Comedy in Tamil Movies - Part II
24 Comments Published by Prasad Venkat on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 at 11:33 AM.
Movies in colour feature comedy sketches that are far more evolved than the ones in black & white. Of course, with the passage of time, our writers, technicians and directors progressed in all aspects of movie-making, but the differences can be directly traced to American or European trends. Starting with camera movements, lighting arrangements, story narration, plot structures, stunts - our experiments here seemed to follow a success at Hollywood or else where. But you can't do that with comedy. What makes an American laugh cannot be applicable to a Tamilian. But we had our own style in making people laugh - and this time it was the artistes themselves who shouldered a big chunk of the responsibility of entertaining the audience and the smaller piece of pie lay with the comedy script writers.
My comedy star is Goundar Mani (or Gounda Mani). I didn't particularly like him until I was 15 or 16 when I thought of him as a sound actor - whatever it was, he just yelled using an inventive curse word like 'kadal panni' or 'nandu thalaiya' and people laughed for it. In a span of one or two years, I began enjoying him and turned from a despiser to an ardent fan. He is probably the only artiste who proudly exhibited his trademark irreverence - be it the villain or the hero or his mother or his neighbour or an old man, he treated them all equally - with a sharp disrespect. My favourite sketch of his is with Rajini in 'Mannan' and with Kamal in 'Indian'. In the past five or six years, his health has deteriorated and with that his voice and thespian skills and now he rarely appears on the screen. In his peak in the eighties and early nineties, he entertained everyone with his partner Senthil. Be it 'Vaidehi Kathirundhal' or 'Karagattakaran' they literally had the theatres in B and C centres rolling in laughter. Senthil added value when with Goundamani with his innocent looks and a decevingly 'enquiring mind' to which the latter would always fall. But Senthil didn't shine when he stood alone - he always added value as a parasite getting kicked in the ass by Goundamani.
Popular comedians of this generation are Vivek and Vadivelu - they both have a strong demarcation in their fans' tastes. While Vivek caters to the urban youth, mostly appearing as a friend of the city-bred hero, Vadivelu appeals to the semi-urban and rural areas donning various roles ranging from a teamaster to an autodriver. There was a short period of time when Vivek tried educating the masses in his brief screentime and was aptly called 'chinna kalaivanar'. But I don't think it went down well with the masses and he switched gears and jumped into pure fun. His sketches in 'Minnale', 'Run' and 'Dhool' are standout shows and I wouldn't be exaggerating I said that a sizeable part of the revenue for those movies was because of his sketches. He has a great sense of timing and can conceive witty situations which lead him into troubled waters. He recently tried to be a lead in a movie, which did poorly at the box office and since then he has had a slump. I hope 'Sivaji' will be a resurgence for him. And it's important that he bounces back because there's nobody else doing a job as good as he used to do.
Vadivelu is the reigning king of comedy. He demands sums that ageing heroes like Arjun or Prabhu can only dream of and movie schedules are rearranged as per his availability. He has cast his spell on the village population that they start laughing when he appears on the screen. I like Vadivelu, mostly because of his dialogue delivery and humility. It's been a fabulous journey for him since 'En Rasavin Manasule' where he appeared as a village commoner with nothing much to do through 'Devar Magan' where he actually played a good role to 'Winner' where he is almost the hero with Prashanth playing a subdued role. The cinema industry was badly in need of a comedian who would speak native accent with ease and the arrival of Vadivelu's 'Winner' established him firmly in the hearts of the rural population. But for every good sketch of his, there are probably five or six bad ones, where he just tries very hard to get the viewers to giggle. He should be more judicious in choosing the comedy script, or else it will be only a matter of time before he falls down.
There were a few heroes who were capable of tickling the funny bone. Even as a villain, Sathyaraj had a taste for 'naiyyandi' and his 'lollu' is matched by only a few. His 'Amaidhippadai' is a classic example of his ability to arrest the audience with his carefree speech delivered in an elegant manner. His combination with Gounda Mani in many movies is devastatingly funny. Rajini is funny too, but he needs a lot of push from the script. Bhagyaraj is the kind of guy who would tame a bull by bringing in a cow. He always approaches the comedy in a logical angle and infuses humour throughout the screenplay. Pandiarajan has an uneven comic scale: I like his 'Kadhanayagan' and 'Aanpavam', but there are many of his movies that are better left without a mention. S.Ve.Shekhar has played the lead role in a few movies, though he has been primarily a supporting actor and seemed to be content with stage plays. There is a recurring pattern in the way he makes us laugh, but I've never been bored by his comedy. Mostly, heroes of this generation had a better sense of humour than the previous generation heroes like Gemini, S.S.R, Sivaji, etc.
Manorama, who is still going strong had better roles with Kamal, Sathyaraj and other heroes. But I wouldn't give the entire credit to her. Mostly it was the screenplay, which made sure that the audience are ready to laugh. Take 'Nadigan' or 'Singaravelan' for example: though Manorama delivered funny lines, the audience were laughing throughout the running length and it would be justified to say that she did a good job out of the character. To acknowledge Manorama as a great comedienne, she should have turned an otherwise boring movie with her style and humour into a good one. I don't remember a single movie where this has happened. Kovai Sarala has successfully taken Manorama's place - neither of them are keen on entertaining the audience. She is just one boring lady, except when with Vadivelu or Vivek. But if there's somebody I like in the category, it is Urvasi. Though she mostly concentrated on serious roles, Urvasi did some commendable sketches in 'Vanaja Girija' and 'Maya Bajaar 95'. If only had she cut down her over-acting, she would have been one of the most versatile actresses in our field.
Kamal Haasan changed the face of humour in Tamil cinemas. He didn't give much thought about his jokes reaching every one in the theatre and instead opted to go for intelligent humour that would burst out in quick successions. You laugh quite hard and you'll miss the next joke that you'll be forced a second viewing. I can't think of any other actor who has successfully released so many full length comedy movies: 'Avvai Shanmugi', 'Kadhala Kadhala', 'Singaravelan', 'Panchathanthiram', 'Pammal K. Sambandham' - the list continues to grow. There are some lesser efforts from him, but even they stand on par with offerings from other actors/directors who successfully craft comedy pictures. His 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan' tops the list. The screenplay is so convoluted and at the same time very clear that you just can't be awed enough by this man's talent to write humour. You answer the door, you've missed a couple of gems - that's how tightly packed the jokes are in here. Of course, a big percentage of the credit should go to Crazy Mohan for his inventive dialogues, but that doesn't diminish Kamal's supreme talent. Crazy Mohan has great command in playing with the language and Kamal has the ability to respect that command by writing and acting in brilliant situations. His expressions and voice modulations also tell us how wonderful an actor he is and comedy is something that can't be acquired. 'Avvai Shanmugi', is not a mere change in the get-up, but a transformation of his entire body language. The fight with Kanal Kannan in the vegetable market is a great example of a maami taking on the goons - the womanliness is not compromised in one single move. I'll stop with this one paragraph about him and make a separate post about his contributions to Indian cinema. (More on Crazy Mohan in the next (final) part of this series).
Though we had a lot of comedy artistes and better comedy sketches in this period, the decline in the moral aspects of the humour content has to be acknowledged. Physically challenged people were made fun of; fat or lean people were made fun of; people belonging to a specific caste/religion/place/tradition were made fun of; women were made fun of - in fact some of the comedy scenes suggested or approved sexual harassment; and it's not getting any better. On the brighter side, there are also a lot of scripts that tried to educate the masses. Whatever it is, we are not mellowing down - we're only getting more louder and crasser and stronger and raw in getting across the message. We lack quality writers - much of the laughter relies on the mannerisms of the comedy artiste rather than the situation. We need writers who can think beyond our region and create a universal comedy pattern. Say, if someone in Iran decides to watch a Tamil comedy movie, they shouldn't he hampered down by too many cultural locks. They should be able to laugh by looking at the character's action and reading the subtitles. I'm not asking for a lot here.
Links: A prelude to comedy in Tamil movies and the first part.
My comedy star is Goundar Mani (or Gounda Mani). I didn't particularly like him until I was 15 or 16 when I thought of him as a sound actor - whatever it was, he just yelled using an inventive curse word like 'kadal panni' or 'nandu thalaiya' and people laughed for it. In a span of one or two years, I began enjoying him and turned from a despiser to an ardent fan. He is probably the only artiste who proudly exhibited his trademark irreverence - be it the villain or the hero or his mother or his neighbour or an old man, he treated them all equally - with a sharp disrespect. My favourite sketch of his is with Rajini in 'Mannan' and with Kamal in 'Indian'. In the past five or six years, his health has deteriorated and with that his voice and thespian skills and now he rarely appears on the screen. In his peak in the eighties and early nineties, he entertained everyone with his partner Senthil. Be it 'Vaidehi Kathirundhal' or 'Karagattakaran' they literally had the theatres in B and C centres rolling in laughter. Senthil added value when with Goundamani with his innocent looks and a decevingly 'enquiring mind' to which the latter would always fall. But Senthil didn't shine when he stood alone - he always added value as a parasite getting kicked in the ass by Goundamani.
Popular comedians of this generation are Vivek and Vadivelu - they both have a strong demarcation in their fans' tastes. While Vivek caters to the urban youth, mostly appearing as a friend of the city-bred hero, Vadivelu appeals to the semi-urban and rural areas donning various roles ranging from a teamaster to an autodriver. There was a short period of time when Vivek tried educating the masses in his brief screentime and was aptly called 'chinna kalaivanar'. But I don't think it went down well with the masses and he switched gears and jumped into pure fun. His sketches in 'Minnale', 'Run' and 'Dhool' are standout shows and I wouldn't be exaggerating I said that a sizeable part of the revenue for those movies was because of his sketches. He has a great sense of timing and can conceive witty situations which lead him into troubled waters. He recently tried to be a lead in a movie, which did poorly at the box office and since then he has had a slump. I hope 'Sivaji' will be a resurgence for him. And it's important that he bounces back because there's nobody else doing a job as good as he used to do.
Vadivelu is the reigning king of comedy. He demands sums that ageing heroes like Arjun or Prabhu can only dream of and movie schedules are rearranged as per his availability. He has cast his spell on the village population that they start laughing when he appears on the screen. I like Vadivelu, mostly because of his dialogue delivery and humility. It's been a fabulous journey for him since 'En Rasavin Manasule' where he appeared as a village commoner with nothing much to do through 'Devar Magan' where he actually played a good role to 'Winner' where he is almost the hero with Prashanth playing a subdued role. The cinema industry was badly in need of a comedian who would speak native accent with ease and the arrival of Vadivelu's 'Winner' established him firmly in the hearts of the rural population. But for every good sketch of his, there are probably five or six bad ones, where he just tries very hard to get the viewers to giggle. He should be more judicious in choosing the comedy script, or else it will be only a matter of time before he falls down.
There were a few heroes who were capable of tickling the funny bone. Even as a villain, Sathyaraj had a taste for 'naiyyandi' and his 'lollu' is matched by only a few. His 'Amaidhippadai' is a classic example of his ability to arrest the audience with his carefree speech delivered in an elegant manner. His combination with Gounda Mani in many movies is devastatingly funny. Rajini is funny too, but he needs a lot of push from the script. Bhagyaraj is the kind of guy who would tame a bull by bringing in a cow. He always approaches the comedy in a logical angle and infuses humour throughout the screenplay. Pandiarajan has an uneven comic scale: I like his 'Kadhanayagan' and 'Aanpavam', but there are many of his movies that are better left without a mention. S.Ve.Shekhar has played the lead role in a few movies, though he has been primarily a supporting actor and seemed to be content with stage plays. There is a recurring pattern in the way he makes us laugh, but I've never been bored by his comedy. Mostly, heroes of this generation had a better sense of humour than the previous generation heroes like Gemini, S.S.R, Sivaji, etc.
Manorama, who is still going strong had better roles with Kamal, Sathyaraj and other heroes. But I wouldn't give the entire credit to her. Mostly it was the screenplay, which made sure that the audience are ready to laugh. Take 'Nadigan' or 'Singaravelan' for example: though Manorama delivered funny lines, the audience were laughing throughout the running length and it would be justified to say that she did a good job out of the character. To acknowledge Manorama as a great comedienne, she should have turned an otherwise boring movie with her style and humour into a good one. I don't remember a single movie where this has happened. Kovai Sarala has successfully taken Manorama's place - neither of them are keen on entertaining the audience. She is just one boring lady, except when with Vadivelu or Vivek. But if there's somebody I like in the category, it is Urvasi. Though she mostly concentrated on serious roles, Urvasi did some commendable sketches in 'Vanaja Girija' and 'Maya Bajaar 95'. If only had she cut down her over-acting, she would have been one of the most versatile actresses in our field.
Kamal Haasan changed the face of humour in Tamil cinemas. He didn't give much thought about his jokes reaching every one in the theatre and instead opted to go for intelligent humour that would burst out in quick successions. You laugh quite hard and you'll miss the next joke that you'll be forced a second viewing. I can't think of any other actor who has successfully released so many full length comedy movies: 'Avvai Shanmugi', 'Kadhala Kadhala', 'Singaravelan', 'Panchathanthiram', 'Pammal K. Sambandham' - the list continues to grow. There are some lesser efforts from him, but even they stand on par with offerings from other actors/directors who successfully craft comedy pictures. His 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan' tops the list. The screenplay is so convoluted and at the same time very clear that you just can't be awed enough by this man's talent to write humour. You answer the door, you've missed a couple of gems - that's how tightly packed the jokes are in here. Of course, a big percentage of the credit should go to Crazy Mohan for his inventive dialogues, but that doesn't diminish Kamal's supreme talent. Crazy Mohan has great command in playing with the language and Kamal has the ability to respect that command by writing and acting in brilliant situations. His expressions and voice modulations also tell us how wonderful an actor he is and comedy is something that can't be acquired. 'Avvai Shanmugi', is not a mere change in the get-up, but a transformation of his entire body language. The fight with Kanal Kannan in the vegetable market is a great example of a maami taking on the goons - the womanliness is not compromised in one single move. I'll stop with this one paragraph about him and make a separate post about his contributions to Indian cinema. (More on Crazy Mohan in the next (final) part of this series).
Though we had a lot of comedy artistes and better comedy sketches in this period, the decline in the moral aspects of the humour content has to be acknowledged. Physically challenged people were made fun of; fat or lean people were made fun of; people belonging to a specific caste/religion/place/tradition were made fun of; women were made fun of - in fact some of the comedy scenes suggested or approved sexual harassment; and it's not getting any better. On the brighter side, there are also a lot of scripts that tried to educate the masses. Whatever it is, we are not mellowing down - we're only getting more louder and crasser and stronger and raw in getting across the message. We lack quality writers - much of the laughter relies on the mannerisms of the comedy artiste rather than the situation. We need writers who can think beyond our region and create a universal comedy pattern. Say, if someone in Iran decides to watch a Tamil comedy movie, they shouldn't he hampered down by too many cultural locks. They should be able to laugh by looking at the character's action and reading the subtitles. I'm not asking for a lot here.
Links: A prelude to comedy in Tamil movies and the first part.
Hmm, I still think Goundamani was obnoxious, though his talent was undeniable.
Some others you left out are Janakaraj and VK Ramasami. Overall, good to see a wholesome view of a topic not many talk about in depth.
Enjoying someone like Goundamani is purely a matter of taste. I understand you as I have been there.
I have a load of actors reserved for honorable mentions: Loose Mohan, Y.G.Mahendran, Usilai Mani, Janakaraj, V.K.Ramasami, Thengai Srinivasan, Suralirajan, Vennira Adai Moorthy...
Thanks for those nice words.
Touché! Been there, done that. From childhood, I've always been a huge fan of Kamal Haasan, Crazy Mohan, S. Ve. Shekhar et al. - in short the sabha humour, if you will - and sort of looked down upon Goundmani's form of humour (Goundamani-Senthil combo, rather) until some time before.
Theirs is the quintessentially "Tamilian" humour - the profuse sarcasm or the trademark nakkal - which I've "grown" to really like!
Sometimes, it's strange to see a distinct pattern of film appreciation among viewers.
My friends say that I give too much credit to Kamal, but I don't think so. He is the man who can best deliver Crazy Mohan's lines.
Stage plays are more demanding on the writer. And the declining revenue makes it worse for Crazy Mohan/S.Ve.Shekhar. NRI Tamilians must keeps their wheels running.
"distinct pattern of film appreciation" - You mean you agree with all of my opinions?
>>distinct pattern of film appreciation
Well, I said that on the Goundamani appreciation after having "codescended" to him/his humour in the past.
As for Kamal Haasan, I'd undoubtedly go some steps further. Personally, I think his role is much bigger than his delivering Crazy's lines and the impeccable timing. That he's been the man for Crazy's lines is indisputable (one has to just watch the non-KH films for which Crazy penned the dialogue to see why), but, in the best of Kamal Haasan's comedies, the merit (ah, how boringly put!) of the humour created in the script/scenarios exceeds, at times easily, Crazy Mohan's dialogue in making a very fine film (or, a masterpiece); finally, it turns out how well the writer/director make use of Crazy Mohan's brilliant lines with a very fine control and a "make-believe" restraint.
For me, MMKR is what It is because of 3 men who made It, but, Crazy Mohan is the "smallest" of them -- and you're hearing this from a big, big Crazy Mohan fan. In other words, Crazy Mohan hardly wrote this line for Raju -- "Sokka sonnayyaa! Dhool-ya! Idhellaam appde varradhaan illa.. Nyabagam vechikkaren, naanum engayaavadhu adichu vutturren!"
Zero,
Crazy Mohan is very good when it comes to brahmin tongue (Avvai Shanmugi: "Podhumda... innikku enna avani avittama"). I guess Kamal improvises a lot if it's Madras baashai. By the way, Kamal sizzles in a scene where Raju sitting in for Madan asks Bheem "Catch my point".
I'd say the smallest in Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and Crazy Mohan would come in at number two, right after Kamal. Time to write a post on 'Michael Madana Kama Rajan'.
Kamal sizzles in a scene [..]
Prasad, I was talking about the very same scene, if it wasn't clear. He calls Bheem back, rolls his eyes down mischievously like a kid would (already delighted that he's gonna use it!) and says, "Catch my point!"
And, I wanted to say '"smaller" than Kamal, if not the smallest"', but went for the more debatable claim. :D
Singeetham is often unsung when it comes to MMKR, but his overall presence (and the "make-believe" restraint) in the film (and Aboorva Sagotharargal) can be easily felt and that's what sets these films apart from the lesser (w.r.t. lofty standards, yet really good) efforts like Panchathanthiram. (Of course, he directed Kaadhala Kaadhala too, which will find no place in this league.) Of course, how much of all this is actually from him is debatable, but I'd rather observe this from the end results. (He wrote and directed Pushpak, directed AS and MMKR!) But, he did fail (completely) whenever he worked with somebody other than Kamal.
As a fan, I always want all these 3 on song!
And, on Crazy Mohan - of course, he's good with the Brahmin tongue, but that's just a matter of detail according to me. His dialogue is adhaiyum thaandi delightfully funny. But, yeah, that extra thing out of familiarity in the brahmin tongue is undeniable.
I'm sure Kamal improvises anything and everything that is written as dialogue on paper. (That he flourishes when it's Madras baashai is also a matter of detail, if you ask me.) Crazy Mohan's lines are perfect for a play and it needs to be, almost always, adapted to the film with some subtlety and restraint (which is just absent, and rightfully so, in his plays). Just to sample, in one of the scenes with Mani Vannan in Avvai Shanmughi, Kamal off-handedly admits how it was nalladhu for him that Mani Vannan left the house without having a word with Avvai Shanmughi and brushes off later from explanation! Hilarious to watch. And, this must have been all improvisation.
But talking about improvisations, I always love to recall PKS. While every other person thinks it was all Crazy Mohan, I really think it was all Kamal Haasan (and Mouli too to a certain extent) - be it the brilliant "half-witted" pazhamozhigal (Oh, should I even list them!) or the sublime situational humour that is invoked in some scenes of the film ("Idhenna comedy scene-aa? Serious-aa irukkanum!" he says).
The opposite can be almost said on Kaadhala Kaadhala, or Panchathanthiram to an extent.
Though I compare and "rank" the role of the three Greats like a silly boy, I, of course feel each of them time and again come close to overtake the other two, and carves a place for himself in the film. (I hope that was already conveyed clearly when I said, ultimately "MMKR is what It is because of 3 men who made It.")
All hail MMKR!
I thought Goundamani needed a little detailed description. I'm glad that you chose to call him your 'star', but I think his comedy goes beyond invectives and insults. He had a sense of timing that was extremely natural, one and that stood, very often, off screen. He was one of the few comedians who constantly distanced themselves from the character they were playing to satirize the whole sequence (Ex: Karakatkaran - "olagathulaye ivanunga mattum dhan porgandhurkaanungala? naangallam thevai illama porandhuttama?"; Rajakumaran - "ethuna naalaikku ippudi muttai kuduppeenga? oru jilebi, mysorepauk range'kachum naata valathu udungada").
'Koyil Kalai' has some of his best sketches. Esepcially the 3 minutes before the temple as a beggar ("ni evalo padichurka?" - "B.A" - "innum pathu varsathukku adhaye padi"). By the sheer number of movies and 'comedy hours', Goundamani can easily be called the best Tamil comedian ever. But his name is hardly mentioned about anyone in the mainstream circuit, mostly because of his reputation for being 'irreverent'. His witticisms carried some sense of social commentary that got buried because of the cult following he had/has for his language and style (and he was hardly deliberate).
Vivek, quite deftly, has lifted several 'unnoticed' expressions from him and stretched it to death. It's a shame that he is/was called "chinna kalaivaanar", for most his expressions were bland even the first time. And to make things worse he got repetitive. Of course, he is skilled in his own way and was enjoyable in a few movies. I don't know, it could be the usual bias between those who like Vivek and those who like Goundmani. (Goundamani himself lifted a few from Surli Rajan.)
Some of the movies that might be added to the list of movies which had eclectic combination of comedians: Singaravelan ("dei segappu satta!") and Magarasan (another movie that goes unmentioned by many when they are talking about comedy). Magarasan had the best elements of the best guys in the field. Kamal as a "petaila porandha pulla", VK Ramasamy with his loud "haaaa??", Goundamani and Senthil with their usual jests. The best scene "indha koyi sirsa irka solla urichadhu, idhu adhe koyi persa irukka solla urichadhu".
I think it's the cult following that makes one worth calling "all time best". And in that sense, most of the one-liners used today are Goundamani's. Some of them have become clichés. His wikipedia entry has a decent compilation. I don't think it's comparable to anyone else's.
As for others I think you and Zero have exchanged what a lot of us probably share.
A good comprehensive post. Thanks
Gounda Mani's "Udhaya Geetham" and "vaidehi kathirunthal" are pure block busters.
Kamal is the "man" for Crazy's lines - with his modulation/prounciation - no one else completes Crazy's lines. But I guess without Crazy's lines, I have doubts how excellent Kamal as a comedian?
Out of heros - if you take just their skill alone in making comedy without others support(like writing, subordinate, etc) - I guess Rajni has the skill to make good comedy. And these day, Vijay (although I hate him for his movies) has the skill of making comedy (although he rarely does it).
Thanks for the wonderful write up on Goundamani sir. I am glad to see more & more people are coming out giving due recognition that this man truly deserves.
Cheers!
Zero,
Do you remember a scene from PKS where he discloses to his grandfather that it was Simran who rejected him not the other way around? When the old man suffers an attack, Kamal thinks it was his words that caused the pain and says "love failure ellam indha kalathu pasangalukku biscothu thatha... sirichikine varuvanga" and then he laughs - very funny, very sad, brilliantly acted. Speaking of pazhamozhis, "summa varuvala sukumari, thirumbi vizhuda somari" is my favourite. As for MMKR, well, I'll join the cheers.
Suresh,
I was trying to check the length of the post and hence had to cut down on a lot of aspects. Goundamani has a lot more to what I've mentioned - when Rajini asks his educational qualifications in 'Mannan', he replies "inga velai seiyya theriyadha alavukku padichirukkan". This is what I call brilliant arrogance and I agree that he's one of the best who can deliver such lines. But I frankly think 'Magarasan' is wasted talent - when you have Kamal & Goundamani, the writer/director should utilize their best and what we saw were very mediocre performances. The chinna/periya kozhi comedy is good, not great.
Anon,
I like the way Rajini begins his fights ("oru mottai, oru dhadi, naalu school pasanga"). As for Vijay, I think otherwise and more on that on the final part of the series.
Jay,
Thanks... and knock off that 'sir'. I'm two years younger than you (joke).
{{The chinna/periya kozhi comedy is good, not great.}} - May be. I meant the while sketch though.
Senthil: enna avalo sulabama emaatha mudiyadhu
Kamal: appo konjam kashtapatta emathirlam'nu solriya?
...
Goudamani: ennapa padikkadha payyana emaathreengala?
Kamal: Ni evalo patchukira?
Goundamni: nan rendu (or rendavadhu or something like that)
I read the prelude, part 1 and part 2 very interesting article prasad.
you had mentioned heroes of this age have better sense of humor than yesteryear heroes like Sivaji.
I have a different view on this there are many movies of Sivaji which we can watch just for the comedy such as Sabash meena, bale paandiya, galatta kalyanam, bharatha vilas etc.
MGR though didnt try full feldged comedies his Anbe vaa is an offbeat movie for his standards and he does tickle us.
Muthuraman was also very good in comedy.
Though Rajini's comedy will be in a different style compared to Kamal's he has also been successful to a large extent.
Prasad, PKS was great fun actually. If not for some usual fluffy stuff like the final chase sequence and other things, it'd have been an excellent one. Kamal Haasan was in top form here.
And, Sukumari pazhamozhi ("Super pazhamozhi, master! Summa varuvaala Sugumari, thirumbavum vizhuda somaari-nnaanaan!") is my favourite too, among the "qualified" pazhamozhigal. Kamal times it perfectly. (Funny I was stating exactly this to my friend a couple of weeks ago.) But, the other ones are brilliant too: "Kekkaradhu Kadan baakki, kaila thuppakki-nnaanaan!", "Invanga mattum vedam saathaan odharaango!"
And, the classic line, the holiest of holies, Crème de la Crème, is this: "Kaathaadikku kooda thaan vaal irukku, adhukkaga korangu parakkuma.. sollunga!" Absurd, very contextual and just sheer brilliant. (In the film, he even is joyed that he just said his kind of line!)
Kamal just lifts a run-of-the-mill film, an absolutely frivolous premise notwithstanding, with his sheer presence and timing in PKS.
I still can't stop laughing whenever I see the "Rayapuram" Sivam shooting sequence ("Dhoda! Unakku somersault adikka therima?") or when Kamal spouts some existential philosophy when Simran tries to tie him up - "Illingo. Idhu bigulu, idhu biskothu!" - or the post-divorce scene. Frigging hilarious.
P.S.:- Yeah, I revisited MMKR day before yesterday. I plan to write a series of posts on it, and yet I'd not do enough justice.
Uh, apologies for the flurry of comments, but I just realized I didn't answer your question.
>>Do you remember a scene from PKS where he discloses to his grandfather that it was Simran who rejected him not the other way around?
Yes, I love that scene and it strongly evoked the sense of believability and bitter-sweetness of his earlier comedies that the Kaadhala Kaadhalas and the Thenalis completely missed. While the sad turn the film takes was criticized for spoiling the fun, I felt it was engrossingly done. The sadness of the situation was actually moving and very well enacted. The sort of believablity Kamal lends to the character in that scene (when he chokes as he blurts out the truth) is actually superb; might look like lofty words on the seemingly usual Kamal cry, but it's not. This is another reason why PKS is all the more a lovable character, the second most lovable 'Madras local' that Kamal has ever played, next only to Raju.
And, I think Mouli should also take the credit here. All his comedic plays have revolved around simple families and the problems they face and his very characteristic seamless switch between sad and comic tones, staying true to real life.
Dan,
I've seen all the four Sivaji movies you've mentioned when I was a kid. All I was saying is that someone like Kamal or Sathyaraj can sprinkle humour, on their own will, even in a serious screenplay - because it is ingrained. In my opinion, Sivaji doesn't have it. I still like the 'neeye unakku endrum nigaranavan' song from 'Bale Pandiya' for it's comic value.
Suresh,
I think you are able to forgive Kamal or didn't expect much from the movie. Coming after MMKR, there are scenes in 'Magarasan' where Banupriya appears in a pant and shirt trying to look like a man and Kamal falls for it - for someone his stature, this sketch is shit. Though the kozhi scene is good, the overall screenplay left a bad taste in me, thereby making me look at everything in the movie through a negative filter. But, my wife who has a refined taste for comedy likes 'Magarasan'.
Zero,
Sifting through the comments, we already have a post on Kamal. I've seen a lot of movies, and two top movies are 'Schindler's List' and 'Micheal Madana Kama Rajan'. I've been waiting to write reviews/critical analyses of these movies until I become a mature critic so that I can do justice to the quality of these movies. I've seen MMKR around 15 times and I still can't get enough of it, just because of Kamal's improvisations. When Raju delivers the line "idhellam apdiye varardhulla" for Madan's "catch my point", he traces his hand through an imaginary staircase symbolizing such mannerisms lie in the genes/ancestry. Great body language, but the in-message is that he shares the same genes. Now, this is something Crazy Mohan wouldn't have thought of.
As for the sukumari pazhamozhi in PKS, he delivers in a Madras baashai that's difficult to get it printed in English - he says "thiriyiyum vizhuda", not "thirumbavum vizhuda". A tiny detail, but I love it. In fact, it is such attention to detail that differentiates him from other actors. We should record such nuances and let the future/less attentive audience know. (What's your name? I don't see your email in your profile.)
good post.., I agree with most of your observations, Gounder was indeed the best...
didn't notice a "strong" mention of Nagesh and Chandrababu who I beleive started it all off..Galata kalyanam, pattanathil Budham, Ooty vare uravu were all fantastic movies..
I feel Rajni has more natural flair for comedy than Kamal, Kamal needs a crazy mohan to fire on the comedy front and in my opinion sucks at slapstick..Rajni on the contrary does not have conscious comedy streams, but still ends up displaying a terrific timing..
Other than Michael Madhana, to a certain extent Panchatantram, Avai Shanmughi..: Kamal's attempt at comedy has always come across stiff..IMO
But you're right in that when he's good he's classic..Looking forward to your post on Michael Madhana..
Err, prasad, I meant Goundamani! :-P
Prasad, he says "Thiri(n)yun Uzhuda Somaari-nnaanaan!" (and I agree, it's not easy to get it in any language)! I wrote that one in full to emphasize the "um" suffix to the word -- it's too short otherwise -- that was important for the words to flow in cadence. :P
P.S.:- I've updated my profile.
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