Ambuli – 3D: A Folklore, Two Boys and One Great Adventure

We have been waiting years for Tamil cinema to take up 3D technology and come out with one product of their own; finally we get one. And, surprise, it is not the technological pioneers of Tamil cinema like Shankar or production giants like AVM or Gemini that have taken the bold step. A relatively unknown bunch of names have made this possible and for that simple reason, we should doff our hats to the makers of Ambuli.

 The use of the phrase ‘doff our hats’ is not an empty one; you will understand that in the very first scene of the movie where a British hunter is mysteriously struck down at night in what looks like a thicket. In the gripping first 10 minutes, we are shown that the movie is good outing in the 3D format. The gun seems to be pointing at you, the snake seems to be in your face and almost everything on screen seems to come out to you. The makers might be relatively unknown names, but they do know their job; and very well at that.

Set in the 1970s, Ambuli is about a village folklore and the truth behind. Tracing its origins back to the late 50s, two young college students take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of things. Left with the prospect of 60 days of college holidays with nothing much to do, they embark on an adventure which comes  within inches of claiming their lives as they find out what ‘Ambuli’ is all about. The good thing about Ambuli is that it has got the charm of an Enid Blyton adventure coupled with the grips and tensions of a Franklin W Dixon novel. It does not get overly childish or too sinister; and that is balance difficult to attain. It very easily could have turned into a cheesy horror film with screams and wails every 5 minutes. But, the makers have saved all that for the final few minutes of the film. It is what happens before that really grips you. The process that the young men go through to find the history of Ambuli. The way they stumble upon secrets that have been stashed away for 20 years by a British scientist, and follow the clues he has left behind to know what Ambuli is all about are all told in a very intelligent way. Also, the parallel progression of two groups trying to find out the truth about Ambuli is very neatly edited and presented.

One only wishes that the makers had the courage to do away with the duets in the movie; they are completely extraneous. They are really good at employing 3D and shooting some thrilling scenes, but they are yet to master the art of song picturisation. At times, we feel that we are watching amateur video. One also feels let down when they finally reveal ‘Ambuli’. For all the fearsome things that Ambuli was said to be capable of, the real thing looks a bit timid. It is like substantiating the old adage which says that it is the fear of the unknown that is bigger than the actual thing itself. We are told to expect something as fearsome as Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman; but we get something much lesser. And, why is there so little screen time for ‘Ambuli; the movie was supposed to be about Ambuli, and we get just a few glimpses of it!

But, that aside, Ambuli is a really good attempt. It is not just a good attempt, it is a pretty good outcome too. The entire adventure, especially the process of discovery is just short of being fantastic. The flashback portions where we go through the chronicles of the Britsh scientist is quite superb. And, technically too, the movie impresses with the adept picturisation of scenes in dim light. BGM adds weight to the movie. And, you can see the depth of the performances for yourself on screen; the newcomers have really impressed, carrying off the 70s look with élan. Jegan does a volte face with a serious character. Parthipan has a small but substantial role; but it is pushed aside a bit by the script.

Watch Ambuli to have a really good 3D viewing experience, enjoy the minor thrills and the tensions of an investigative process. Take kids along; they will love the adventure, they may even be scared a bit. But its definitely an enjoyable experience.

Why Nanban and Ekk Deewana Tha make us think?

This is not another whinge about remakes. We know and have accepted that they are here to stay and we love many of them; Nanban is good enough proof that remakes can hit the jackpot. But, definitely, it is not as big a challenge to a film maker as an original script being made for the first time. What is it about the season that warrant another discussion about remakes? The reason is simple; even the best film makers of our times are showing tendencies to go for remakes. When the most creative minds in the film industry start recycling ideas, it is not a comfortable feeling as a viewer.

Case in point: Nanban. It is an absolutely fabulous movie. No doubt, it had to come to Tamil cinema. But, lets face it; its nothing more than a frame to frame rework of 3 Idiots. The actors have done their job exceedingly well, the technical departments have excelled and the original script has guaranteed us a cracker of a movie. But, did we need Shankar to helm this project? Of course, his presence might have brought some visual perfection and other aspects into the film. But, his creative inputs as a director and script writer is precious little. He can claim only the dialogues as his work! The man, who for almost 20 years, gave film after film that raised every benchmark in Tamil cinema and later for Indian cinema, through a work of pure genius in Endhiran, need not have accommodated himself for a remake. The 15 months or so spent by Shankar on Nanban would have been far more beneficial to Tamil cinema had they been devoted towards another ground breaking original work by the master craftsman. Watching Shankar’s name as the director of Nanban is like watching Sachin play a Ranji trophy game. He might score a century, but he belongs to another level. But all apart; Shankar is still the best director we can think of and it is understandable that after 20 years of toiling with films that are difficult to execute, he wanted to make a film that was colourful and light hearted. Let’s hope he gets back to his ground breaking ways soon. Even Martin Scorcese made a remake; this might that one occasion for Shankar.

But, its not just Shankar! Other top film makers like Gautham Menon are also showing the same tendencies. Actually, Gautham Menon makes Tamil movie buff feel even more uneasy. Why? Because he is remaking his own films! A director who had the gumption to make movies like Vaaranum Aayiram and Nadunissi Naaygal, produced Azhagarsaamiyin Kuthirai; need not settle for a remake, however tempting the stakes. One cannot imagine the challenges that such a talented craftsman might face while remaking VTV as Ekk Deewana Tha. And, even more worrisome is the news that he intends to take Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu up North. Let them be taken up North by all means! But, why do you have to go along? If at all you want to go, make something original, something new, that we will all be proud of. There are lesser directors who can make faithful remakes; why waste your energies and precious years. Of course, we have Nee Thaane En Ponvasantham and Yohaan waiting. Lets hope they take precedence over all else.

The idea is simple. Remakes are a good and safe way of ensuring a certain amount of success. But, directors who have blazed trails with their originality and execution need not settle for what is safe. We have admired them for their originality and that’s what we want to see more of.

Dhanush's Sachin anthem for Boost: The most crappy tribute ever!

OK; now we have the second ‘anthem’ on Youtube. Wonder why things are called anthems in the first place? Anyway, we have two of them now. One was the ‘Love’ anthem, now we have the ‘Sachin’ anthem.  It is puzzling to think why the second one was called an anthem; maybe because the first one was; one cannot really find any other reason. Speaking of which, the second one has (as on 09.02.2012) clocked nearly half a million hits on Youtube within 24 hours of being uploaded. Wow, what a wonderful achievement considering the fact that there has been news in every conceivable media form that Dhanush and Boost were joining hands to make an official anthem on Sachin Tendulkar. One just cannot wait to hear someone claim that the song is a superhit because it has managed such ‘huge’ numbers within such a short time. I can think of a better strategy to make hits; release song videos on a giant screen on Marina beach on Kaanum Pongal day and claim that all the people came there to watch you. Yes, it will be an overnight sensation; then upload the video of the crowd on Youtube and call it a flashmob; you get another million hits.

India is a country which allows freedom of expression (unless you are Salman Rushdie) and therefore anyone is free to shoot song videos, call them anthems (even if they don’t even remotely resemble what should be an anthem) and upload them on Youtube with loads of publicity; all to create a hit. But, what pains most is when people use the name of a national icon to piggyback their songs and videos into popularity. The quality of the video is immaterial; we have seen and hear worse crap, but why does this have to be done in the name of Sachin Tendulkar.

Dhanush goes ‘Comeu Mama, Hitu Mama, Superu Mama’; wonder who he is referring to as ‘Mama’.  It is all fine to say ‘Ok Mama ready’ in a ‘soup song’, but what kind of a tribute are you trying to offer anyone if you address them as ‘Mama’ and ‘Machan’; thankfully he stopped short of using the word ‘Mappillai’. By the songs own admission, Sachin is the pride of the country. Now, we did not need Dhanush or Boost to tell us that; but how can you call someone pride of the nation and use ‘Mama’ in almost every sentence of a song that you would call a tribute.

Paying tributes is a serious business that must be done with a sense of aesthetics and understanding of a person’s achievement. This ‘anthem’ could easily be mistaken for a ‘kuthu’ song in any Tamil movie. How on earth did anyone come up with an idea of a tribute to Sachin Tendulkar with a random jig on a railway station platform?

There are scores of songs in many Tamil movies that have used the word ‘Sachin’ time and again just to connect to the masses. This ‘anthem’ is nothing better than any of those songs; only it does not feature in a movie. In fact, this so called tribute to Sachin Tendulkar is so far off its mark that it is difficult to find ways to criticise it; one can only fret and fume at the fact that a national icon’s name has been used so cleverly and easily to create a sensation. For those who think that the song was a sincere attempt at a tribute; just watch the beginning – ‘Yo Boys; I am singing song, Cricket Song’; strangely reminiscent of something isn’t it. This whole affair seems to be more about Dhanush and his signature dance moves and throaty voice rather than about Sachin Tendulkar.

When making a tribute to a man who has played the gentleman’s game with utmost perfection, discipline, commitment and honesty; scaled peaks that no one else in the world has even done before; a tribute to him needs to be classy and well designed; not a brash ‘kuthu’ song which has arms and legs flailing in all directions.

All through December and January it was a pride to watch thousands of Australians stand up and applaud to Sachin as he walked out to bat; never mind the results of the series. To think of those moments and to watch this farce of a tribute is painful; we Indians are becoming experts at showing ourselves in poor light. A world class player deserved a world class tribute; or better still, no tribute at all; he has got enough accolades from all across the world.

This anthem is nothing but a very sad attempt to create another Youtube sensation riding on Sachin’s popularity; a marketing gimmick for Boost and a terribly bad experience for all true Sachin fans. Had this been in a movie; it would not have mattered much; but this is an official tribute and it hurts so much for the same reason. One is only thankful that Boost with its 20 year relationship with Sachin Tendulkar did not coax him to make an appearance in this apology of a tribute. I also hope that they don’t somehow get him to say that he is immensely moved by this gesture. That would be the end of sanity; millions of others would start creating their own anthems. Let sanity prevail; leave Sachin alone; and to the creators of this so called ‘Sachin anthem’ there is but one thing to ask “Why this Kolaveri?” You got your freak hit, be happy, celebrate, why meddle with a legend’s name.