THAGUDU THAGUDU – THE KAAKKI CHATTAI CHRONICLES – PART III

 

“Sirichchukittay Sudalaamay !”

 

 

Dedicated to all the readers who magnanimously stuck with this article series till this Third and Concluding part of the  Trilogy

 

(Contd. From Part II)

Part III : The Last Stop Before Tucumcary

To borrow a line………. from an unassuming classmate of mine  (rhyme intended), this film in many ways was the last stop before Tucumcary, a figment of our imagination, an oasis after a hard, long ride across  tough terrain, where you popped into the nearest saloon for a drink and stayed in familiar civilization or changed horses and continued the journey to a different experience. (Original line : This train does not stop at Tucumcary)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1DcFhaCCwI

http://www.amazon.com/For-Dollars-More-Clint-Eastwood/dp/B000IZXHQQ

 

This film was  a List of Lasts.

 

It’s the Last movie in which the gang of smugglers  meet in a den in full ‘get up’ with leather jacket worn over a sweater  in the searing, sweltering 104 degrees Madras heat.

Its the Last movie in which the police spies (Kamal and Madhavi) do a song and dance routine a la  Billa (the Don hangover) during the smugglers ‘summit’ in the gang headquarters.

 

It’s the  Last movie carrying veteran dialogue writer A.L. Narayanan’s alliterative Karunanidhi style dialogues.

Its also the Last movie in which Kamalahasan speaks English with an ‘English’ accent ……..

– not to be mistaken for a Brit or American accent, this is a region  neutral, stylized form of English spoken only by Kamalahasan which is passionately well enunciated ……..and when alternated with equally well enunciated Kamal style Tamil, enhances the impact of the dialogue delivery and also the brand value of the actor.

 

This was shamelessly routine masala fare and since it is produced by Sathya movies, the regulation homage is paid to MGR posters making their appearance during fight scenes, the Egyptian costumes and sets from  MGR’s ‘Adimai Penn’ in love duets and an MGR photo in police garb in the hero’s pooja room.

You also have the atrocious spectacle of Kamal in FULL formals and jacket  and Ambika  in a FULL saree dancing around trees to the foot tapping “Vaanilay Thaynila Aadudhay”, the saving grace being the proceedings of the “gang summit” chaired by Vicky (Sathyaraj) during  the interludes of the song.

 

The diversion caused post the ‘Singaari Saarakku’ song where the hero escapes from the police and  makes his entry into the gang of smugglers is Don / Billa all the way.

 

The police mole (Senthamarai in Rayban coolers) in the smugglers  gang – more of the same.

“Onnoada PARTNER  enna…… Onnoada PAATTANAARAYAY sandhaygapaduvayn ! “

No one ever lost money underestimating the exasperating tastes of the Tamil cine going audience – as heterogenous and schizophrenic as they come – willing to sample unfamiliar and alien dishes but scurrying back to the familiar protection of thayir sadham when it comes to the crunch.

Even amidst technical wizardry, Tamil movies couldn’t break out of the screechy melodrama mold – and sometimes looked like photographed plays meandering between colloquial dialogues ,  Senthamizh Soliloquies ( Hey that rhymed ! ……  I  must be  channeling A.L.Narayanan)  and alliterations  ad infinitum (Like Exhibit A : Ambika tearing up her own painting – “Adhula Art irukku aanaa Heart illa ! “  Exhibit B – Kamal confronting Sathyaraj on the non-existent thagudu  “Onnoada PARTNER  enna…… unnoda PAATTANAARAYAY sandhaygapaduvayn ! “

“Adhula ART irukku…….Aanaa  HEART illa”

 

The Madras audience is an open hearted audience and has been more welcoming of the better Hollywood movies unlike the other metros but Madras is not representative of the Tamil cine going audience which, in many ways, is  heterogenous –  leading to an A center, B & C center divide which forces movies to be cobbled together with disparate elements with ace Western style choreography in one scene and “ladies’  sentiment” in another scene.

 

The script plays along this safe route.

Murali (Kamal) is supposed to be a constable’s son but he moves effortlessly between Madras lingo, senthamizh (in the serious dialogues) and  stylized English.

Why would someone with such formidable talents want to join the police force and become an IG ?

It seems some things dont change even after thirty years. In Gethu, Amy Jackson is an Iyengar , who wants to become a newsreader on Doordarshan. Why? Because it was the unfulfilled dream of her “thoappanaar.”

Cho has the last word on this.

In his ‘Saraswathiyin Selvan’, the hero turns the full chilly blast of his personality on the heroine.

“Naan BSc padichchayn, MBBS padichchayn, London-la FRCS padichchayn………Adhunaalathaan ippo AUTO DRIVER vaylaila irukkayn !!”

 

HA ! VAARAYVAA !

 

‘Kakki Chattai’ is a potboiler to the power ‘N’ but one can sense the restlessness to try something new.

 

 

By accident this film marked a  major course correction in the way Tamil movies were structured in terms of dialogues and characterizations i.e with shades of grey.

Like this bit from another subsequent A.L.Narayanan collaboration (Makkal En Pakkam).

Sathyaraj “ Naan yengapaa desa droham pannitrikkayn ? Naan Ghazni thirudina thangaththa India vukku thirumbi yeduththundu vandhundrukkayn. Idhukkupayr samooha sayvai ! “

(What I’m doing is not smuggling – I’m bringing back the gold which Mahmud Ghazni looted from India – This is not smuggling – its Social service !).

HA !  VAARAYVAA !!

 

Also, Tamil cinema was slowly gaining the  ability to laugh at itself.

Kamal in ‘Thoongaadhay Thambi Thoongaadhay’  addresses his  twin in a drunken stupor

“Hey Nee yaaru man ?……. Namma Manasaatchithaanay ?”

 

 

Come to think of it – Paramount  should pay A.L.Narayanan  a royalty fee.

Three years later from Brian De Palma ‘s Untouchables –

(Al Capone)  “What is bootlegging ? When I’m involved its bootlegging – when its Lake Shore Drive its hospitality”

http://www.amazon.com/The-Untouchables-Special-Collectors-Edition/dp/B00029NKU6

 

In the ‘70s, director K.Balachandar did what Ambani did for the stock markets in the eighties, he brought the middle class into the equation and created  a niche audience.

 

Not on the same scale, but a quiet revolution was taking place in the background – like Mani Rathnam quitting his Management consultancy and cutting his teeth in films in an obtrusive fashion in Kannada and Malayalam.

Pushpak was still a couple of  years away.

 

The ground was being prepared …………………….

 

The audience was slowly getting ready …………………..

so were the next generation of film makers………………….and

so was that ubiquitous mentor of all experiments that had the potential to transform Tamil cinema…….. a  gent  going  by the name of  Kamalahasan.

 

 

 

The Villain Becomes the Hero

 

If it was Comedy Ka Kamal  with Ambika thrown in in the first half, its Sathyaraj all the way in the second half.

It is evident that the script underwent a major overhaul after the ‘Thagudu’ appeared on the scene .

It would be fallacious to infer that this  film was intended as a Sathyaraj vehicle – that would be akin to saying you could actually have predicted that India would win the 1983 cricket World Cup.

The film’s makers just happened to stumble on a rich vein of gold and  kept following its trail upstream to see where it would lead them.

It would be uncharitable to say that Sathyaraj stole the show all by himself.

The course correction was backed by Kamal to the hilt.

More than  just an actor or star, Kamal is a high powered movie exec and representative of the Tamil film industry and needs to be credited for his shrewd instincts in recognizing  Sathyaraj’s potential in transforming the film into something more than a routine Masala almond studded candy bar.

There was no way any script could get past Kamalahasan  just like there was no way the dwarfs could be reds (closet communists)  under Snow White’s bed unless Walt Disney wanted them to.

 

This film set off a trend of delicious  lines for the bad guys and making them pivotal characters.

 

In Act II, we are dropped hints of what is to come but never expect it just the same – like  Vicky’s  (Sathyaraj) reactions while issuing orders to his henchmen. “Sarakka lorryla yayththiyaachchaaa ?”

(Lorry Driver hood) “Yes. Sir”

(With a  wide grin) “Porappadu” – Short and sweet  and  tickles the senses. When the lorry driver  again calls the boss on the walkie talkie while approaching a police checkpost, his (Sathyaraj’s) instruction is  ultra brief

– “Maattikkaadhay ! ”.

 

We are fed one punch line after another but are still taken unawares when the next one is delivered.

 

Rather than mocking the material, Sathyaraj digs into it with relish and communicates his enjoyment to the viewer. He does not take himself seriously but he takes the audience very seriously and comedy is serious business.

 

(After his partner is shot dead by Madhavi) “ Vitturu !  Avan Over Brain-aa irukkarudhunaala Overtake pannittaan nnu soldrayn !”
Its not as if actors hadnt thought of this aspect before.

M.R.Radha wasn’t averse to trying this out. In Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum he plays the father of the heroine and incidentally the villain . When the police force arrives as usual in the penultimate scene to arrest him and ask him to get in the police jeep, he responds by pointing to his Studebaker……………

“Costly car …..idhuliyay poalaamay ?

HA !  VAARAYVAA !

 

That was thirty years ahead of its time.

 

Considering that   Sathyaraj  is tall for  a Tamilian, his neuromuscular agility (both physical and mental) is awesome. Its like watching a big, mobile, silent  cat getting into position lightning fast –  like a well organized batsman.

Whether its sitting and crossing his legs all in one swift motion into a plush sofa and lighting a cigarette at the same time or arriving just in time to accidentally eavesdrop on a mole in his gang.

He patrols the area from square cover to long-off very well and he does it all with flair.

 

He walks the dangerously thin line between casual comic timing and  not taking himself (or the script too seriously) with devastating dexterity, a class trapeze act which in the hands of a lesser actor would have degenerated into –

at best,

a spoof which would have evoked nothing more than a few chuckles and then been forgotten – or,

at worst,

a tragic farce sending the film’s producer into the bankruptcy court before the editor even lays his scissor on the reel.

 

His fake servility when agreeing heartily  and at the same time ordering  the police mole (Senthamarai) to shoot Murali (Kamal) is a case in point.

“Correct  Correct  Correct  !!- Uh Bhaskar ?  Sudu paa ! “

And he does all this  with his eyes CLOSED !

or nearly closed since he’s got these trademark small round coolers on all the time, you can never see his eyes and an actor is supposed to use them to emote, remember ?

 

With his casual dialogue delivery, he makes light work of AL Narayanan’s alliteration which belongs in a different era.

“Dei Murali…..Nee porandhadhulayrndhay CID……….Naan porandhadhulayrndhay Kaydee”

 

 

Once Murali (Kamal)  is produced in front of Vicky at his  hideout after his failed interview for police force selection, the wheels are set in motion.

 

Sathyaraj in Don Corleone like fashion makes Kamal an offer he cant refuse – (or rather) should not refuse

i.e to switch loyalties from the police force to Sathyaraj’s gang.

He finishes his piece of advice almost whispering “Solldradhu puriyudhu illa ?”

(Kamal) “Aamaam puriyudhu….Naasookkaaa Desaththukku Droham seidaa nnu solldra, illa ?”

(Vicky’s punchline delivered in soft but fascinated tones) “ Paravaa illiyay !  Purinjikkittiyay !”

 

It doesn’t stop there.

After Kamal issues a proclamation saying that the next meeting with him would be in police uniform ending up with Vicky (Sathyaraj) in the prison cell, the henchman reacts in customary loyal indignation.

 

(Jana the henchman) “Dammit ! Avan paattukku paysittu poaraan ? Oru vaartha sollunga boss. Avana suttu thallarayn”

 

{Sathyaraj’s  oh so casual backhand dismissal}

 

“Deidei.      Avvalavu seekramaa ivanellaam thyaagi aakkidakoodaadhu. …………………………Valaiya poattukkuttay irukkanum………….Vizhavayndiya nayrathla………..VIZHUNDHURUVAAN.”

 

It helps that for a change the characters are well etched and have endearing quirks.

Vicky maybe an underworld ganglord but he’s hundred percent  focused on business and comes down hard on partners who don’t pay attention to the task at hand and  get distracted by wine and women.

 

He’s also  got  sound business ethics.

“Pandradhu yennavo kadaththal thozhil….Aaanaa Adhilayum oru NAANAYAM irukkanum illa”.

 

HA !  VAARAYVAA !

 

(Smugglers Summit)

 

EPILOGUE

Shippies are restless people. And my youngest paternal uncle was no different. Like all shippies, he yearned for a taste of home. The moment he landed in Madras (he used to put up at my grandparents’ ) the first thing he wanted to do was catch the latest tamil flick.

My father was no different. I remember being dragged along for a tour of the city well  past my official bedtime till we landed up watching of all films ‘Samsaaram Adhu Minsaaram’ .  My brother and sister politely demurred and since I was the “good” boy, I had to tag along. The next time it was ‘Mouna Ragam’  when it was still running to empty houses before word of mouth publicity did the trick.

Visiting our uncle at our grandparents’ place was  something we eagerly looked forward to. There was the attraction of the latest Sansui sound system, its electronic fragrance fresh off the ship’s cabin and the latest Beegees song collection on original FOREIGN pre-recorded cassettes. (He didn’t bring a VCR because VCRs were still too costly and the Video Library had not yet made its appearance).

In the mornings after polishing off grandma’s brunch, we spent the lazy days, sitting on the floor of the  balcony, our legs dangling through the grill, watching the new shiny red PTC buses with yellow wheels, plying on PT Rajan road.
KK Nagar had no topline theatres and so the inauguration of the brand new Udhayam theatre was a godsend.

Kaakki Chattai was the first film to be released in it.

 

My uncle lost no time in dragging us along.

Quoth the uncle “Kamal movies attract the “decent” crowd. I liked him in ‘Aval Appadithaan’ man ! ”.

My uncle was a renegade.

Of all the Kamal films he had to mention ‘Aval Appadithaan’ !

 

After the underwhelming start and after sitting through the movie, he came out with mixed feelings – not too amused at the hyper masala fare dished out but thoroughly tickled by the reprieve in the form of  Sathyaraj’s second half heroics.

 

Rewind again to the  Doordarshan interview   mentioned in the Prologue (Part I of this article)

 

Last question of the interview.

 

(Interviewer) “Unga favourite villain yaaru ?”

 

(Sathyaraj) “Mmmmmmmm………..”

 

“English padaththula …………….Mackenna’s Gold – Omar Sharif………….”

 

“Hindi padaththula…………………Sholay  – Gabbar Singh………………….”

 

“Tamizh padaththula……………………….”

 

“Sigappu Rojakkal – KAMALAHASAN !!”

 

 HA !!  VAARAYVAA !!

 

(CONCLUDED)

 

The Interview

https://thezolazone.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/thagudu-thagudu-the-kaakki-chattai-chronicles-part-i/

 

Marlon Travolta – The Bollywood Mis-Adventure

https://thezolazone.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/thagudu-thagudu-the-kaakki-chattai-chronicles-part-ii/