Saturday, January 27, 2007

I Live In Paradise

I am in love for sure, but do not know with who
I feel it here within, in my heart as true

Is it love of myself, or for nature supreme
Will it lead to darkness, or light that leave eye-sheen

Flowers look so beautiful, and leaves have gentle feel
The grass though tickling my ears, a bed has soothing been

Embracing trees disheartened, and walking barefoot on dirt
Has left me with body brazen, but a heart full of mirth

I swim in rivers agog, talk to birds and beasts
I sing with voices around, live on fruit I eat
I dance with glory abandon, run as much as might
Not here in social clutches, I live in paradise

Monday, January 22, 2007

How Can That Be

When did your physical beauty, ever matter to me
It was always your self, it was always beauty
Age has put on wrinkles, gray shades and bends
It was always the experience, it was always joy
Teeth may not have sparkle, or lips a rush of pink
It was always the smile, it was always mirth

Your anger still reddens you, with eyes big and round
Look at it through my eyes, you will know why I smile
Your gait still has grace, and your eyes a twinkle
When you walk towards me, I still miss some beats
Your laugh still resembles a tinkle, your voice a flowing river
Hours listening to you, can still never tiring be

Have you lost your empathy, your selfless care for many
Have you lost your humility, your values that now have passed on
Have you lost your incurable, your hopeless love for me
Why then did you ask in time I, have lost my love for you?

Monday, January 15, 2007

Move On

The sun that shines, brown mountains stare
Leaves blowing by, while cold winds wrap
Trees shedding their loads, all eyes moistened
A deep breath, a sigh, my constant longing

Twigs cracking beneath, my sullen walk
Rivers still tied down, stirring for travel
My face silenced, now breaks into a smile
My heart has known you, O waters from far
Man hears from nature, in feelings not sound

A rare stone house, inmates cuddled
Slanted roofs holding on, to other wooden walls
The furnace still smarting, from a night of heat
My hands reaching out, for a caressing touch

Ice creams still sell, iced liquids gulped
Seasons have changed, but life has not
Cocoons will not break, till caterpillars struggle
And life will not budge, till inmates move on

Contemplation

The moon but is, alter ego of one
Reflecting that light, as given by the sun
But in her own, she is graceful as ever
Various shapes and colors, only add to her fervour

Contemplate into her moonbeams, you will even feel heat
Reflect into the darkness, your life will solve itself
Then look around you will witness, the miseries of this world

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Mohanlal Movie 'Vaanaprastham': Critique

Kunzhikuttan(Mohanlal) is an individual who's learnt Kathakali against all odds. And he is in absolute love with his art and so completely devoted to it that his name is now taken with respect. His only failing is in the fact that he is an alcoholic. Though one can very clearly see that this is because he is in pain, a deep unsettling pain. Quite a difficult movie to understand. He is shown crying in the presence of his ailing father who it seems had left his mother. He is shown to be in deep pain, asking Narayana to help him handle such a difficult situation his heart is in, in a haunting scene.
The film also potrays the difficulties faced by the Kathakali artists who are not able to sustain their living purely on basis of the devotion to their art. A sad truth faced in the country today in the case of many other such arts too. But in this perspective the movie highlights a positive sign as Kunzhikuttan becomes popular performing abroad, etc.
The main plot of the movie is that Kunzhikuttan, part of an unhappy marriage with a sweet girl as child, falls in love with a woman(Suhasini Hassan) who falls in love with the Arjuna she sees Kunzhikuttan performing. And she has her deepest fantasies coming true when she makes love with this Arjuna.But this truth dawns to Kunzhikuttan when she refuses to meet him as an ordinary person. She also shows him the baby that is born only once, just before he's to play Arjuna,when he's complete in his costume.Never able to come to terms with this loss, he declares that he'll only play ferocious characters from now on. He eventually finds contentment when he goes on a pilgrimage to the holy places in the country after the death of his father.
A man who's not had the love of both his father and son, his pain is well depicted by Mohanlal. Unforgettable are many other scenes like the one when he last goes to meet his dear friend, the man who's sung for him for years as he played complex characters, who's now dying of cancer. Kunzhikuttan, as if to fulfill a purpose, teaches his daughter Kathakali inspite of the fact that his wife(who'd already learnt that he's cheated on her) is unwilling to take it anymore and leaves the house.Kunzhikuttan sends word to the mother of his boy that he'd be playing Arjuna during the "Aarengattum " of his daughter. She comes and sees him for the last time. She's shown erasing her Sindoor the next morning in a state of shock when she's learns through a letter from him stating that he'd be ending his life by immersing himself in the Prayag that night.
A lifetime impression is left in the soul by Mohanlal's performance of such complex character, one who's not materialistic, truly devoted to God, melancholic; someone who's a victim of his circumstances. CLASSIC is one word to describe the performance.
-- Published in
http://www.mohanlalonline.com/movie-info.asp?dxv=231 3/28/2003 11:28:42 AM

Mohanlal Movie 'Devasuram': Critique

"Ellam Onna Kalanhi Thellinya Irikyunnu..." Who can forget such soul-stirring dialogues delivered by Mallasery Neelakandan(Mohanlal). Behold, for this is one of the most intense and powerhouse performances given by Mohanlal. But giving the most honourable awards for this performance could have meant a tacit pat-on-the-back for the acts of the protagonist. The solution put forth perhaps would have been the seed that gave birth to 'Ravanaprabhu'.
The movie begins with a 'pooram' being disrupted by friends of Mallasery Neelakandan(MN). Watch on right hand, betel leaf in mouth, the character is introduced genuinely enjoying the music doled out by the group that was scheduled to play at the 'pooram'. The basis is a feud between the Mangalacheri and Mundaikal families.Also a sign of the fact that both families are powerful.
MN's father was held by all in high regard. They say that the beautiful voice is all that is alike between MN and his father. Drinking and gambling away the family fortunes is his common pastime. His mother had already left for her brother's place on hearing he was in an illicit relationship. Though he had ended the relation following this incident, his ego did not permit him to go and persuade her to come home.
Though all of his actions prove otherwise, the family accountant, Warrier(Innocent) sticks to him, among other reasons due to the fact that he knows that this is just a golden heart led astray.
Prompted by his friends, MN hires a goon to beat up an elderly member of the other family. It results instead in the old man being killed. His nephew swears revenge on MN.
This was just the beginning of the slide. His friends had been victim to the ire of a village girl(Revathy), a promising dancer in the making. To get even with her, MN dupes her father into believing that her 'aarengatum' would be held at the new temple construction. The farce is revealed only on the night of the event. As her father had already accepted(and spent) the money, the girl is forced to dance in front of the drunken demon. At the end, she pledges in his presence that she'd never wear her 'paadasaram' again. MN later feels deeply regretful.
Meanwhile, the goon demands that a huge sum be paid to his family if he is to keep shut. MN is left with no option but to sell a coveted property at a throwaway price; the salt on the wound being that he's forced to sell it to the same Gulf-returned whose earlier( and better) offer he'd turned down as his father had been like servant to the family.
The girl's family is in the meantime going through hard times and are now without a home. MN's sincere apology is accepted and the family moves to his home. Constantly egged by Warrier, MN shows willingness to turn over to a new leaf; but God leaves the hardest tests to such moments...
As if walking through the ridicule of his uncles to take back his ill mother is not enough, he receives a shock when she informs him that his father is not the one who he is known as...they both are only the benefactors of the generosity of the great man. Somehow graplling with the shock, he comes back again to take his mother home, only to find that she's passed away.
MN is shattered, crushed would perhaps be more apt.He feels cheated, humiliated and hates himself, and more than anything is filled with deep pain. The song 'Sooryakireedam' is apt, but the real beauty is Mohanlal's body language in the song; he conveys the pangs the character is faced more beautifully than the song itself.
The girl is witness to all this. Time passes and the family moves out. The dance master of the girl once comes to make MN realize what a sin he'd committed by leading her to such a grave decision. MN goes with Warrier to apologise and persuade her to change her decision. The fiercely self-respecting girl, in a fit of rage, proclaims that she would resume dancing only after MN's death.
The incident only increases the regard MN has for the girl. As if like a curse put into effect, there is a fatal attack on the two that very night. This event is life-changing. The girl feels remorseful and prays for his life pleading she'd never really meant him harm. MN's life is saved, he is alive...YES. But MN is now like a vegetable. Badly injured with one side of the body crippled, he tells Warrier amidst tears "Haven't I always regarded you as my own father? Will get just one thing for me? A handful of poison?" in a touching scene.
But LIFE is BEAUTIFUL; it mercilessly punishes, but also bountifully loves, all a result of our own Karmas. Warrier is determined to get MN to his feet and puts him under Ayurvedic treatment. The girl, lending a deaf ear to the jeers of all the world(including her father), comes over to take care the convalescing MN. The villain once comes over to laugh at the wounded lion. This only strengthens MN's will and very soon he is able to walk, though unable to freely use one hand.His friends, who initially after the attack had kept away, now rejoin him. But what satisfies MN most is that the girl agrees to resume dancing. And the greatest blessing is that the two begin a love relationship.
The climax is predictable. MN saves the kidnapped girl from the villain. But outrageous is that he cuts off one hand of the villain. A truly reformed MN would have forgiven. And more importantly, the director should have realized that characters like MN, performed so convincingly by a superstar like Mohanlal, can influence entire generations.
-- Published in
http://www.mohanlalonline.com/movie-info.asp?dxv=198 7/28/2003 10:28:04 AM

Mohanlal: A Biography

Mohanlal was born on May 21, 1960(which incidentally makes him a Taurean, and he seems to fit the bill) in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State (India) to Sri Viswanathan Nair and Smt. Santhakumari. He also had an elder brother named Pyare Lal. In his mother's own words, 'quite, a very quite child' is how we can characterize young Mohanlal.
He did his schooling from Mudavanmukal School and Model School (Thiruvananthapuram) and completed his BCom from M.G. College (Thiruvananthapuram). Incidentally, he knows famous director and his personal good friend Priyadarsan(with whom he has worked in the maximum no. of films -27) from childhood. Though not the best of friends at the time (Priyan recalls them fighting over the same girls), they had one common passion that brought them together-Cinema. Priyadarsan still fondly remembers the hours they'd spend together in the college canteen discussing cinema.
It is a little known fact that Mohanlal won a Best Actor Award when in the sixth standard in school, an award usually won only by the people from tenth standard. His genuine interest led him and his friends to establish a company named 'Bharath Cine Group'. On September 3, 1978 they began shooting for 'Thiranottam'. The team included Suresh Kumar, Unni, Priyadarsan, S Kumar, Ashok Kumar among others. Mohanlal played the role of a mentally challenged servant in the film. The location for shooting was in and around Mohanlal's house at Mudavanmukal and Suresh's house. Even after tiding over financial problems, the film ran into rough weather with the Censor Board and was never released.
But this setback did little to sway the hold of deep love for acting. Even when in college, he went with friends to Chennai (then Madras)-one of the melting pots for South Indian Film Industry-in search of a job as an actor. They occupied Room No 3 of the famous Swamy's lodge. This is when they came across an ad in the Malayala Manorama daily looking for a youngster for a role in a film. Unhappy with the way he looked in photograph, he declined from applying. But Suresh, aware of his natural talent, secretly sent his photograph anyway. Mohanlal received a telegram the next day and very soon was displaying his skills in front of an interview panel comprising of the likes of Fazil, Sibi Malayil and Jijo. As a result, he received the role of the villain in Fazil's 'Manyil Virinya Pookal'.
This began his fulltime career as an actor in Malayalam films. A workhorse, he would at one time have 35-40 releases in a year. His major break came in 1986 with the all-time hit 'Rajavinde Makan'. This was also the year when he married Suchitra, daughter of a former actor of Tamil films, Balaji.
He won his first State Award for the film T .P. Balagopal M.A (1986). He has won 4 of them to date. He won his first Filmfare Award for the film Sanmasullavarkku Samadhaanam (1986). He has won 5 Filmfare Awards to date. He won his first National Best Actor Award for the film Kireedam released in 1989-albeit the jury award. Later he won Best Actor National Awards for Bharatham (1991) and Vaanaprastham (1999). Apart from this, he has won numerous awards over the years for various films.
The hallmark of Mohanlal's acting is the spontaneity of performance. It is quite a well-known fact that he dosen't seriously rehearse or prepare for his roles. He just becomes the character he is playing for the duration between 'Action' and 'Cut'. So it is not uncommon to hear a reply like 'I don't know' from him when asked about how he carries out something like not blinking when he turns mentally retarded in the film 'Thalavattam', a characteristic even he wasn't aware of at the time; about how he gets the nuances so very right. In his own words " If you study it and then act the role, everything will flounder. Good acting just happens. And personally I don't think one needs to work on the character unless one plays a historical character." For those in front of the screen (the audience), the best thing about Mohanlal is his versatility. It seems he can play absolutely any role under the sun convincingly. And unlike many versatile actors who have traded intensity owing to their versatility, Mohanlal can be most intense if the role demands, the proof being his performances in the numerous action films he's worked in. Priyadarsan calls him the best actor India has ever produced.
Mohanlal established Pranavam Arts to be able to produce the kind of films he had an intense desire to create. And 'Beautiful' is the least we can say to describe some of his creations. His film 'Kaalapani', released in 1995, won 5 National and 7 State Awards. Another splendid creation, 'Vaanaprastham', released in 1999 won the National Award for Best Film.
In recent years, he has concentrated on working on one film at a time to devote more to quality. In his own words, he's more concerned about whether the script is a good one or not rather than whether the movie will be a big hit or not. A gentle human, he'd do films for friends regardless of the kind of project and the monetary returns. His jovial behaviour with cast and crew has endeared him to one and all.
Mohanlal's innate character is guided by the principle of lack of attachment. He was witness to an unfortunate incident wherein an actor with whom he was performing suddenly collapsed to death in front of him. This incident created a deep impact on his attitude to life. It explains his outlook to life and the reason he has now set his priorities the way he has.
Initially averse to working in Tamil films (his reason being 'too much masala' in them), he has now been part of quite a few, including the controversial 'Iruvar' loosely based on the life of Tamil actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.G.R. directed by the very famous director Mani Ratnam. He commented after the making "Hereafter, I will never work with a man of whom I am a fan." The reason being he often forgot to say 'Cut' while shooting!!!
His commitment to his roles is seen in his involvement during the making of the film. It is a well-known fact that he learnt Bharatnatyam for his role in 'Kamaladalam' and learnt 'Kathakali' for his role in 'Vaanaprastham'. Though, typical of this simple and humble human, he often downplays his efforts pointing that it is nothing in comparison to what the masters of the art have put in during years of practice.
Leading a contented life in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) with his wife and two children (Pranavam and Vismaya), he leads a life convinced that there is a force above guiding him through life to whom he gives credits for all his achievements.
We mortals can only wait and pray to continue to be witnesses to the performance of his art while he continues to leave footprints on the sands of time through the medium of cinema.
--Published in
http://www.mohanlalonline.com (2003)

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