Why is Kamal a genius beyond compare?
So, I have been having this discussion, that even became an argument at times, with a lot of my friends about the great thinker called Kamalhassan. I feel the Indian people, and the Tamil tinsel world in particular, should be very thankful this genius was born in India. With every movie of his that I watch, he just grows much higher in my view, and I feel he deserves a lot more respect than he's been getting. Latest case in point, Dhasavathaaram. What a movie! I don't think anybody could have said such an important, solid concept so very lightly. Put simply, it was just like his song in P.K.Sammandham:
Annikke sonnaanga periyavanga adichu sonnaanga, aththaye annaaththa thanni vittu light-a sonnaaru
In just the prelude to the movie, the monologue where he explains what he's trying to convey, he proves whatever I am trying to say now, so, here's what he said (and I apologize if I made any mistake in quoting him here):
Rangaraja nambi seththadhu sivanin seyalum alla, andha nambi nambiyum pizhaikkaamal ponadhu vishnuvin soozhchiyum alla. Nambinaar kaividappatta kadhaigal meignaanathil mattumalla, vignaanathilum pala undu. Indraya vignaanathai kutravaali koondil etralaam, aanaal, meignaanamo kutramatradhu enbadhe aanmeega kutravaaligalin mudhalvaadham. ellaavatrirkum mel oru sakthi undendru oppukkol, arindhukol endru adhattuvar avar. pagutharindhu sakthigalai pattiyalittu ondranmel ondraaga adukkinaal, uchiyul oru sakthi nichayam undu. udhaaranam, seyarkaikol, kadavular sanjarippadhaaga sollappadum idangalil tharpodhu thaamasikkum oru uyariya sakthi. ulagaiye kankaanikkum indha sakthiyum seri, ulagaye padaiththadhaaga koorappadhum sakthiyum seri, kaakka vendiya nerathil, ulagai, en thamizhnaattai, kaakka marandhadhu enbadhe ulagarindha unmai. udhaaranam December 26, 2004, vangakkadaloram kol thappi oozh serndhadhu kadal. saga nigazhvugalin korvai thaan ulaga sarithirame...
Now, I have heard several complaints about the movie, like, Kamal tries to denigrate Hinduism and exalts Islam (???); Kamal couldn't relate chaos theory to his movie, although he claims that to be a part of his concept (!!!); Its just a movie with no story (aah, well, itsn't all about a story guys, there's a moral, please think); and the least of them, Kamal hasn't conveyed his point well enough to reach the masses (well, this is one, I partly agree, but, this isn't a concept that can be easily explained).
So, of all that is said, most of them can be proven baseless if the movie is watched closely and observed, rather than just watched. His point is, "God, as most people believe, is not real, but, if (s)he was, it will be amazing", which he mentions at the denouement as "kadavul illanu enga sonnen, irundha nalla irukkumnu thaana solren?". Isn't that true? As a matter of fact, in everything Hinduism (or Brahminism, if I have to mention it that way) says, there's a hidden indication to the fact that God is not real (which other religion has so many forms of god as Hinduism does? If you can point one to me, I will definitely hold those people at very high respect). Chaos Theory, has this been very well understood by the PhDs around? But, he has still explained how something that happened in the 12th Century could have caused the tsunami in 2004! Well, there is a lot more in the movie, and I am sure, there is something there that I have not gathered very well, but, with the comedy track, the other common occurrences, Kamal has tried to explain the deficiencies of today's malformed theism.
Well, in all this, I am not saying this movie is flawless, the make-up, graphics, some english grammar in the subtitles (if you watched the movie out of India, maybe?), and probably a few more, had some holes. But, the concept is very very very good. Now, if someone thinks this movie lacked something, please put your point forward, I would definitely try to understand why Kamal is wrong, or atleast why some people think he is!