It is no secret that the current talk that is presiding over the tinsel town is definitely Selva Raghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan. While many have given their take on the movie, and much has been said, written, praised and criticized about it, I feel the necessity to conjuncture my own views and understanding that I have derived in the film. This purpose of this article is mainly to aid viewers who might have missed out or may have had trouble comprehending some parts of the film; and to help them appreciate what I personally think is a landmark achievement in Tamil cinema.
My friends have mainly directed plenty of questions as to what they believe to be loose ends that exist in the film, and though all my answers may not be accurate, I do have a faint idea about all the ropes that ties the movie together, so here are my two cents.
The Cholans are NOT zombies.
This is like a popular myth that has been spreading among many who watched the movie in their first viewing, assuming that the Cholans in the film are zombies who had somehow defied logic and stayed alive for 800 years. The Cholans have extracted themselves to the isolated island back in 1279 pending invasion to their hometown of Tanjoor. But they are not the same generation. In a normal human cycle, they have gone through the regular cycle of life and death for many generations, hiding themselves in the caves. The only person who has remained alive all these years is the saint, who is the protector of the entire dynasty, protector of the King and the prince, who, in turn, are protectors of the people. Thus, they are not zombies.
Why then, are they so dark?
The reason is simple. The Cholans have lived their entire life in the caves, without any exposure to sunlight or rain. Plus, all of them are shown to be thin and barbaric because they are suffering from malnutrition. One scene where the woman touches Andrea’s breasts while she tried to converse to Parthiban shows the result of malnutrition- The Cholan women could not produce milk and only blood will flow from their breasts.
Why did they abandon the Cholan city which is so nearby and live in caves? Why they refuse to return to the city at least, when it is so near, and still protected by their curses?
As one can see, the archeologists pass by two monumental ruins before the caves. First is a grey stone ruin where they are attacked by snakes, and the second a more recent ruins of a city where they are struck by the madness curse. As history in the film reads, The Pandyas never gave up in their efforts to trace down the Cholas. Thus, the first ruin that they pass through is where the Cholans lived in the island when they arrived there first, but upon discovery by Pandyas, they retreat further to that deserted city, and place extra curses in the path. If one could remember the seven obstacles mentioned in the story, the quicksand by theory is the seventh and final obstacle. Thus the madness curse is possibly an eighth. Thus the seven obstacles are what the knowledge of previous pursuers have told; with no-one discovering that they have abandoned the small city, placed another curse upon it and retreated into the caves; which must have happened much more recently, possibly only one or two generations ago.
And they are not seeking to return to the ruins of the old city within the island itself, they are waiting for a messenger to come and guide them back to their original hometown of Tanjoor, which is where they extracted themselves from in the first place.
How did Reema Sen make the tiger symbol appear and disappear?
As Reema narrates her flashback and intentions, one could easily notice the part where she mentions she is thought how to use her body well. This is not only about the art of seduction, but also the art of black magic. The Pandyas are aware of the Cholan prophecy, and believe that the Cholan people will only come out from hiding if their prophecy is proved true. Thus, Reema uses this knowledge to deceive the Cholans.
What is with Karthik miraculously killing the attacker at the battle coliseum?
As one could observe in the film, Karthik simply refuses to die on many occasions. When a Red Indian comes close to killing him, his uncle sacrifices his life for him. When Reema shoots him after their confrontation in the forest, the loaded gun doesn’t release a bullet. When Reema does shoot him with a bullet during the madness curse, he still doesn’t die despite the bleeding. In the coliseum scene, the saint, who is now bedridden, telepathically transfers his powers to Karthik, having identified him as the genuine messenger. The powers enables Karthik to judge the movement of the chain ball, and also see all the audiences as mere skeletons (an allegory that people who take pleasure in watching a game of blood are mere skeletons), and thus enables him to easily evade distraction and concentrate on judging his opponent’s movements. It is Karthik’s destiny to be the messenger and he simply refuses to die.
Why Reema Sen refuses to let Karthik leave?
Well, this is the fishy part. Is Reema aware that he is the original messenger? Is she trying to get rid of him in some way? This parts are unexplained much but they remain fishy. A second viewing might enlighten some on this.
On an overall note, it is important to add that it is hard to find a Tamil movie in the vicinity that makes us think so much and ask for a second viewing. That being said however, some of our audiences might term the film as being obscure or badly made rather than appraising its effort and intelligence. AO is an important step forward for Tamil cinema; however, this effort will only reach global shores if we, the audiences and consumers of this industry, give it its due credit.
No comments:
Post a Comment