitting end to one of the great motion picture sequences. Other than this scene, Sivaji's other remarkable sequence is his last in the movie. The mannered way of emoting shows us how effective theatrical style of acting can be, when played with the right amount of subtlety and class. Kudos to the actor…
Kamal Hassan takes over in the second half to add further weight to his character of Shakthi. The marriage proposal sequence and the subsequent maelstrom of emotions with Gowthami brings out the best in him. The manner in which he tells Gowthami that he will not take his wife (Revathi) for granted is fantastic and reveals yet another facet of the actor in terms of dialogue delivery (here it is a bit more circumspect than his usual confident style of delivering lines). Kamal's most acclaimed sequence is the final one where he commits a 'sin' and tries to redeem himself. It is a bloody sequence but Kamal's emoting makes us see purpose and urgency in the situation. A stupendous performance indeed...
As in "Anbe Sivam," two great lead performances do not point to insignificant secondary characters. Here it is the quartet of Nasser (in one of his famous villainous turns), Revathi (playing the docile wife to perfection), Gowthami (who excels in the scene where she asks Kamal for the reason why he married Revathi) and Vadivelu (though in a small role, the sequence in the hospital ensures that it is not a performance to be overlooked) who add power to the movie. They take center stage at the most appropriate of moments and Kamal gives them potent scenes to showcase their talents.
P.C. Sreeram’s cinematography is good but this is definitely not one of his best works. While his work in the indoor scenes (the classy close-ups and the understated lighting, so typical of him) is wonderful, the outdoor visuals somehow didn’t seem nearly as appealing as the village scenes in “Roja” (cinematography: Santhosh Sivan).
Illayaraja’s great era was coming to an end with the arrival of the genius A. R. Rehman in the early 90’s and “Dhevar Magan” marked one of his last truly great albums (I have been disappointed with his work ever since, with exceptions like “Sethu”). “Poatri Paadadi Pennae” is a lovely rustic number with the ‘ghatam’ music providing a great start to the song. It is delightfully picturised too. “Vaanam Thottu Ponaan” and “Vettaruvaa” have some meaningful lyrics by Vaali. But as a tune, “Inji Iduppazhagaa” is the best with S. Janaki’s voice contributing in no small measure to the euphony.