NAYAGAN- 25 years.........

Nayagan shook me.  It Surprised me.  Stirred me and left me shaken for some time.  The aftermath was my new hair do and facial uplift minus the moustache, emulating the young protagonist, the memorable Velu or Velu Naicker.  The year was 1987 and it is 25 years since.

There were many in my  batch in 1987, who were trying to compete with me, however Seshu, in my opinion was the likely winner, as he was on one of my birthdays, visited me with the same attire that of old Velu naicker, supported by kungumam on his forehead.

That was the reach of Nayagan!!!

Well, the movie released to critical and lay accolades, in 1987, was a deepavali release.  The song “Anthi mazhai neram” was aired on the Deepavali Oliyum Oliyum and I had not seen a Tamil song picturised the same way until then.  The very next day, I was watching the movie with my friends at the “Crown” cinema near our college and I watched it the very next day again with few more and the very next day too with my relatives.

So far, must have watched Nayagan so many times and possibly lost the count now.  I was in year two of medical school and was doing 1^st year, second semester’s very crucial exams, which knocked quite a few of us that December.

Well, who can ever forget the famous punch line, which just caresses the whole movie and the script, intricately carefully, artistically, majestically woven by Manirathnam?

“Naalu perukku nallathu nadakkumna, ethu seinjalum thappillai,” crudely translated as “If it benefits four, the path is not to adore.”

This line is used very intelligently by Director Manirathnam in different settings, possibly five or six times in the movie, in different formats; whenever the hero finds himself in a stalemate, a conflict between his psyche and hence his character and personality.

There were so many scenes, music clippings, and dialogues from this beautiful movie, which became etched in my memory and also the then movie watching Tamil public, which resulted in those clippings, used again and again in various movies and different mediums to the same effect, i.e. rekindling the admiration for the movie itself.

In 2011- Time Magazine bracketed Nayagan in their top 100 movies list, amongst the movies made since the magazine’s inception!  “Pather Panchali” is the other Indian one on its list.

In my opinion Nayagan and Mouna Ragam are the two bests made by Manirathnam, so far in his career.  I am sure others would beg to differ.  Bench mark cinema it became and made Manirathnam, a slave to his master in his later works and possibly misjudged, because of the wide attention Nayagan received.

Nayagan’ S songs were master pieces and the re- recording became a classic reminder of times and moments.  Maestro Ilayaraja, possibly at his early forties in 1987, unfortunately was not awarded the National award; however Kamal, possibly in his early thirties, did, for his acting and few others too, in other departments.

Ilayaraja’s and Kamal singing “Then pandi Seemaiyile, for different montage shots was a sure path breaker.

http://youtu.be/vy-DZpEEOg4

There is also a song based on a rare Hindustani Raga, Desh Kalyan, “Nee oru Kaathal Sangeetham”; beautifully and aesthetically picturised by the director, giving due respect to the musical horizon’s of the Maestro.  You should only have to watch the comedian Janagaraj giving a heartfelt hug to Kamal the Velu Naicker, and hear the start of the mellifluous violins, before your heart is soaked in emotions and left on a roller coaster ride, down the cheeks.

http://youtu.be/E2NA3TzvQsM

"Ellariyum nirutha sollu, appuram naan niruthuran [Ask everyboy to stop, after that I will stop]

Bull dozer otti konnan par antha Settu kamnatti…avane nirutha sollu, naan nirutharen.

Neenga Nallavara…….Kettavara…….Theriyalayappa!!

 

http://youtu.be/rRUoMLNxeCU

No wonder, I was left wondering and gobsmacked by Kamal’s superb histrionics, based loosely on Marlon Brando, however etched on the real time story of the famous Mumbai Don Varada Bai Mudaliar of Dharavi slum.

I had not watched “ God Father” until then, however my perception of Nayagan as one of the great movies of Tamil Cinema and possibly Indian cinema, never changed, even after watching, God father trilogies, many a times.

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