A Tribute to Tamil cinema's greatest comedian EVER!!

Tamil cinema has seen different epochs of comedians and nature of comedies right from the age old days of N.S.Krishnan with meaningful and thoughtful comedies to the present day slapstick and seldom meaningful ones. One man has however stood the test of time and remains in the hearts of young and old alike. Yes, I am talking about the one and only Nagesh, who in my opinion the greatest comedian the tamil film industry has ever produced till date.

If there was one man who could make you both laugh with his rib tickling comedy sense and cry with his unbelievable acting it would be this man. Personally Kadhalikka Neramillai is up there among the most hilarious movies I have ever seen. Nagesh cemented his place in our hearts with his role as Chellappa, a wannabe director and a prodigal son of a wealthy estate owner played by T.S Balaiya. The scene where he narrates his film’s story to his father(with special effects J) deserves special mentions and you can’t help but appreciate Nagesh’s acting and portrayal of the spine chilling effect the narration has on Balaiya. The image of Nagesh with his conductor-like bag in his hand as the owner of “oho productions” has been etched in our memories for ever. His role as “tharumi” in Thiruvilayadal won him great acclaim as a comedian and the scene featuring him questioning Sivaji Ganesan( as Lord Shiva in poet’s disguise) about his poetic prowess and the soliloquy he indulges in are scenes that you never get tired of watching.

Nagesh was surprisingly not all about just comedy sense and his funny actions. His versatility saw him snatch stardom even in films that demanded of him serious and making-people-cry roles. In this regard two films come to my mind.. Ethir Neechal and Major Chandrakanth. Ethir Neechal portrays Nagesh as an orphaned, poor college student Madhu who barely manages to pay off his fees and feed himself. The story goes on to deal with the various problems he faces in life and how he overcomes each of them to finally taste success. You can’t help but feel sorry for Madhu in the scenes where he comes begging for food saying “Madhu vandhuirukkein”. This movie is a must watch and be warned of some really moving scenes, it can make people cry. The latter of the aforementioned movies features him as an aggrieved brother of a cheated sister (played by Jayalalitha) who eventually commits suicide. He seeks justice for his sister and vows to avenge her death. When he does find out the cause of her death he goes in search of the cheat to kill him. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself sheltered by the father of the man he had killed (played by Major Sundarrajan). This film showcased his immense acting talents that were not reserved just to the humour side. This again is a must watch film if you want to catch a glimpse of some immensely heart wrenching acting from Nagesh.

Server Sundaram which portrays him as a struggling waiter who attains stardom in the cine world and his life’s ups and downs is another film worthy of mention. Thought to be loosely based on his real life story this movie is among the top ones he’s acted in. Be it supporting roles, protagonist or comedian roles his prolific acting has seen him win many a laurels and many hearts. Some of his other memorable movies include Pattinathil bootham, Bama Vijayam, Vietnam Veedu and Thillana Mohanambal.

Later in his career he also acted as the main villain and also as sidekick antagonist in many films like Aboorva Sagodharargal, Adhisaya piravi among others. In his cameo role as the dead body in Magalir Mattum he stole the limelight without even uttering a single word with his memorable mock fight with thalaivasal vijay.

Nagesh has carved himself a special place in the world of tamil cinema and is remembered even today for his memorable roles and unforgettable comedy snippets. He’s probably the most multifaceted actor the industry has ever had and has forever cemented his place in the hearts of tamil cine lovers.

Hats off!!

No Good and Bad - Only Old and New

The movie was Ratatouille (2007). The scene was a critic writing an article, after his ego had been completely thrashed. And this was what he wrote. (I request you to read it slowly and carefully.)

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.”

I am so impressed with this quote that I shall repeat a part of it.

“... in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.”

I believe reading and understanding this would make any rational critic feel humble and responsible at the same time.

This quote tries to convey the message that all criticism is meaningless without the art or artifact that it criticizes.

For example, director Selvaraghavan makes a film called Aayirathil Oruvan (A Man In A Thousand). I write a review thrashing it for its inept screenplay and pathetic computer visuals. I even comically title my review as “Aayirathil Oruvan - Theatre il oruvanum illai” (A Man In A Thousand - No man in the Theatre). People read it on the internet, laugh out loud and share it with friends. And I feel happy.

The crucial point here is that the humour of my review derives its life-blood from Aayirathil Oruvan. If my review existed without Aayirathil Oruvan being made, the review would not be funny nor would it have meaning. So it would be foolish for me to imagine that I am better than Director Selvaraghavan, and that my review is better than Aayirathil Oruvan. It is only when I have such level-headedness can I produce meaningful criticism. Otherwise my critiques would purely be an expression of my ego and will not have the capability to bring change.

Change is a crucial word. I believe that there can be no progress in art. There can only be variation or change. Progress means going from one state to a better state with a particular destination in mind. Art has no destination nor can you compare its states to evaluate which is better. Hence, I believe it is meaningless for critics to claim any piece of art as progressive or taking art to the next level. It is only correct to say that the art is new or is different from the rest and has therefore brought about a variation. So claiming that Kamal Haassan is carrying Tamil cinema forward on his shoulders is a statement that would be against the rationalism that the Ulaganayagan (World Hero) believes in.

This might seem a trivial issue. What is wrong if I say cinema is progressing instead of saying cinema is changing? It brings prejudice into the picture.

If I am shown two films and I am asked “Are the two films different?”, I can use my knowledge and observational skills to answer the question. But if I am asked “Is one of the films better than the other?” my prejudice is sure to interfere with my judgment. If I am someone who believes films should have a happy climax, and one of the films has a gloomy ending, I would definitely rate it lower.

In the same way, when I am reviewing a film, if the film matches my set of prejudices I would evaluate it as a good film. If the film has the qualities that I aspire for a Tamil film, then I will call it progressive. But the fact is there are different scales for evaluating goodness and progress.

Thus, when I look at films as a critic, I must try to discover the novelty in every film. It is easy to spot what is old and make fun of it. It is tougher to spend time searching for novelty and then defending it. And if as a critic, I do not make an attempt to discover what is new, I am not taking sufficient risk and I am just playing safe. (This interestingly equates me to the artist, whom I criticize of being afraid to do something new.)

Moral of the story: Don’t waste time mocking the old. Discover and praise what is new.