16
2008
Review: Vaaranam Aayiram - My daddy, my hero
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Fathers always get a raw deal when it comes to their sons. Strange but true, for most sons are always closer to their moms. Well it actually makes sense, when your daddy is all mad at you for breaking the flower pot with your bat, who do you run to? Whether they like it or not, fathers always have had to don the role of a stern patriarch, to instill discipline into their wayward sons. Whether it has been breaking windows, denting cars, stealing mangoes or stuffing our pockets with dried pickle on the terrace, our fathers have always been there to reprimand us. We’ve watch them shave every morning, dress up for work in those strapping full shirts, zoom away in the car/bike. We’ve all tried lathering up, or trying one of those over-sized shirts in front of the dressing table! We still remember the whiff of Old Spice in the air every morning our dad’s woke us up, or the gleam of the cuff links from the corner of our sleepy eyes. All said and done, fathers don’t get the same treatment when compared to mothers! Gautam Vasudev Menon tries to play with that bond in his latest flick Vaaranam Aayiram, which is a tribute to all fathers around the world.
It’s hard to write something about the movie without giving away the details pf the plot. A lot has already been written and there are a lot of spoilers already floating around the internet. Without adding to the existing confusion let us just try to look at the way it has been handled. If you didn’t know it earlier then let me tell you that Vaaranam Aayiram
is
the journey
of a manVaaranam Aayiram is the journey of a man from chasing his college sweetheart, to fathering a son and being his inspiration, to be distraught at being unable to read his grandson a bed-time story, to finally passing away with his wife by his side. Vaaranam Aayiram is the touching tale of a father who asks his son to fight back, when he is slapped by someone as a teenager, or telling him that he is on his own once he joins Engg college. The same father tells his son to never let go of his love and the same father pins him to the ground following a drug overdose. The father who sends his son away hoping that he will return a changed man, also convinces his wife to let his son live his dream of joining the armed forces at the IMA in Dehradun. The father who is cool about his sons female friends and even invites them home is also the same father who sits with his sons friends and even does a small jig at a birthday party. The father who bears the taunts of the loan-shark also walks up the stairs to wish his son good luck on his mission, unknowingly that it would be for the last time.
The movie belongs to Surya all the way, from start to finish.The guy is brilliant and this beats the biggest dud of the summer, ‘Dasavataaram‘ hands down. Kamal played ten roles for the heck of it and just to satiate his overblown ego. Here Surya plays almost nine roles with finesse and each of them was warranted by the script! They aren’t roles per say, but various facets of the same man through the ages. He starts of as a college-goer in the 70’s wooing Simran and the slowly graduates to a father with a handlebar mustache. From the father of a teenager with wizened spectacles to worried lines on the forehead of the father of a raging drug addict. He carries of the receding hairline as a grandfather and also the deep eyes and a french beard of a tired suffering man! The other Surya(dual role duh!) complete the other facets right from a XIIth std punk hair style to moon-walking like MJ and Arnold’s posters. Once he joins college he dons a lover boy look with guitar strapped to his shoulders, and an beard and cold eyes as he fights the pain of separation. The beard grows grisly and the locks grow longer as he befriends drugs, but that goes away once he joins the armed forces to return as a natty officer.
Simran has probably played the best role of her career and looks convincing as a college-goer in the 70slooks convincing as a college-goer in the 70s with the hair bun and kohl eyes. She also looks natural as a worried mother of a distraught son and looks graceful as she ages brilliantly into a grandmother. Sameera Reddy doesn’t have to say or do anything, but just look pretty and smile. Women in all of Gautam Menon’s previous movie are shown to be successful and Vaaranam Ayiram continues in the same vein. We have a REC,Trichy gold medalist who goes to study at UC,Berkeley. A lot of attention has been paid to detail and real events have been woven around the story like the Oklahoma Bombing. The cutouts in the songs have been true to their times and feature MGR and Kamal movies of that time. Al lot of care has been taken with the costumes as well and the styling has been true to the times right from thick glasses and bell bottoms to large ribbons and pastel colors. Surya’s growing years show Michael Jackson fan-dom and posters of billboard ads of Commando which was a rave at that time. One might notice a generous use of English in the screenplay, but I felt that they were more powerful this way and would loose their sheen when translated.
In the broader sense this film isn’t about Gautam Menon or Surya and his histrionics. The music is hugely popular on all radio stations and the camerawork is slick. The action sequences are tight and the movie sticks to the screenplay without fluctuating too much. The movie is a celebration of fatherhood, a bond often ignored by the cinema industry in favor of tear-jerkers featuring hapless mothers. I’m sure that every person walking out of the hall was reminded of his/her father at some point of time. It is a touching tale narrated in sorrow and also since most of Gautam Menon’s films begin with a narration by the lead actor. Do watch the movie with your father in a theatre if possible and do let me know how you felt. I couldn’t but then I know mine’s reading this, so the message still goes across. If you’ve never told your father how much you love him then please do for this is a very good time to do so. Thank you daddy for being there and watching me take every step. Thank you for bearing my tantrums and getting me whatever I wanted. Thank you for giving me the best education and never compromising at any stage. Thank you for being my rock of Gibraltar and teaching me how to be mentally tough. Thank you for just being my daddy and if I haven’t told you this before then let me say it again, I love you daddy and I miss you!
(Images Courtesy: Galatta.com)
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The movie so starkly reminds me of thavamai thavamirunthu.. and I wonder if it’s going to be any different if I see it.
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me: It’s sacrilege to compare a Cheran movie with Surya’s! But then to each his own…
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Also, add my disbelief about the “go get your love from across the pond” and th e”oh yeah, join the armed forces whenever you want” balderash..
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Aaaw.. the last para will surely make your father tear up.
About the movie.. I couldn’t convince my husband to go, may be I will go watch if with my father or with my father-in-law if I get a chance.
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me: thnx! too bad, but then yea you could watch it in Sathyam!
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I loved the movie too, Max. Totally. I thought the girl who played Priya did a good job too. Sameera appears to be so clean and fresh and is not a painted vamp. And she is gorgeous indeed. Clothes in this movie made a huge impact on me. Usually in other movies, they show the heroine’s dress sense changing the minute she leaves the country. Sameera remained the same. All the female cast was sensible and very wearable and immensely imitable. Preppy clothes at UCB rocked too
Surya was brilliant, yes
His body language changed from when he was a reckless kid to a courageous army officer!
Music: I looved Nenjikul! Thanks to wolfpayyan’s promo for this movie, I imagined him singing that song
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me: you imagined wolfboy singing the song? damn! But yea, Gautam was good with his overall styling…
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Awwww
I dunno about daddies but I’m going to see the movie for hot surya! 
Actually, its always a father-daughter thing isn’t it? daddy’s little girl/daddy’s princess…..maybe I should see the movie with Appa.
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me: oh yea, you should! lemme know how it went
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dood…full feelings!
i too liked inglipich in the movie…seemed natural, not contrived..and all the ladies r beautiful so lots eye candy
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me:totally! oh yea, who can argue bout the eye candy!
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Damn, i really cant believe i havent seen it yet…iv been hearin a lotta mixed reviews for the movie…some (rasanai lacking) ppl said it was way too long n kinda borin n all…but till now, everyone told me the father-son thing has been portrayed really, really wel..
I wanna watch this with my dad…for sure…cuz he’s kinda my closest companion n the person i admire n turn to for everythin…whether or not im a ‘daughter’ and not a ’son’…
Great review…semma touching ending!
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me: thnx, and well you should watch it with your dad!
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I still have to find a link to watch this movie…
nice ending to your post..nice of you to thank your dad, its one of those things that you cant ever do enough of…i’m sure your dad will feel extra proud of you when he reads it..
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me: he he thnx! I think he liked it!
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I totally loved the movie too! In fact, I’m going to put up my second post about the movie now
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me: LOL, can’t wait to read it!
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“one might notice a generous use of English in the screenplay, but I felt that they were more powerful this way and would loose their sheen when translated.”
The english dialogues actually irritated me…Little bit of english is fine , but this movie had a way too much english dialogues. And this in a movie with such a lovely tamil title ! One wonders, if not for the TN govt. tax relief , Goutham Menon would have given the title in english too ! Otherwise, thght the movie was OK…Its an out and out surya movie.
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me: anglicized tams like me won’t complain! But then some of them seemed more effective due to the use of English!
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From what you described it seems like a very nice and interesting movie. Thanks for the review, will certainly watch it. Surya is the best actor among the current lot and I think he does well choosing the subject. I hope he sees more success in future.
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me: Frnds from KC were telling me that this may come next week. But yea do watch it!
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Well to begin with I have not seen the movie but read a couple of reviews. The excess of English will not go down well with the dappan koothu crowd of rural Tamil Nadu. It is blasphemous to compare King Kamal with rising Surya. Who in the entire kollywood can enact the Naidu character of Dasavatarm? By the way what is reason for this Thangapadakam for hero daddy. Even Sivaji and Srikanth were out of phase in mind & deeds in the aforesaid movie.Sons often switch from mother fixation to daddy love like the phases of the moon.Only daughters are steady fast in parental relationships. It appears that Jyothika and her daughter have certainly brought luck,fortune and fame to the life of Surya. According to Mambalam whispers, crores have changed hands for a plot of prime land and Surya is planning a Vasantha Malligai on Arcot Road of T.Nagar.Gr8 going dude.
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me: I’m not comparing the two, just drawing a parallel between the need to play different roles. Kamal is and always will be the better actor for ages! But then no point in arguing with a kamal-fan father and a Rajini-fan son!
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Vaaranam Aayiram trimmed: Gautham
The latest venture of the Gautham-Suriya combo Vaaranam Aayiram, which ran for about 3 hours and 5 minutes on the first day of its release, has been trimmed after audiences felt that the film is slow and looks like a documentary post-interval. Rumour has it that some of the scenes were chopped by theatres outside the city without the consent of the producer or director. When contacted by this newspaper, Gautham rubbished the claims and went on to add, “It is true that we have trimmed about 10 minutes of footage from the film. The scene which appears soon after Divya comes to see Suriya in Deharadhun, a small portion of the movie after Suriya joins the army and part of the last rescue episode have been removed. The flick has been playing in cube format in 120 screens. Nothing can be done in a cube screening. Moreover, we have sent two editors including Antony to all the 80 theatres (even outstation ones) where prints were used and edited it.” This news item appeared today in Deccan Chronicle.
Well bete u have miles to go before u become a film critic/reviewer. The art of film editing is a class by its own and the role of the film editor in the success of a commercial film is as difficult and as important as its Director.The editor has to ensure that the film audience is held captive and spell bound within the confines of the film’s boundary, not allowing the audience even to sense the next scene of the film. One of the gr8 film editors of bollywood was Goldie, Vijay Anand and his classics include Johnny Mera Naam, Guide,Teesri Manzil, Jewel Thief etc.
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me: pa, I’m no critic. The only reason I was overtly soft towards this films is because it took me down memory. But then to each his own!
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I’m going to watch this movie, no matter what! I’m waiting for the Telugu version to come to our god-forsaken town. If it doesn’t come soon enough, even if it is in Tamil without sub-t’s, I’ll watch it. *runs to call Nanna shouting “Pitaashree!!”*
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me: I’ll see if I can help you!
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I agree to none here but RukmaniRam.
And in your post, isn’t that ‘whether’?
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me: to each his own! But then all you can think of is running a spellcheck in your head? thnx though…
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I think you did a good job reviewing the movie. I totally related to all what you said above. The MJ’s, the dad moments, SO REAL for me
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me: hey thnx for stopping by! I’m glad you liked it..
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awwwwwwwwwww….very touching…
hmmmm i rarely watch a tamil movie but your review is making me watch this one…
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me: he he thnx, do watch it!
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The last song I heard was Boney M’s ‘Daddy Cool’.
And if the flick is all about Simba and Mufasa can you phuleese explain the title to me sir?
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me: It’s the directors tribute to his dad and some things that took me down memory lane! Daddy cool was a super fab song, have you heard devang patel’s version of it? It’s called ‘Bloody Fool’
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Ahaa, first favorable review for the movie I am reading, thankyou :–)
Now I have to watch the movie.
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me: People are being too critical and not taking it in the right spirit. That explains all the reviews. Welcome to this space!
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Macha you’re dad is better at this movie review business than you are.
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Boss.. made the mistake of reading your review(at least skimming through it) before going for the movie..
had to say it left me totally disappointed.
If it was a movie about the father son relationship, then what was the whole second half doing?
If it was about one man’s journey in life , why is it that his romance alone occupies nearly 90% of the run time.
If this was supposed to be a realistic flick what about the visa interview scene and the whole way he chases down Sameera Reddy or joining the army after being an alcoholic and drug addict?
If this was supposed to be an action flick what on earth was the first half?
Gautham Menon would do well to stick to his action movies and leave the emotional movies to people who are capable of handling it much better.
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me: to each his own, all I’d say that in the end nobody felt cheated for having to pay and watch the movie.
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Na, na what I want to know is why is a daddy cool kind of film named after an Andal poem that says she dreamt of her lord arrive flanked by a 1000 elephants?
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Finally got to see the movie today. Loved the message of the movie “Whatever happens, life must go on.”
I was so disappointed that Kannathil Muthamittal was a commercial flop because Simran was brilliant in that. Hopefully this movie runs for a while and people see Simran for the quality actress she is. And Surya definitely showed that he is the next big Tamil ‘actor’.
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me: I saw kannathil only recently after some serious hounding from a frnd. watay movie, and yea Simran is much better in these non-face-paint movies! Though her dance in althota bhoopathy rawks!
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liked ur review max. And yeh agree with maami and wondered why is it called 1000 elephants.
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well the title is such becoz, Simran suggests that elder surya had the mental strength of a 1000 elephants. and he was a great man in the last scene. She even recites the andal shloka. Its vague i know!
GVM has a penchant for tamil titles.
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@max: did you realize that nearly half your replies to comments here contain “to each his own”?
BTW, saw the movie, drooled all over surya (for a large part, not all), fast forwarded all other sequences, ended up wondering if they were trying to make forrest gump with a cheran-mixed-with-karan-johar flavor.
to me, it was neither a tribute to anyone’s father, nor was it the journey of one man. The one thing I liked about the movie was that, after long, the makers of tamil cinema have realized that women objectify men too! (and kasakki pizhinjified it for whatever it was worth)
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ah I was missing my cynic frnd! There’s always two ways to look at something and in this case I chose to overlook the minor shortcomings. So wat if it seemed inspired and so wat someone got 99% or a visa just liek that. It’s a story in the end and a well told one. A lot of parts worked for me and hence the minor shortcomings didnt seem to hurt me.
Here’s something that explains it better. But then I love the way you look at things.
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In my defense, I didn’t “hate” the movie, but neither did I love it. I can allow for things like the visa incident in tam movies.. unless the movie claims to be ‘realistic’..I liked it for precisely the reasons listed in the other article, but just not as much.
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Max,
I think GVM was a confused man himself when he was directing this flick. He couldn’t pull off the act! It looks like he started the movie with some thing in mind and then Silamabarasan came in and added few stuff here and there improptu and hence the final output.
In few scenes, I could see the brilliance of GVM. He always handles romance part well. I loved it in here though flying overseas to woo a girl and the entire process of it is unrealistic. Surya was awesome! He has it in him to make to the first league and kick self-proclaimed numero uno of the current generation (that is the crop of actors after the generation of Kamal and Rajini) in his ass! (:P)
But as a GVM fan, I was disappointed with the o/p and I felt like asking the money back. And as an ardent Kamal Hasan fan, I take offense in the comparison and telling the world that Dasavatharam was a by-product of his overblown ego!
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