AND THE AWARD GOES TO... (2004 edition)

It is time now to reward the best of the fare that was offered during 2004. The awards here will be along the lines of the Academy Awards presentation in the US, with a maximum of five nominations followed by declaration of the winner. The nominees will be listed in alpabetical order.

Note: As was the case with the 2004 yearly recap, these awards deal only with the movies that I watched between 1/1/04 and 12/31/04. Deserving candidates that may have been released in 2004 but which I have not seen yet will therefore not be considered. Ofcourse, they will make it to the awards presented in 2006.

BEST PICTURE

The nominees : Aaydha Ezhuthu
Autograph
Kudaikkul Mazhai
Perazhagan
Virumaandi

The Winner : Virumaandi
The unique screenplay, which presented two slightly different versions of the same events(but with radically different consequences) as the flashbacks of two persons, was the highlight of this venture from Kamalhassan. Though the intended message against capital punishment never came through, the movie on its own was top-notch with the unique first half with the two flashbacks and a thrilling second half within the claustrophobic confines of a jail. Abhirami's performance was an eye-opener while Ilaiyaraja's background score and soundtrack provided able support.

BEST DIRECTOR

The nominees : Cheran ( Autograph )
Kamalhaasan ( Virumaandi )
Manirathnam ( Aaydha Ezhuthu )
Parthiban ( Kudaikkul Mazhai )
Selvaraghavan ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )

The Winner : Cheran
Some wonderfully conceptualized, visualized and executed scenes dotted this very personal movie from Cheran. It was a wonderful walk down memory lane, as Cheran took us back to three chapters in his past life and introduced us to the three women who played important parts in his life. He also displayed a strong directorial grip in the climax, which was emotionally charged because of untold feelings and unspoken words.

BEST ACTOR

The nominees : Kamalhaasan ( Virumaandi )
Madhavan Aaydha Ezhuthu )
Parthiban ( Kudaikkul Mazhai )
Simbhu ( Manmadhan )
Surya ( Perazhagan )

The Winner : Surya
Surya, in easily the best performance of his career to date, effortlessly switched between being hilarious and invoking tears in this entertaining flick. Playing a good-hearted, buck-toothed hunchback who doesn't let life kick him down, he captured our hearts whether he was helping a love affair, trying to impress his blind lover or getting beaten by the village rowdy. The character's positive outlook on life was the key character trait and Surya's body language was perfect in conveying the essence of the character.

BEST ACTRESS

The nominees : Meera Jasmine ( Aaydha Ezhuthu )
Mallika ( Autograph )
Meena ( Shock )
Abhirami ( Virumaandi )
Sonia Agarwal ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )

The Winner : Abhirami
Abhirami was a revelation as the strong-willed village belle in Virumaandi. Upstaging Kamalhassan is no easy task but Abhirami managed to do just that with her perfectly accented dialog delivery and body language. While her spirited conversations with Kamalhassan were wonderfully timed, she simultaneously earned both our admiration and our sympathy when lashing out at her kidnappers after being kidnapped by Pasupathi.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

The nominees : Arunkumar ( Iyarkai )
Kumaravel ( Azhagiya Theeye )
Napoleon ( Virumaandi )
Parthiban ( Soori )
Vijayan ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )

The Winner : Kumaravel
Kumaravel delivered his lines with the ease of a seasoned comedian and managed to stand out in the sea of lesser-known faces in Azhagiya Theeye. His deadpan facial expressions increased the effectiveness of his lines and he was a major factor in ensuring that we never stopped smiling during the movie.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The nominees : Nadiya ( M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi )
Pranathi ( Gambeeram )
Rohini ( Virumaandi )

The Winner : Nadiya
Nadiya was radiant in her return to Tamil cinema in the key role of the hero's mother in M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi. She joked her way into our hearts as the young but strong-willed mother who was more of a friend to her son and also earned our sympathy midway through the movie. My only complaint was that she looked young enough to play Ravi's lover rather than his mother!

BEST VILLAIN

The nominees : Bharath ( Chellame )
Bharathiraja ( Aaydha Ezhuthu )
Kalabhavan Mani ( Bose )
Pasupathi ( Virumaandi )
Prakashraj ( Gilli )

The Winner : Pasupathi
Pasupathi's villainous performance was as important as Kamalhassan's characterization in making the viewer despise his character in Virumaandi. With piercing eyes and a snarling smile, the actor oozed villainy even when narrating his version of the story, where he came off as the good guy. Small acts(note the way he keeps snipping unwanted facial and body hair) rather than loud antics ensured that he earned our revulsion quite easily.

BEST COMEDIAN

The nominees : Dhamu ( Gilli )
Karunas ( Attagaasam )
Santhanam (Manmadhan )
Vadivelu ( Giri )
Vivek ( Perazhagan )

The Winner : Vivek
Though Vivek did not have quite as strong a year as the last few years, weak competition ensured that he won the crown for best comedian in 2004 also. His role of the marriage broker in Perazhagan kept us in splits and was key in keeping the movie entertaining even when the hunchbacked Surya was not onscreen. Whether long scenes with good punchlines (like the scene with a very particular 'client') or small, throwaway lines (like his comment to the bleating goat), Vivek delivered in a big way.

BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR

The nominees : Harris Jayaraj ( Chellame )
Ilaiyaraja ( Virumaandi )
Jassie Gift ( 4 Students )
Vidyasagar ( Gilli )
Yuvan Shankar Raja ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )

The Winner : Ilaiyaraja
Inspite of stiff competition from his own son, Ilaiyaraja came out tops in composing the most memorable and effective music in 2004. Whether the soothing melody of Unna Vida... or the playfulness of Kombula..., his songs for Virumaandi were suitably rustic and earthy and slid effortlessly into the movie. His background score moved perfectly between being muted or grand depending on the scene and the scene where Kamal breaks out of jail in the climax was made the most hair-raising of the year mainly because of the background song and music.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

The nominees : Ravi K. Chandran ( Aaydha Ezhuthu )
K.Ekambaram ( Iyarkai )
B.L.Sanjay ( Kudaikkul Mazhai )
K.V.Anand ( Chellame )
M.V.Panneerselvam ( Shock )

The Winner : Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi.K.Chandran managed to achieve the difficult task of making his cinematography breathtaking but unintrusive in Aaydha Ezhuthu. His camera seemed to be an almost physical part of most scenes, whether it was flying acrobatically over the beach or capturing the dazzling lights at a disco. The cinematography, combined with the imaginative set design, made the movie a delight for viewers interested in the technical aspects of a movie.

The nominees :	Aaydha Ezhuthu Autograph Kudaikkul Mazhai Perazhagan Virumaandi
The Winner :	Virumaandi
The unique screenplay, which presented two slightly different versions of the same events(but with radically different consequences) as the flashbacks of two persons, was the highlight of this venture from Kamalhassan. Though the intended message against capital punishment never came through, the movie on its own was top-notch with the unique first half with the two flashbacks and a thrilling second half within the claustrophobic confines of a jail. Abhirami's performance was an eye-opener while Ilaiyaraja's background score and soundtrack provided able support.

The nominees :	Cheran ( Autograph ) Kamalhaasan ( Virumaandi ) Manirathnam ( Aaydha Ezhuthu ) Parthiban ( Kudaikkul Mazhai ) Selvaraghavan ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )
The Winner :	Cheran
Some wonderfully conceptualized, visualized and executed scenes dotted this very personal movie from Cheran. It was a wonderful walk down memory lane, as Cheran took us back to three chapters in his past life and introduced us to the three women who played important parts in his life. He also displayed a strong directorial grip in the climax, which was emotionally charged because of untold feelings and unspoken words.

The nominees :	Kamalhaasan ( Virumaandi ) Madhavan Aaydha Ezhuthu ) Parthiban ( Kudaikkul Mazhai ) Simbhu ( Manmadhan ) Surya ( Perazhagan )
The Winner :	Surya
Surya, in easily the best performance of his career to date, effortlessly switched between being hilarious and invoking tears in this entertaining flick. Playing a good-hearted, buck-toothed hunchback who doesn't let life kick him down, he captured our hearts whether he was helping a love affair, trying to impress his blind lover or getting beaten by the village rowdy. The character's positive outlook on life was the key character trait and Surya's body language was perfect in conveying the essence of the character.

The nominees :	Meera Jasmine ( Aaydha Ezhuthu ) Mallika ( Autograph ) Meena ( Shock ) Abhirami ( Virumaandi ) Sonia Agarwal ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )
The Winner :	Abhirami
Abhirami was a revelation as the strong-willed village belle in Virumaandi. Upstaging Kamalhassan is no easy task but Abhirami managed to do just that with her perfectly accented dialog delivery and body language. While her spirited conversations with Kamalhassan were wonderfully timed, she simultaneously earned both our admiration and our sympathy when lashing out at her kidnappers after being kidnapped by Pasupathi.

The nominees :	Arunkumar ( Iyarkai ) Kumaravel ( Azhagiya Theeye ) Napoleon ( Virumaandi ) Parthiban ( Soori ) Vijayan ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )
The Winner :	Kumaravel
Kumaravel delivered his lines with the ease of a seasoned comedian and managed to stand out in the sea of lesser-known faces in Azhagiya Theeye. His deadpan facial expressions increased the effectiveness of his lines and he was a major factor in ensuring that we never stopped smiling during the movie.

The nominees :	Nadiya ( M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi ) Pranathi ( Gambeeram ) Rohini ( Virumaandi )
The Winner :	Nadiya
Nadiya was radiant in her return to Tamil cinema in the key role of the hero's mother in M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi. She joked her way into our hearts as the young but strong-willed mother who was more of a friend to her son and also earned our sympathy midway through the movie. My only complaint was that she looked young enough to play Ravi's lover rather than his mother!

The nominees :	Bharath ( Chellame ) Bharathiraja ( Aaydha Ezhuthu ) Kalabhavan Mani ( Bose ) Pasupathi ( Virumaandi ) Prakashraj ( Gilli )
The Winner :	Pasupathi
Pasupathi's villainous performance was as important as Kamalhassan's characterization in making the viewer despise his character in Virumaandi. With piercing eyes and a snarling smile, the actor oozed villainy even when narrating his version of the story, where he came off as the good guy. Small acts(note the way he keeps snipping unwanted facial and body hair) rather than loud antics ensured that he earned our revulsion quite easily.

The nominees :	Dhamu ( Gilli ) Karunas ( Attagaasam ) Santhanam (Manmadhan ) Vadivelu ( Giri ) Vivek ( Perazhagan )
The Winner :	Vivek
Though Vivek did not have quite as strong a year as the last few years, weak competition ensured that he won the crown for best comedian in 2004 also. His role of the marriage broker in Perazhagan kept us in splits and was key in keeping the movie entertaining even when the hunchbacked Surya was not onscreen. Whether long scenes with good punchlines (like the scene with a very particular 'client') or small, throwaway lines (like his comment to the bleating goat), Vivek delivered in a big way.

The nominees :	Harris Jayaraj ( Chellame ) Ilaiyaraja ( Virumaandi ) Jassie Gift ( 4 Students ) Vidyasagar ( Gilli ) Yuvan Shankar Raja ( 7/G Rainbow Colony )
The Winner :	Ilaiyaraja
Inspite of stiff competition from his own son, Ilaiyaraja came out tops in composing the most memorable and effective music in 2004. Whether the soothing melody of Unna Vida... or the playfulness of Kombula..., his songs for Virumaandi were suitably rustic and earthy and slid effortlessly into the movie. His background score moved perfectly between being muted or grand depending on the scene and the scene where Kamal breaks out of jail in the climax was made the most hair-raising of the year mainly because of the background song and music.

The nominees :	Ravi K. Chandran ( Aaydha Ezhuthu ) K.Ekambaram ( Iyarkai ) B.L.Sanjay ( Kudaikkul Mazhai ) K.V.Anand ( Chellame ) M.V.Panneerselvam ( Shock )
The Winner :	Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi.K.Chandran managed to achieve the difficult task of making his cinematography breathtaking but unintrusive in Aaydha Ezhuthu. His camera seemed to be an almost physical part of most scenes, whether it was flying acrobatically over the beach or capturing the dazzling lights at a disco. The cinematography, combined with the imaginative set design, made the movie a delight for viewers interested in the technical aspects of a movie.