If Kamal Haasan [Images] had his Dasavatharam with oodles of make-up and a blast of Chaos Theory, then this can easily be called Surya's Dasavatharam -- minus a couple of incarnations, of course. Rarely do actors -- even the good ones -- get such scope and screen-space to play out every intricate detail.
Aascar Ravichandran's Tamil movie, Vaaranam Aayiram (A thousand Elephants), directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon is almost a love-story with Surya, and no one but Surya at it's epicentre.
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Also Read: Showcasing Vaaranam Aayiram
The beginning shots of a doddering Krishnan (Surya) at the fag end of life, still eager to live his life, come with an expectant twist. Even as you appreciate the make-up and the body language that brings an old man to life, there's a trim and fit Major Surya (Surya) in the Indian Army [Images], who is part of a rescue mission.
Meanwhile, Krishnan's wife Malini (Simran [Images]) and daughter Shreya make him lie down as he goes into the throes of sickness -- and even as he breathes his last, his son remembers all the things that made his father he Who had the Strength of a Thousand Elephants -- and his own journey towards becoming one.
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Exclusive! Suriya on Vaaranam Aayiram, Ghajnini
Gautham Menon has crafted a moving story, calculated to describe in the minutest details the story of an ideal father: Krishnan is a merry, strong individual who sweeps Malini off her feet (the Mundhinam Parthene song sequence is a rollicking riot from the 70s, with even the old Spencer's Plaza painstakingly re-created digitally). The moment they set eyes on each other, they know that their fate is bound sealed. Years roll, and there appears Surya, their son -- who moves through life, experiencing the same kind of love with Meghna (Sameera Reddy [Images]) -- and Priya (Divya Spandana).
Surya has obviously been on a roll. For those who thought a thirty-something could never go back to being a 17-year old, here's a newsflash: with his paltry moustache and perky enthusiasm, Surya's perfect.
As a love-struck young man who falls flat on his face for Sameera Reddy, he's adorable. As a drug addict faced with life's greatest trials, he's marvellous. But when he appears on screen as six-pack moulded Major, the whistles hit the roof.
In every instance, he's subtly altered his body language, the expression in his eyes, the indefinable something that marks the difference between a father and son -- and even in the various stages of a son's life, he's managed to alter himself. This one is clearly is magnum opus among the films he's done so far.
Sameera Reddy is buxom, full of life and creates a pang in your heart. Divya Spandana earns your respect with her sober demeanour. And Simran, as Malini, fits her role to the hilt. Sometimes you wonder if this was once the heart-throb that acted in skimpy outfits with Surya himself -- and you have to laud her for how well she's done her job.
Harris Jeyaraj's songs have already become chart-busters; his background score gels well with the movie.
Rathnavelu's camera is smooth at certain times; gives a jerky feel at others, creating the impression that you're watching an intimate scene within a family -- and both work.
So, aren't there any pitfalls? Is this Gautam Menon's beautiful, perfect classic? Hardly. Yes, it's a very moving tribute to a perfect father and loving son; the screenplay does move swiftly in the first half -- but at times, the father grows too perfect; the son too loving. Krishnan is so completely the ideal of a father-figure that you wonder if such men actually exist in real life.
More than half the conversation is in English too, and it's generally up-market -- a non-urban audience might not relate too easily to this film.
At three hours, this one is too long -- a healthy snip would have made for much better viewing. Towards the end, you wonder if so much detail really is necessary.
But if you ignore the lagging last hour, some dialogues and too-ideal situations, the movie is clearly a movingly visualised tribute to fathers and sons by Gautam, and beautifully portrayed by Surya, a brilliant actor.
It might be just a feather in Gautam's hat. As for Surya, it's an ostrich plume, a justified triumph.
After 'Kuruvi', Udhayanidhi Stalin, grandson of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, will produce a movie starring Suriya titled 'Aadhavan' meaning 'Sun' in Tamil.
It was a star studded press meet that was held to announce the launch of 'Ayan', a movie from AVM, starring Suriya and Tamanna in the lead.
Suriya is on a high. After his praiseworthy performance in Gautam Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram, the Tamil actor is ready with two films -- Aadhavan, a film produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's [Images] grandson) under the banner of Red Giant Movies, and National Award-winning cinematographer K V Anand's Ayan.
Koena Mitra seems to be making the right strides in becoming popular in Kollywood. The sensuous beauty from Bollywood has reportedly been roped in to do an item number in the Suriya starrer 'Ayan'.
After 'Kuruvi', Udhayanidhi Stalin, grandson of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, will produce a movie starring Suriya titled 'Aadhavan' meaning 'Sun' in Tamil.
was a grand celebration of the landmark achievement of a film in a jinxed 2008.
Cinematographer RD Rajasekhar, one of the most famous cameramen in Tamil cinema, noted for his work in movies like Kaakha Kaakha, Ghajini (Tamil) and Sathyam, will soon foray into Bollywood. The cinematographer, who is currently working in Sarath's Jaggubhai, will debut in Hindi cinema next year. "Director KS Ravikumar liked my work and asked me to work in Surya's Adhavan as well. But I've already committed to work in Allu Arjun's next film. Following that, I will work for a Vikram film. And next year, I will do a Bollywood film," explains the cinematographer, who has received an offer from the crew of Dhoom for a project together.
Actor Suriya is very happy with his performance in Gautham Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram (Surya s/o Krishnan in Telugu) which is receiving rave reviews. Another movie that Suriya acted in was Ghajini with Asin as his ladylove. Ghajini shot to the top of the charts in 2005. And now it is being remade in Hindi with the same title with Aamir Khan as hero. It is being directed by Murugadoss and produced by Allu Arvind. The Hindi version has been two years in the making; Asin was signed up for the Hindi version to play the same role (Kalpana) she enacteed in the Tamil version.
Hot actress Asin purchased an Audi Q7 car, a luxurious sport vehicle for her use. Another actor who has bought the same brand is Surya.
Actor Suriya, who is in USA to participate in the filming of Ayan, managed to find some time from his busy schedule and spent it with his fans in Bay Area. Bharat Creations, the distributor of Vaaranam Aayiram in US, made arrangements for his visit to the theatres of Bay Area where his film is running house full for the second week.
Surya seems to be obsessed with one number and that is 1. Earlier he was obsessed with another number 6. The obsession with six started when he tried hard to get his six packs in shape. The obsession with 1 seems to be originating in his desire to gain the number one position in the Tamil film industry.
After a touching premiere for the movie by Tanker Foundation and Reach India, who held a special screening of Vaaranam Aayiram yesterday in Chennai, audiences walked out of theatres moved nearly to tears by the impact of the movie. Almost every person said they either absolutely loved the movie or liked it immensely.
When Gautham Menon showed his magnum opus Vaaranam Aayiram to the censors, the running time was 3 hours and 5 minutes. A day before the release on producer V.Ravichandran's request, he trimmed 10 minutes of the film.
If Kamal Haasan [Images] had his Dasavatharam with oodles of make-up and a blast of Chaos Theory, then this can easily be called Surya's Dasavatharam -- minus a couple of incarnations, of course. Rarely do actors -- even the good ones -- get such scope and screen-space to play out every intricate detail.
