R2/100
Simple scenes mean a lot to me in movies. I don’t need mass hero intro scenes, stupendous climax fights, or large set song sequences. Simple dialogues and scenes that move me to the core, stick with me for days and weeks after I watch a good movie will do. Por Thozil (the Art of War) is one such gem and this blogpost is my review of how this movie moved me.
As a good director friend told me, movies have the power of altering your subconscious without you knowing about it. Case in point, that 10+ year old in me who still wants to be a CM, that Air Force officer who is narcissistic to the core, and that basketball selector who thinks Michael Jordan is unlike any other human who will step foot on the court, they all appeal to some core of my being and stay with me forever. This post therefore is a way to capture why I loved this movie so much.
Before getting into Por Thozil, here is a small detour. Of all the great things I loved about the movie Vikram, there are 3 scenes that I still remember:
- Kamal’s dialogue about terrorism – Yes, just this one dialogue ( and 3 sentences, to be precise) was worth everything about this movie for me.
- One man’s terrorism is another man’s revolution.
- “தீவிரம்”ங்கிறது கெட்ட வார்த்தையில்ல. It’s a virtue.
- We are warriors of tomorrow. Grow up guys!
- The feeding bottle scenes – Having become a first time father around the time of the release, the scene that portrayed that strong / heroic men prioritise their families more than satisfying what their egos want them to do (incl. activities like conquering the world, and chasing money, fame and sex) was absolutely wonderful. And the plot that says the hero does everything for the kid from feeding to putting him to sleep was one of the most heroic things to be done by a titular character, IMO. Being a dad of a 15 month old daughter, I still struggle and can’t put my daughter to sleep. This was just marvellous. I don’t know why Lokesh had this scene, but this one absolutely stood out for me.
- The suave interval scene which had equal parts “class” and “mass” – simplicity is the utmost sophistication they say. How do you create such a scene in a movie like Vikram? 3 concentric circles in an unused airport, 8+ four wheelers, 1 two wheeler, few stunt artists – 1 Fahad, 1 VS, 1 Kamal H, and probably Anirudh’ best BGM ever!!!. By not showing Kamal till the end of the 1st half, our senses were already primed enough to finally see the hero! (just having listened to the struggle and pain through the other characters, this had led to huge anticipation already. This way of storytelling goes against the grain of the hero’s arc by not showing him till then but by using the other characters who are there to just enhance the adrenalin). And as cliched as it sounds, the patience pays off. That scene still stands out after almost a year of having the movie. I’m getting goosebumps while just thinking about the scene for writing about it here.
Now coming to Por Thozil, there were multiple scenes and story plots but thinking back, 3 stand out for me:
- The relatability of the characters – In spite of being a crime thriller whodunnit, it had characters which I could relate to.
- I could see myself in the Ashok Selvan who was afraid of going to the bathroom that late in the night; I could see myself in being absolutely unable to initiate a conversation with a stranger or a loved one after some big event when I am completely lost (the train flight and the X ray passport photo jokes have occurred innumerous times between me and my wife throughout our relationship)
- I could see my father in the Sarath Kumar, who has somehow learnt that there is no hope for the lost souls – be it the police officers who come to his session for the attendance or the son of the perennially fighting parents. While for my father – I, my brother and my mom are the lost souls, they both seem to have a hard time unlearning things / their conditioning of 50-60+ years. Probably this is one of the biggest disadvantages of growing old, IMO (it makes it harder to unlearn & uncondition)
- I could see myself in the heroine who comes back from an enviable college education abroad, to pursue something closer home and close to heart. While I yearn for both, I totally understand why some people come back home to do these offbeat jobs
- How our childhoods can make or break us and love is the only solution – The core essence of the movie in spite of being a crime thriller is its portrayal that it’s the lack of love between people who are closest to you that leads to almost all ills in the society. In fact the Vikatan review points this out beautifully (it says this movie has to be celebrated because it goes on to say why someone did it instead of just being a whodunnit – I agree and this is why I read Vikatan, most things that are in the magazine capture what I think and feel in a more simpler and beautiful way).
- On a similar note, I feel what Por Thozil and another all time favorite of mine Anbe Sivam say are essentially the same. They just say the same stuff through different lenses. You can take the same core essence and package it in different ways. And this is the crux of all creativity. Borrowing ideas from everywhere and packaging it in a way that you love and think the audience will love.
- Music is the antidote to some of the most difficult problems of our life (and can really lead to a psychopath and sadist free society) – That final scene when Ashok Selvan gives a music player to the son of the fighting parents is probably the best climax scene I have seen in recent times. Coming from someone who has just been baptised by the healing power of music in the last few years and has gone through fighting parents first hand for a significant part of my life, this is all I can say – music can heal. For that boy there isn’t really a better way to save himself from such a household. That is absolutely a practical suggestion. Music can transport you to worlds far beyond your imagination and alter the mental makeup of your swinging moods and save you from the ills of the world.
- For folks like me (millennials, philosophers, autodidacts) exploring music of late, I highly recommend following Karthik Srinivasan at the milliblog. His playlists have already saved me from multiple sad, anxiety inducing and depressing rabbitholes.
Please leave a comment or write to me at thecuriousstoic@gmail.com if you liked this!
