Kaadhala[n]

kadhalan_shankar

Was watching Shankar’s Kadhalan on the DVD player. Didn’t expect that I would hate it this much. Talk about yelling like mad for ‘once more’ of Oorvasi and Mukkabla at Sathyam Theatre on the First Day First Show. While the corrupt governor talked about Shankar’s social sense, the love story woven around it, I think, didn’t blend very well. Who observed all these, when it was released. All I knew was to bang the tiffinbox for Errani Kurrani Gopala song, alongwith the hundreds of New College dudes. SPB gets to be the aatharsa appa. Remember the appa in Sujatha’s Pirivom Sandippom who gives his son a couple of bucks for a smoke. Here SPB sips a bottle of Golden Eagle beer with his son. Shankar’s improvisation.

Rahman was obviously the highlights of this musical. The variety of the songs was just phenomenal. From Jeyachandran in Kollayila Thennai Vaithu to Unnikrishnan’s Ennavaley to Suresh Peters & Rahman’s own Oorvasi, the grandeur songs and their picturisation just minisculed the stamp-sized story.

When it was released, I used to wait to catch a glimpse of Shankar and Raju Sundaram in the song, Kadhalikum Penin. Until today I was thinking it was only those two who were noticeable in that crowd. Today, I even saw another guy sitting left of Shankar. The one smiling at the camera in the picture above. I am sure we all know him by know. But just in case, guess ? Raju Sundaram is connected to this guy through the movie Jeans.


15 responses to “Kaadhala[n]”

  1. Well, your blog got featured in the top 10 blogs in India (Courtesy: Pitch magazine, latest issue) and I thought of checking out yours amongst others.
    Congratulations, anyways! 🙂

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  2. That is Shanker’s associate director MADHESH, who produced Prashanth starrer CHOCOLATE and directed Vijay starrer MADHURA.

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  3. I second demigod. I never noticed any of the three earlier bcoz I never liked the movie (from the 1st time). I thought Shankar was an over-hyped director then until Indian, Muthalvan came in…
    The songs were however a major identity of my college days as they used to be blasted from every hostel room hosting a music system. Not to forget the cultural functions…

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  4. I felt the same when I saw Agni nakshatram recently.I wondered, did I see this movie three times in a row?

    Mani definitely was a trend setter and way ahead of so many people of his times.

    Anitaa by VKR and en pondaati oorukku poyachu and 1 lee rendu lee…..anjali still lingers…apart from songs and camera…

    Now movie looks good in parts and average in whole.

    When it got released it used to be amazing in parts and wonderful in whole.

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  5. I watched the movie in Hindi, and I didn’t like it when I watched it. There were only two reasons why I wanted to watch the film 1) A.R Rahman and 2) Prabhudeva. Though I loved the songs, I was really disappointed, to me it had seemed like it was two stories which were poles apart forced to appear in one film. It’s also my criticism of Indian/Hindustani. I don’t like any of the bits featuring the younger Kamal Hassan but simply love the stuff involving the older Kamal Hassan.
    I think when Shankar has something important to say, he is very very good, but he always undermines his stories by adding a plotline to appeal to the general masses. I wish he would take a chance and make a single plot storyline

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  6. its madhesh, for sure. the guy produced jeans and lent his name to raju sundaram’s character in jeans and later went on to direct a dud named ‘Madure’.

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  7. is he the one who is almost ubiquitous in all of MAdhavan’s movies…. Minnale (Ashok, the guy next door to Reema sen)… Kannathil Muthamittal (the one who ponnu paathufies simran first)….looks like him

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  8. Jeans, Gentleman these are cult movies from Shankar, which stirred my imaginations whn i was in college … yeh i used to dream Y i didnt have a cool dad like SPB !! – Zombie

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