Classics : Nayagan

This year marks the completion of 25 years since one of the most acclaimed Indian movies released. On the 21st of October 1987, Mani Ratnam who had then recently won numerous accolades for Mouna Raagam, teamed up with the star who had then been just nearing 33 years of age but had been in the film industry for 27 years with 2 national awards already in his basket of accolades. Need I mention that I was referring to the evergreen Padmashri Kamal Hassan, who won his 3rd National Award for this film. The film also won 2 other National Awards (Cinematography and Art Direction) and was India's entry to the Academy awards where it was so unfortunately overlooked. In 2005, Time Magazine's critics Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss came up with a list of the all time 100 best films in which there were only 3 Indian films - Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy (Counted as one), Guru Dutt's Pyaasa and the third one is the film I am writing about. In addition to all of this, Nayagan was a box office smash. It marked a paradigm shift in the trend of Tamil cinema. Gangster movies in India had never been realistic in any way, be it the fights or the portrayal of the Gangsters themselves. It was probably for the first time that so violent a gangster film had no protagonist per se. Even the titular character was portrayed in what is called "shades of grey" i.e both the bad and the good side have been portrayed. The film is said to be inspired from The Godfather (also the bulky cheek make up Marlon Brando wore in The Godfather was worn by Kamal Hassan in Nayagan) and based on the life of real life underworld don Varadaraja Mudaliar. When Indian films are "inspired", it is generally taken for granted that they have been copied from Hollywood. But rest assured folks, this one is not just an exception. It is exceptional. Directed and Written by Mani Ratnam and starring a load of Tamil cinema greats - Kamal Hassan, Saranya Ponvannan(debutante), Janakaraj, Delhi Ganesh, Nasser, Tinnu Anand and Nizhalgal Ravi along with the support of Mani Ratnam's solid technical team consisting of Maestro Ilaiyaraja (music & score), P.C.Sriram (Cinematography), B.Lenin and V.T.Vijayan (Editing), Thotta Tharani (Art) and Balakumaran (Dialogue), Nayagan is not an Indian version of The Godfather but has it's own identity. It is The Indian Gangster Film of all time.

The plot:

Young Velu Naicker witnesses his father being massacred by the police for standing up for his rights. After killing the policeman responsible for his father's death, he flees. Now in Bombay, he is taken care of by a kindly old Muslim man who transports smuggled goods for money, mostly to help other people. Velu is brought up with the ideal - "No deed is a bad deed when it helps people". As Velu grows up, he stands up to his values with steadfast resolve. He becomes a criminal benefactor to the poor people. He becomes the "Naicker Ayya" to the masses. He is the humanly god of the slum dwellers. Yet, being a man in the world of crime, he has as many enemies as he has friends. From thence, is a saga of Velu's journey as a don over the years. He experiences pain after pain over the years, all due to his adamant attachment to his values of survival. He loses happiness after happiness for his cause and due to his criminal activities, yet never wavers. Near and dear ones around him die violent deaths over the years in front of his eyes. Other loved ones leave him because of his dark trades. Will he ever find happiness and peace? That's for you to find out.


The performances:

Now, it is a known fact that Kamal Hassan is the doyen of method acting in India. His treasure is full of performances that may be lapped up in future schools as lessons in the immaculate art of acting. But, what one sees in his performance as the don of the masses, is not the perfect actor, but the imperfect human being. It is seen all over that the portrayal of the leading character in any Indian film since times yore, has been a cent percent depiction of an ever prevalent good side. While the antagonist is always a human Satan. Now, here is where Mr Hassan triumphs. His portrayal of the don over the ages is a performance for the ages. He brings out the angst of youth, the happiness in love, the pain of separation, the feel of power, the horror of crime and the total surrender that comes with age with the subtlety of an artist painting his masterpiece. His performance merited him a well deserved National Award. There are places where one is simply arrested by his presence on screen. His performance is particularly notable in places:
1.)  The scene of Velu Naicker's outbreak at the hospital - Why this scene is so notable is because of the near perfect care taken by the actor to portray the anger that is inbuilt in a man of crime. His voice (amply assisted by betel leaves) and tone reflect the authority and passion that comes with power. Add to all this is his ample use of body language, particularly his arms which highlight the frustration that is inherent in that situation.
2.)   The scene of the distraught policeman - Here is where Mr Hassan shows the magic of underplaying. His casual folded leg posture, upright face and of course betel leaves in the mouth, show why one can speak volumes without speaking. His ample display of quiet shock in his face and a tone of quiet disbelief speaks more than any amount of loud dialogue.
3.)   Naicker's Outburst after Selva's arrest - Here is where the actor uses a gruff tone of anger and a cynical tone of mock to express the rage of a friend. Absolutely fantastic.
4.)  The famous good or bad scene - The creme de la creme of the movie comes in front of the courthouse where an old Velu sees his grandson. The little boy asks him whether he is good or bad. And all that comes out is a simple "I don't know". But his eyes which are to the brim, speak volumes of emotions which gave goosebumps to many a viewer and tears in the eyes of others. The way he lowers his eyelids and lifts them back to show how he feels gives the viewer more than just an idea of his talent.
Mr Hassan's performance is so passionate that one tends to overlook the slight over the top sequences (classic one being the scene where Velu cries over his son). It is most definitely Mr. Hassan's Piece de Resistance.
Saranya Ponvannan was ample in a small role. It proved to be the foundation for her later career as an actress. Janakaraj takes a deviation from his usual slapstick comedian roles to a slightly more serious one and actually excels in it. One wonders why he never did such a role again. Tinnu Anand gives a good cameo as a mentally challenged man. The rest of the cast including  Nasser, Nizhalgal Ravi and Delhi Ganesh are just adequate.
In all, Nayagan is a film that rides almost solely on the acting prowess of a one man ensemble.


The Screenplay and Direction:

Mani Ratnam, the auteur of the new line of Tamil cinema of the 80s, crafts his best piece which he has never been able to top till date. He shows his ample taste for heart wrenching melodrama with flying colours. His signature use of long pauses between dialogues is not that much of a hindrance to the viewer as it suits the theme well. Also the writer of the film, he has drafted a screenplay that flits through time at a very deliberate pace. It would have been quite a cumbersome experience to draft a screenplay so full of people portraying intense emotions. Maybe that is why the movie works despite it's well heard storyline. Mr Ratnam has made use of many elements from the classic The Godfather, only to craft a film that is quite unique altogether. It can be seen that he has been quite wise by omitting the usual tamil movie action scenes and concentrated more on the person himself. The scenes involving violence are more sympathetic to reality than swashbuckling altogether. One can argue that the director has been careless when it came to portraying the negative side of gang violence. But when one watches the movie, the immediate observation is that such a mistake can be forgiven because of the even concentration put in by the director and screenwriter in trying to portray one persona across years of his life. In all, it may not be Mr. Ratnam's masterpiece in terms of writing and direction, but when looked at as an allround show, it is his piece de resistance. Brownie points go to Mani Ratnam for piecing out a violent drama with striking sympathy for realism and passionate melodrama.


Technical work:

Nayagan has Mani Ratnam's regular technical wizards. The national Award winning Cinematography by P.C Sreeram is one of the mediums that Mr. Ratnam uses to tell his story. His use of multi angle camera shots and "bright light in the dark" shots emphasize the points of attention for the viewer whilst providing a grim beauty to the equally grim tone of the film. The editing by B Lenin and V T Vijayan is watertight as usual. Yet another national award for the film came for it's realistic art direction by Thotta Tharani. His set pieces are so apt for the mood and locales of the film that one may even mistake it for a real house. Maestro Ilaiyaraja comes up with one of his best movie scores ever. His use of bells and the flute gives the movie half it's emotional intensity. His songs, penned aptly by Kavignar Vaali and Kavignar Pulamaipithan, are also well known and famous though one or two might have been placed just for compliance with the formula of Tamil movies. The most notable of Ilaiyaraja's works in the film are the songs "Then Paandi Cheemaiyile" (for it is one of the goosebump raisers in the movie) and the rustic number "Nila Adhu" (For it's insanely atrocious lyrics and bold picturisation). In all, the technical wizards excel the director in the execution of their work.

One of the greatest Tamil movies of all time, Nayagan has grown to be an evergreen classic that has only improved over age thanks only to two persons - Dr. Kamal Hassan and Maestro Ilaiyaraja. Had they not been there, the movie would have failed for sure, which sums up about every flaw in the film. It is an actor's movie. Just to watch the versatile artiste in his most subtle performance is more than a pleasure. It is a boon. It is a movie that has to be watched by any Tamil movie enthusiast and also by connoisseurs of Indian Cinema and gangster movies. It is one of the few movies that packs in a wholesome course of emotions which are intense and yet easy to stomach.

!!!!Classic!!!!