“Keladi Kanmani”

 

Last September, when I was in India, I got a chance to meet with Director Vasanth.  I spoke with him for a total of close to 3 hours (spread over two days).  During my conversation with him, I told him that “Rhythm” was his best effort till date.  I think he was slightly surprised that I didn’t choose “Keladi Kanmani”—hitherto, his biggest critical success.  Having been an avid movie fan, my tastes might have changed over the years.  But I have always looked for, I think, a kind of ‘spell’ to be cast on me by the director, emotionally.  That is one reason why Kamal Hassan is my favorite actor.  If he is in form, you better look at the screen with rapt attention!  And as far as directors are concerned, I feel that Mani Rathnam is the one who has consistently had me spellbound.  Though Director Vasanth has a checkered resume, I would say that when he’s good, he’s great—when he gets his characterizations right and supplements them with sensitivity and cuteness, his movies are as good as it gets.  Anyway, instead of comparing “Rhythm” and the movie under review, let me take the easy way out by saying that both are classics.  “Keladi Kanmani” is an amazingly sensitive and mature feature and it boggles the mind when I think that it was Vasanth’s first movie.

 

Vasanth presents “Keladi Kanmani” as a two-part story.  The first part (which runs for about 45 minutes) focuses on the love between college students Ramesh Aravind and Anju, the latter living with her father--a widower--played by SPB.  The initial portions are fun, with the accent being more on cuteness than substance.  The scene at the Doctor’s clinic where we learn about Anju’s illness is the first sign of a tragedy looming above the surface of all the mirth that had prevailed till then.  SPB’s reaction to this is the first masterstroke of Vasanth’s innings as a filmmaker, and a peak scaled by SPB as an actor.  A situation that is usually dramatized beyond proportion is underplayed so well that we immediately fall for the character.  The grief and the shock have a telling impact. 

 

Ramesh Aravind’s anger at Anju for not wishing him on his birthday is done in a very natural way, with both parties behaving according to their ages and characters.  This incident forces Anju to come out with the truth about her past.  This is where the second portion of the story—the flashback—begins.  Anju as a kid (played with spontaneity by Neena) dotes on her father, while always thinking about her mother (Geetha) who had passed away.  Radhika enters their lives as the girl’s tuition teacher.  Janakaraj, a person whose dreams always come true (leading to several hilarious situations), plays their family friend. 

 

This flashback portion (which extends to more than half of the movie’s running time) represents Vasanth’s greatest accomplishment till date, in terms of character building, altering the arcs of several characters (even Janakaraj’s role is surprisingly poignant) and resolving a crisis in a subtle, sensible manner.  The way the Director shows the girl’s insecurity while witnessing the closeness between her father and another lady (Radhika) was new to Tamil movies (this movie was released in 1991) and even now, remains an unparalleled handling of an unexplored territory.  As I stress the point time and again in my reviews, it is the characterizations that are the key.  By showing the girl still having strong memories of her dead mother, the Director makes it easy for us (or rather, difficult for us!) to empathize with both the girl as well as the elders.  Since it is a kid, we can understand the girl’s insecurity; and we have great respect for the SPB and Radhika characters because they forgo their happiness for the sake of the kid…talk about fresh treatment of a sensitive issue…Hats off to Vasanth.

 

The two other highlights of the flashback sequence are Janakaraj and the “Mannil Indha” song. 

 

Janakaraj combines comedy and pathos adeptly to create a memorable, loveable individual.  Apart from his comic routines (the one at the hotel is the pick of the lot), the serious side of the character is very well portrayed.  The way he constantly tells Radhika that he dreamt of marrying her is moving and so is the way he meets with his end.  Again, the respect that we have for the character should be attributed to the excellent handling of the director.  Janakaraj’s emoting at the place where he realizes that his love is one-sided is superb.  Vivek’s comment at the cemetery is a perfect tribute, succinctly describing the irony in his (Janakaraj’s) character.

 

The classic “Mannil Indha Kaadhal” song needs no introduction.  Like any great song, it has never quite aged.  Every time I listen to the song, I can never cease to heap praise on SPB for his superb rendering of the ‘breathless’ sequences.  Radhika’s reactions are also very cute.

 

Another small yet unforgettable subplot is that of Radhika’s deaf and mute parents played by Poornam Vishwanathan and Srividya.  The two senior artistes convey everything with their eyes and body language.  Poornam Vishwanathan drives us to tears in the scene where he asks SPB to marry his daughter.  The way Radhika expresses her desire to marry (by the way of a small Rangoli kolam of a ‘thaali’) tells us what the power of an image is.  The way Poornam Vishwanathan and Srividya convey their happiness is hauntingly realistic and powerful.  Ditto for their shocked reactions at Radhika’s final decision with regard to her marriage.

           

Back to the plot—after the flashback, the movie turns a bit cinematic with the incidents leading to Ramesh Aravind and Anju finding Radhika, based on some coincidences (Balakumaran has a cameo here) and not being too clever.  But, the movie concludes in style with the scene at the hospital.  Anju’s comment to SPB (she slightly modifies a line that she repeatedly utters during the movie) is a great touch and provides a fitting finale to this great movie.

 

As in “Rhythm,” the characterizations add value to the performances and the performances help create believable, sympathetic characters.  A huge chunk of the movie’s success should be attributed to this.  SPB and Radhika give great performances, the two of them ‘living’ their roles (yeah, yeah, it’s a cliché…but its so true here).   SPB is amazing, whether playing around with his daughter or hesitantly expressing his desire to marry Radhika.  Radhika is terrific in the scenes where she responds to the kid’s insecurity.  She peaks in the scene where she conveys to her parents (with gesticulations) her change of mind and sacrifice, with respect to marriage.  As mentioned before, Janakaraj is excellent.  Neena (now a popular TV actress) matches the seniors with a performance that is natural and spontaneous while not losing the innate charm that kids have.  The way she sobs, while having strong memories of her mother, is heartbreaking.  Ramesh Aravind and Anju provide the necessary youthfulness with bubbly, charismatic personalities. 

 

Illayaraja’s music is another asset (I wonder whether this movie has any liabilitiesJ).  Apart from the aforementioned “Mannil Indha Kaadhal,” “Nee Paathi Naan Pathi” is a sweet song with simple but meaningful lyrics and is soulfully rendered by Jesudass and Chitra.  “Karpoora Bommai” is another nice melody while “Enna Paduvadhu” is playful.