The Melancholy of Immortality

Hi Folks! Back with a new piece. This could be one of the most debated or talked movies or topics when it comes to the world of Tamil cinema. However, I would be happy if this reaches at least one person who has not yet seen this masterpiece.

Let's get to decoding what the title is actually in reference to. Yes, if you are a cinephile like me, you'd have guessed it instantly. It resonates with "Saagaavaram Pol Sogam Undo".

For those of you who still have no clue as to what this is referring to, it is a verse ( would've gone for 'line' but this is more apt ) from the movie, Uttama Villain.

So what about it?

It doesn't come to me as a surprise seeing a Kamal movie failing at the box office and being appreciated later. That has been happening to the man for ages.
What hits me is that only a handful of people are able to see through this layered masterpiece of a film. Only those few actually get the essence of it.

If you wake me up in the middle of the night and ask for my top 5 favourite movies of all time, UV will never miss the cut.
I guess I am hyping the movie too much now which is indeed dangerous for a film as we as an audience are used to expecting and if we do not get what we expect, then it turns into immediate disappointment or spurs hatred to that film.

I was expecting a cold-hearted, action-packed, crime-thriller film when the first look and title were released. If I am being completely honest, I was too young to understand the beauty of this film back then. For some reason, I did not hate the movie but it certainly didn't live up to my expectations, but a few years down the line, I rewatched the film and god, I was blown away.

Not even the atmosphere has so many layers. How is it possible to imply three completely different incidents with a single verse? I was honestly crying at the depth of the dialogue when I realised it.
I usually don't go into plots when writing about a movie but this one deserves some respect.

PLOT

Kamal as Manoranjan reflects on most mainstream heroes who succumb to stardom and are curbed within a ball of comfort and fans without exploring anything new. Manoranjan is a carefree star who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. His stardom prevents him from having a decent relationship with his son, neglect his mentor who introduced him to the world of cinema, the list goes on.
His world is toppled over when he learns that he has an untreatable tumour and that he has a daughter. He decides to do one last film with his mentor, Margadarshi. Ironically enough he wants the movie to be a comedy and is about a man, Uttaman who is misconceived to be an immortal. 
How he patches things up with his son, daughter and his close circle is the rest of the movie. 


If you aren't intrigued by the plot, then the following fact will blow your mind if you have watched the film and weren't able to relate this.
The climax song, Hiranyanadagam, starts with an intro:-

En udhiraththin vidhai, en uyir udhirtha sadhai, ver oruvanai pagavan ena poruppena

The climax song, This line has three layers
1. Hiranyakashipu addressing his son Prahalaadhan, "You spawned from me, I will not tolerate you calling someone else(Lord Vishnu) almighty because I am the almighty.
2. Manoranjan addressing his daughter, "You spawned from me, I am not able to tolerate the fact that you call someone else your father(Jacob)
3. This is a bit tricky. Manoranjan addressing his son, "You spawned from me, I am not able to tolerate the fact that I will not be around when you are ready with a screenplay and have to sort to some actor who isn't your blood"

Let's dissect the title UTTAMA VILLAIN. 

Doesn't it seem like an oxymoron to have both Uttaman and Villain in the same phrase? Well, it depicts the character of Manoranjan perfectly. He was both a hero and a villain. This is also neatly put in the film where Manonmani says, "Avar enakku hero. Neenga..." "Villain?"
Kamal is known to face retaliation whenever he tries to release a film and he did not want to leave any loose ends. He was not ready to compromise on the title and also, with his wit, called the title of the film pure Tamil stating, villain is a Tamil word representing a folklore artist to get an exemption from taxes which he also deliberately mentions in the film. (Seriously, this man is out of the world)

There are three scenes in the film that will definitely make you cry(well at least I cry every time I watch it)

1. Chokku reading the letter Yamini wrote for Manoranjan
2. Manoranjan's conversation with his son, Manohar
3.Manonmani  reading Manoranjan's letter to Yamini
These three scenes are examples of world class acting and the screenplay is simply outstanding.

If you watched the film closely enough then you can see that all characters from the comical movie have been referenced to an actual character in reality

1. Yamini and princess Karpagavalli resonate with each other through their courage and will to strive alone
2. Chokku and the Ottran resonate with each other as both bear news that was about to change the course of everything
3. Jacob Zacharia and Kaakapusundar(the minister) resonate with each other as they stand by the heroine's side(Yamini and Karpagavalli respective) against all odds

These are the three notable sidekick character resemblances. Coming to the protagonist. 

Mutharasan reflects on the villainous/bad nature of Manoranjan

Both of them betrayed their mentors for the number one spot. That is, Manoranjan ditched Margadarshi to do films with Poorna Chandra Rao to become a superstar and Mutharasan betrayed the king by pushing him off the tower to become king with the help of the minister.
Both of them have a weakness for women. (Mutharasan's weakness is pretty evident and Manoranjan has extramarital affair with Dr. Arpana).
Both of them are nearing death soon(Horoscope prediction for Mutharasan and tumour for Manoranjan)

Uttaman reflects on the good nature of Manoranjan

Both of them are immortal. Let me simplify this. Uttaman is perceived to be immortal by everyone and Manoranjan wants to remain immortal to his audience through his movies. 

Both of them are talented artists ( Folklore and cinema)

Screenplay

This is both the key highlight and a minor setback to the film. The reality scenes were beyond perfect in terms of screenplay. 

The scene where Manonmani read's Manoranjan's letter to Yamini and realises that her father was not what she had pictured her whole like. This is simply represented by Kamal removing his make-up which resonates with "demasking his image in Manonmani's eyes"

The scene where Chokku reads the letter Yamini intended to give Manoranjan. Manoranjan realizes that he has been living a lie and has been shadowed from the truth and how he has been a villain to Yamini and Manonmani. This is simply represented as his shadow right next to the word villain.

If these aren't masterpieces of shots, then what are?


The only setback I felt was the less engaging comic period portions. This duration of this could've been trimmed.

The climax is another tear-jerker where Manoranjan dies at the same time where his comical character Uttaman triumphs over Mutharasan and is praised as Mruthunjayan. It means, immortal / someone who has triumphed death itself. It's the irony that was played right from the start to the end.

Music

The X factor of this film is the music. The songs, the bgm and the lyrics have not only been aiding the screenplay but boosting it beyond the peak.

Do google the lyrics of the songs in case you did not note them keenly. Saagavaram song hands down has one of the best lyrics ever.
The Mruthyunjayan BGM is out of the world.
Hiranyanadagam needs no explanation and does complete justice.


So it has been five years since this masterpiece was released by Ulaganayagan was let down yet again by us as the movie did not do well at the BO nor did it receive appreciation at the time of release. Kamal is truly ahead of his time and his efforts to deliver good content will always make him a Mruthyunjan in world cinema.


I intended to keep this post short but the love for this movie and the hatred and ignorance this film has received just gets on my nerve every single time. I sincerely hope people acknowledge and appreciate this movie for what it should be and what it is.

If you haven't watched it yet, please do so. It is available to stream on Zee5.