SLOW BUT SURE DEATH OF THE GREATEST MIND IN INDIAN CINEMA??

Let me make one thing clear upfront. This piece is not about the biggest crap called dasavatharam that sadly slipped out of the most brilliant mind of Indian cinema. Nor is this about how it became as successful as it did (any trash is appreciated by simple minds when they are deceived to believe it’s a masterpiece).

He decided to dish out this junk in its crudest form even before he started working on this painful (in every sense of the word for every one concerned. Mainly for poor souls like me and my brother who grew up admiring this man) journey for the last 2 yrs.

Any one dare say that the man who gave more sublime movies than the whole industry (except Malayalam industry during its golden time) put together does not know that acting in 10 meaningless roles with masks all over his face and in certain roles even hands and every visible body parts (genuine and successful attempt to deprive his fans of those heart wrenching emotions they are so used to seeing) in a soulless 3.30hrs of torture is implausible, inconceivable and more importantly totally unnecessary.

No this column is about this dangerous slow but sure death of this great mind. The reasons and the process which is leading him to this self crucifixion (btw you’re taking the lives of millions of fans along with yours). This cancer has been struggling so hard to show its head once in a while during the last decade with pretty decent success ratio. But of late it seems to have won its battle as there seems to be no fight from the man himself to avoid it from reappearing. Or is his body and mind more than willing to accept this cancer to grow faster and serving as a medium to its deplorable appearances.

What could be the reasons that are dragging him to this abyss?

• His fear that he is getting old and wasted too much of his time doing meaningless work – He was a self confessed forced actor.

• He is too brilliant with too much ideas to share and hence putting too much on the plate

• None around him is courageous enough and honest enough to tell him he sucks when he does (after all its after the death of his beloved ananthu and separation from his ex wife this cancer is succeeding even more in its appearances)

• His misplaced (not entirely) belief that he is the vehicle to move Indian cinema to the world class level (honestly he is the only one capable and he was half way there in realizing it during 90’s)

• His growing meaningless obsession with the technology and grandeur with which he wants to project his ideas – he is a self confessed sucker for applause and desire to die in limelight

• Or his realization that he needs to stoop this low to reach the mass market and make money for his dream project marudanayagam (after all dasa had the biggest of openings in recent memory)

• Self indulgence and too much love for himself. But then which artist is not narcissistic. It was this self indulgence that gave us Pushpak, Guna, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Apoorva, MMKR, Mahanadhi, Anbesivam, Virumaandi and HeyRam.

I believe it’s a combination of the above mentioned factors and many others I may not be aware of. But the biggest factor and the most dangerous of all is “He is getting too big for himself”. His ever bulging ego is not letting him see that he is all wrong. He is beginning to believe he is bigger than the art. He thinks being in every frame of the movie would over power the most basic element of any good cinema called story/script/screenplay.

His misconception that grandeur is what eyes see instead of what mind seeks. His films in 90’s were grander than any of the grandest movies he might have presumed to have dished out. Technical brilliance lies in the tautness of the screenplay, the vision and execution of the story, the direction of the events, camera work, dialogues, background music and the synchronization of these major entities to produce a seamless product called good cinema. This is what made his Kuruthipunal one of the most technically brilliant movies of all time (and it had performances to behold).

In one of the interviews he did few years back when the interviewer mentioned that “He is a Genius” the genius replied back saying “When you are surrounded by mediocrity even ordinary is considered as Genius”. He was both right and wrong. He sure was and is surrounded by mediocrity but he was not ordinary. But am afraid he is becoming one. His statement then, rings very true now.

So I sincerely believe its time for him to take a step back and think hard and honestly about all these if he is sincere in creating good movies and as a result take Indian cinema forward. It’s critical to give Ego the space it deserves and only deserves. Nothing more. Because this ego does not need second invitation to sneak up on you and kill you before you realize of its existence.

Before he released Dasa, he promised this movie would not insult the people’s intelligence. I am not sure which audience he had in mind, but if am one of them it definitely insulted mine. And am sure plenty others too. We are not that stupid. So if you have decided to let the cancer continue to grow please tell us so. That we are not allowed to assume that class, substance and intelligence will be a part of your movies anymore. Even though it would be a bitter pill to swallow we know you are not cheating us or stabbing us in our back.

But I sincerely hope it would not be the case. I hope that there is a turn around to the current trend. If not for hope this world will not wake up in the morning smiling irrespective of how the previous night ended. I hope that turning for good would be through Marmayogi (I hoped the same before Dasa too. I am afraid I will hope the same after marma too even if it fails me again. After all I also want to wake up the next day smiling)

What hurts us poor souls (who are not as blessed as he is and hence made to thrive on the happiness sprinkled on us by his movies) as much is the fact that the most talented and brilliant mind is willing himself to settle for a quickie in a whore house when he is being gifted the opportunity to have the most passionate and sublime love making of all time.

So please don’t force us to live on memories. It’s too painful to endure now and we have no option but to put up only with those wonderful memories when you leave this world for good.

So please don’t do it to us, the people who have grown up looking up at you, your talent and the courage to stand for what you believed in and lived for. We all deserve better (it’s your fault to pamper us with providing one masterpiece after another). Cinema deserves better. Most importantly you deserve much better than what you are giving yourself. I am finding it difficult to see it any other way.

Because my beloved Mr. Kamalhassan can’t you still see it – After all “YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE”