Kantara
What struck me the most about Kantara was its pace. For a movie which talks about the life of people in a village, their beliefs and rituals, it was a very fast paced movie. Not even one scene or frame was unwanted in the movie.
Let us look at the characters first.
Guruva's earnestness touched my heart. His belief was so pure, so unadulterated. His nature
was child like. When he realizes that the land lord was trying to bribe him, you could see the pain in his eyes.
I absolutely loved how Leela stood her ground when she had a conflict with her husband and her community. It showed the strength of her character, grit and her need to carve out her own identity.
Murali, the forest officer was an interesting character. He is one of those people who is easy to dislike. However, towards the end, we realize his heart was at the right place. Could he have done things better? Absolutely yes. However, that was who he was - a flawed person, much like many of us are.
Devendra, the landlord fooled me for the first half of the movie. I thought he is a genuinely generous land lord. But then, he lived up to the stereotype of the rich baddie. He got the gullible villagers on his side and then he went around with his devious schemes.
The lawyer cracked me up every time he came on the screen. All of us have encountered one such character in our lives - either an uncle/aunt, or a friend or an officer. They get angry and they cool down as quickly. No one gets upset with them.
Shiva starts off as a good hearted rowdy. Then, destiny leads him to the glorious path that awaits him. His character is grey too. He is not a perfect person. He does things which are not always right. But, the way Shiva becomes the demi God is stunning. The sincerity with which he transforms is mind numbingly beautiful.
About scenes that stole the show, Guruva tells the Land lord that he needs to set things right. Later on, he recounts the same to the landlord as the God. That was subtle, yet brilliant.
The scene where Land lord mistakenly feels Shiva understood who Guruva's murderer is.
One where Leela tells Shiva how disappointed she was that she did not try to see things from her perspective - the hurt in her voice is haunting.
The scene where Shiva becomes the God and brings everyone together- the villagers, forest officer and tells them how they need to together protect the land and forest.
About other elements of brilliance in movie, there is a certain divinity to the music. I am not referring only to the lyrics, but the musical notes and the ragas themselves evoke an unearthly sense of being.
The colours - the screen explodes with them. Their richness is second only to the strength of the story of the movie.
I felt there were multiple themes being addressed in the movie - beliefs, culture, ancient wisdom, humanity, devotion, and the never ending conflict between man and Nature. That, I feel is the success of the movie. Different people are able to look at it in different ways and make the movie their own as how they like it.
Like a painting that speaks a thousand words to 10 different people and yet, make those 10 people believe that their version is as credible as the 9 others, Kantara does justice to every audience member's wish and hope.
P.s. I must thank my friend Manie (Manikandan) for pushing me to watch the movie. It is your relentless appeal which made me watch the movie and I am forever grateful, dear Manie.
Here is a glimpse of the music which will make you feel like you are almost in a trance :)
Arun.
