"Those who are not fit to live in this world, i give them boon - that's death and those who can’t live in this world , i give them death - thats a boon".
Naan Kadavul
Some movies might have made your stomach turn from what you see, some might scare you for life, some may have just made you mad and you go "WTF".
Either way, they fall into the category of "disturbing movies". I had movies like "Trainspotting", "Irreversible", "A Clockwork Orange", "120 Days of Sodom", "Oldboy" and "The Shining" in this list. The new addition to my list is a Tamil movie, " Naan Kadavul" by Bala. (Disclaimer: I could understand only 40% of the dialogues, but i believe ,it isnt a handicap). The closest movie in visual comparison is a 1932 movie "Freaks", about sideshow circus freaks based on the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins. The voiceover from that movie "But for an accident of birth, you might be as they are" still rings in my ears.
Bala, the director of “Naan Kadavul” is known for his films about protagonists who live at the margins. But there are too many loopholes and irritating aspects in this movie, which are unexpected from a Director of his caliber:
• The closing minutes of the movie have some badly edited scenes and the climax appears to be rushed.
• The long scene in the police station involving look-alikes of MGR, Sivaji and Rajni was quite unnecessary and breaks the rhythm of the movie in the first half.
• The lead actresses’ migration from the hill cave to a church and then to the hands of the villain is not explained.
• The climatic fight appears very cinematic in a "realistic" movie like this.
The bright spots in the movie are the acting by the lead actors and technical team. The superb BGM by Illayaraja in the second of the movie lifts the scenes to a higher plane.
One way to look at "Naan Kadavul" is that it is incredibly hard-hitting and it truly portrays the harsh realities of life. The other way to look at it is that by the second half of the movie, you are so desensitized by the scenes that nothing seems disturbing anymore.
Where "Naan Kadavul" succeeds, is in forcing us to contemplate and think: "Is death, a boon for some?"
(At the end of the movie, I was mightily pleased with myself for not forcing my friend to rush his dinner to catch the movie in time. Not that i can rush him!. It just wasn’t worth it. But, does anything provide the gratification which food does? I will cherish and remember the Chakkari Pongal a lot lot more than the movie.)
One way to look at "Naan Kadavul" is that it is incredibly hard-hitting and it truly portrays the harsh realities of life. The other way to look at it is that by the second half of the movie, you are so desensitized by the scenes that nothing seems disturbing anymore.
Where "Naan Kadavul" succeeds, is in forcing us to contemplate and think: "Is death, a boon for some?"
(At the end of the movie, I was mightily pleased with myself for not forcing my friend to rush his dinner to catch the movie in time. Not that i can rush him!. It just wasn’t worth it. But, does anything provide the gratification which food does? I will cherish and remember the Chakkari Pongal a lot lot more than the movie.)
