Madrasapatinam Review

  A while back I had written a review which warranted a title and a description along the lines of “the film that has left me speechless”. At this point I’d like to retract my statement and reassign that title and description to Vijay’s Madrasapattinam. Yes that is bold statement indeed but it was my exact sentiments when I finished watching the film. To ensure that I didn’t simply gush about the movie aimlessly in this review I had postponed writing it for a while so as to  till  give myself time to gather my thoughts.However to my surprise after days of pondering upon the experience of watching Madrasapattinam I came to the very same conclusion and failed to find any major flaw(s) that would change my overall opinion of the film.
Vijay has delivered a historically significant piece of cinema. In its essence it is a period drama enveloped in a breath taking love story. The way in which the maker combines the two themes, that is, the history of Madras and the love story, is the real reason the film warrants a watch. He doesn’t make one theme any more obvious than the other. Nor does he attempt to send an overall patriotic message or blatantly pose the British Empire as the villain. (Of course he still does to a certain extent but that is not the point of the entire film) Rather the history and the love story are brilliantly intertwined so as to not make you feel overwhelmed by either.
Set in the days of Madrasapattinam i.e. the British Raj, the film is a story of a simpleton young Indian whose world is turned upside down when he falls in love with the British governor’s daughter. Their love story is lost in translation for a while until finally he dabbles in English and she more intently learns Tamil. As their love story progresses you also witness the life style of Tamils during the British Raj, how they went about their daily activities and how they dealt with the ruling empire. Naturally conflict arises when their love story is unveiled to the world which leads to one of the most phenomenally choreographed climaxes in the history of cinema, according to me.
Yes, yet again I make a bold statement but honestly it is no exaggeration. The climax which takes place at a railway station and on the night of India’s independence is intense, subtle and magical at the same time. As the nation rejoices in its newly found independence, two people fight for their independence. Independence to love. To live life as they want. To belong to the nation they’ve formed a bond with. The historical day of Independence becomes a background event that although significant, has no effect on their love story which is yet to reach its climax. Perhaps words aren’t enough to describe the phenomenal climax sequence but it definitely leaves you in speechless.
Apart from the climax, another one of the film’s most impressive trait is its ability to transport you into another world. The characters and the plot truly hypnotize you and draw you into the world in Madrasapattinam. Once it has finished you’re almost sad and devastated, not because the climax is somewhat tragic but because the journey has ended. It’s been quite a while since a film has made me feel that way.
The actors play a major part in bringing the magical story to life. Arya is to be praised for becoming the humble, cute and very down-to-earth Parthi so effortlessly. He’s an absolute natural. I have only seen three films of his but am convinced that he is indeed as versatile as they say, if not more. Amy Jackson surprises with a brilliant performance! After having witnessed countless foreign actresses in Indian cinema I’d become used to the fact that none of them can act and none of them seem to take our cinema seriously. Thankfully Amy changes my opinion as she couldn’t have put anymore effort into her role than she did.  She’s there 110% with brilliant dialogue delivery and as brilliant Tamil lip-syncing in the Ayure song. At this point I have to say that the usual Tamil heroines ought to be ashamed for not being able to do what this British talent pulled off with so much ease. Maybe she’ll inspire at least some to demand to dub for themselves and others to make more of an effort when lip singing or when mouthing the dialogues which will be later dubbed by an artist. The supporting casts, baring the British granddaughter, are as apt and contribute the overall success of the film.
Music by G V Prakash is a ‘movie soundtrack’ in its true essence as it has been created solely for the purpose of moving the story forward and not for the sake of having songs. Aayuire would be my favorite track and was amazingly picturised to my surprise. Of course Amy’s lip syncing made the song so much more enjoyable as I had TRULY had not expected that!  Background music is one of the most influential factors in creating the overall effect of the scenes and did so brilliantly in every scene particular the climax.
So as I said, I really cannot say much about the film as it has indeed left me speechless. All I can say is that despite the nearly 3 hours length the films manages to sweep me into its world so successfully that I’d forgotten all sense of time and space. To do that to someone who checks his watch by the minute and literally has no time to spare at this time of the university semester, I think is quite an achievement! I don’t think I can ever recommend a film more strongly! Without a doubt one of the best films of 2010 and surely has made its way on my ‘all time favourite’ list.