Oct 18 2011
Vaagai Sooda Vaa
Director Sargunam’s debut Kalavaani was a charming film that told a simple love story with a consistent undertone of humor. For his sophomore effort Vaagai Sooda Vaa, Sargunam aims higher in both canvas and scope as he delivers a period film that drives home an important message. The uncomplicated screenplay and natural humor work when the movie keeps things simple but the director’s low-key approach dilutes the impact of his message when he gets around to conveying it.
The year is 1966 and Velu(Vimal) takes up a short-term teaching assignment in the village of Kandeduthankadu to get the certificate that will enable him to land a government job. The kids and their parents all work in the brick kiln run by Andai(Ponvannan) and the kids show no interest in attending Velu’s school. As he tries to figure out ways to get them interested, Madhi(Iniya), who runs a teastall, develops a liking for him.
In Kalavaani, Sargunam reminded us of Bagyaraj with his ability to effortlessly extract humor from every situation. Here he underscores the similarity more directly as Vimal’s profession and the nature of his encounters with Iniya and the village kids bring to mind Bagyaraj’s most successful film Mundhaanai Mudichu. So its no surprise that Bagyaraj’s introduction sees him returning from the market with a bag of drumsticks!
Situations like Vimal’s lack of excitement about his job, the kids’ playfulness and their unwillingness to attend school are ripe for humor and the film exploits them well. The episodes where the kids pull a fast one over Vimal are all funny(his encounter with the goat is the pick of the lot) with the simple and natural dialogs making a considerable contribution. Vimal being the butt of the jokes ensures that the romance with Iniya(the role food plays in this is another aspect that reminds us of Mundhaanai Mudichu) and his conversations with Thambi Ramaiyah(revolving around math problems) also get their share of laughs.
Though the plight of the villagers is clear right from the beginning, the humor keeps it in the background for most of the film. When the hardships the kids and parents undergo by working at the kiln is finally brought to the forefront and the film’s tone undergoes an abrupt shift, it feels rather late. As a result, the proceedings feel rushed. Also, many of the key scenes after that, whether its the kids finally going to school or the parents realizing that they’ve been cheated and fighting back, are rather muted and don’t contain the soaring emotions that accompany such scenarios.
Vimal is content playing the foil to Iniya and the kids and fits well into the 60s. Iniya is very expressive and is able to convey a lot with a squint of her eyes or a slight smile. Bagyaraj doesn’t get much screen time but manages to deliver a rant that raises laughs because of his trademark style of dialog delivery. Ponvannan, in keeping with the film’s low-key style, plays a bad guy without much fanfare. The kids are a fun lot and their innocent expressions and smiles as they lie blatantly never fail to make us smile.
Music director Ghibran makes a sensational debut here. Sara Sara… is a fabulous number sung beautifully by Chinmayi. The picturization too excels in both concept and cinematography, making it a song sequence where everything comes together. Poraaney… is another instantly catchy number sung with a unique style by Neha Basin as is Senga Soola Kaara…, sung energetically by Anitha. Aanaa Aavannaa… is a slow number that still manages to serve as a fitting backdrop to the scenario of kids being educated. As in any period film, the cinematography and art direction are crucial here too. With the film being set in a remote village, there’s no need for big sets(unlike in, say, Madharasapattinam) but props like the radio and the old-style utensils help recreate the era. Om Prakash’s cinematography is fabulous. The starkness of the land is brought to life through the sepia tones and brown really looks beautiful.
12 responses so far
from ur review, it does sound like a good quality movie…so, its unfortunate that the movie has flopped at the b-o…feel bad for sargunam…i L_O_V_E_D kalavaani…this must’ve been closer to his heart given your description…hope these directors’ careers don’t get derailed after b-o failure in their sophomore efforts…
u must’ve heard this – vimal returned his salary to the producer coz of the movie’s b-o failure…
Good review. I saw it recently and the items that stood out were the following:
Music: I am always awestruck by any sensational debut by a music director. Music seemingly is made with just 7 basic sounds. But when you think of all the film music (I am not including classical music) made in all languages in India, I am in awe of any music director who comes out with some different music not ending up copying any of the tunes of MSV, IR, ARR,SG and all those before them. Ghibran is one of them. Hopefully his next attempt will also be equally good, if not better. (It brings to mind, Deepak Dev, who had a sensational debut in the Malayalam film “Chronic Bachelor”, but then was not able to provide the same level.)
Photography : Nothing more to add to your words. Fabulous.
Rustic and natural humor : Like Slumdog Millionaire, the kids rule the roost here.
Iniya – good acting
I saw the film and enjoyed it as well. A couple of thoughts that ran through my head while I watched the movie: while Vimal was getting beat up by 5 henchman I kept praying that he doesn’t ‘hulk up’ and beat them off single-handedly. And he didn’t do that! I was so surprised in a pleasant way.
Just goes to show you that horrible movies that you have watched in the past have a long-lasting impact. It effects movies that you watch later on too. I would have much rather been worrying about whether Vimal will survive the beating. And that is why having a trustworthy review-site like yours is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
Jay, That was a nice thing to highlight about the film. I’ve been catching up with some older 2011 films over the past week and each one of them has given similar feelings to me – Aadukalam, Nootrenbadhu and Ko. All 3 are very different films in terms of genre, but in a few minor scenes, I was more intently paying attention to whether they fall back to old Tamil cinema cliches instead of what was actually happening on screen. It wasn’t until later that I realized my time would’ve been better spent on the events unfolding on screen. Even Kalavaani had more than its fair share of such moments. Just something that I had been wondering about as well.
Balaji, Looks like it is a solid follow-up to Kalavaani, which was a film I really enjoyed. Don’t expect it to release anytime soon, so may have to wait on the DVD. Anyways, I have a huge backlog of 2011 films to catch up with.
Thanks primarily to your review and catching up with milliblog as well, I was introduced to the wonderful soundtrack by Ghibran, and it has been on my phone ever since. I simply cannot get Sara Sara… out of my head.
Added to the list. I’m fast catching up with movies before Diwali hits. Then the list would get even longer….
We just watched Engeyum Eppothum and were blown away. Brilliant characterization and excellent screenplay. You were right about the suspense being exposed right upfront. It did affect the movie slightly but overall a treat to watch. I’m so glad that this movie is still running amidst Vedi and other commercial pot boilers because it proves that the Tamil audience can appreciate quality no matter where they come from…
I loved the simplicity of this movie. And I have been totally obsessed by the songs.
The tone of the movie is passive and underwhelming and I actually appreciated it after all the loud masala movies that get dished out.
The movie didn’t have a storyline to last 2 hrs, maybe that’s why didn’t make it in the BO. But I definitely enjoyed watching it.. and love the ‘Sara Sara Saara Kaathu’ song.
Agree to your review. Felt the depiction of the villains in the movie (Ponvannan & the other) was shallow and without enough substance. Including their hurried up ending. The crux of the movie, Vimal succeeding in making the kids attend classes was not convincing enough… Little more focus on the above would’ve added weight to the story and the 2 plus hour narration.
Inspite of the above, the movie was fine enough with its light hearted, unpretentious, simple story telling. Music and photography stood out. Iniya is a good find. It is more than a good attempt for a second movie of the director.
Venkit Subramanian,
I respectfully disagree with you about Deepak Dev. Check out his soundtracks for “Symphony” “Urumi” “Tournament” and “Christian Brothers”….he’s easily one of the 10 best music directors (currently) in India….
ram, yes, its a simple, clean, low-key entertainer that conveys a message too. So I definitely hope its BO performance doesn’t affect Sargunam’s career.
venkit, yeah Ghibran’s music felt totally unique and didn’t show the influence of any other music director. Though I haven’t heard Deepak Dev’s works, there have been a few other composers who impressed with their debuts but couldn’t replicate their success. Hope Ghibran gives us more albums of this quality.
Jay/Balaji, considering how the movie was going, I wasn’t too surprised that Vimal didn’t turn into a superhero (I definitely would’ve been horrified if he had!). I guess the good thing is that we are getting enough movies that don’t stick to familiar cliches nowadays so that we won’t be very surprised by such scenes this any more.
Meera, yes EE’s success will definitely warm the hearts of those who love Tamil cinema and the way its going right now.
munimma, I enjoyed the tone of the movie for the most part but would’ve liked some more energy and emotions in the last part.
San, glad u enjoyed it. The film had a simple storyline but the director did manage to keep us engaged through it. Its just not easy to pinpoint why films work/don’t work at the BO.
bart, exactly. after most of the movie leading upto it, Vimal actually teaching the kids was glossed over.
Watched it yesterday. Good movie but not as engaging as Kalavani. The romance was muted, the storyline wandered all over the place. Clean movie without any crass stuff is what stood in my mind. Could watch it with my mom without wincing or grimacing… The songs were very catchy…