Virumaandi (Tamil, 2004)

First and foremost, to pull off something like this could have been possible only by Kamal Hassan and the direction is top-notch with perfection in every frame. Kamal Hassan – the actor needs no introduction and it was always going to be different from what we have actually seen. Kamal’s characterization undergoes various shades right throughout the movie where he showcases his grim side during the jail scenes and the wild side during the flashbacks.

One cannot imagine anyone other than Ilayaraja to score music for a movie with this theme. The background score shoulders the movie at various points. For many scenes, silence is used effectively which goes hand in hand with the live recording. He is in his zone completely for the romance scenes and the climax is where he completely unleashes himself. The songs ‘Onnavida’, ’Eesa Eesane’, ’Kombula Poova’ are hummable and are pretty much in tone with the theme pertaining to the movie and is used effectively infused with the screenplay. Particularly, ‘Karbagraham’ & ‘Mada Vilake’ leave a lasting impression even after the movie gets over.

Pasupathy plays the role of his life as Kothala Thevar. Treacherous, venomous and every bit into the character, Pasupathy delivers an award worthy performance. Napoleon adds calmness and dignity to his role and plays his part to perfection with his looks perfectly suiting the part he is playing. Rohini, who comes as the person interviewing Virumandi and Nasser, playing a cameo add strength to the movie with their realistic performances. Shanmugarajan as Peikaaman and Abhirami as Annalakshmi are apt too.

The setting of the movie, the dialect, a strong script, a message which hits the bull’s eye and the editing which travels back and forth are all support pillars enabling Kamal Hassan to weave his magic. The screenplay is the aspect that is going to be a trend setter in the future. Only few films all around the globe have pulled off such a narration easily. (Rashomon, Andha Naal, Ayudha Ezhuthu, Amores Perros – to name a few).

The movie does have a lot of action scenes and most of them without any kind of body double. The ‘jallikattu’ scene is a show stealer and one can only wonder in amazement over the preparation behind the making of those scenes.