Marginalia — Balaji Sivaraman on Bytes and Words

Rendezvous With Rama

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In my first attempt to read this book, I stopped after the first handful of chapters mistakenly assuming this was going to be nothing but a book long description of an alien world hurtling through space. (This despite knowing the pedigree of the author.) In this, my second and complete read through, after reaching all the way to the end, that impression still remains because, for all intents and purposes, that’s exactly what Rendezvous with Rama is.

The Jaws Log

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

With detailed look at the minutiae of film production and captivating trivia strewn all throughout the book, The Jaws Log is a delightful read, whether you’re interested in the film-making process or not.

Murphy’s law states the following: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

I don’t know where that adage originated, but after reading The Jaws Log, I’m 100% sure that’s how those working on the production of the 1975 blockbuster felt. From budget overruns to hostile townsfolk on-location, driver strikes to misfiring machinery, everything went wrong during production, and it resulted in the first - and arguably one of the greatest - blockbuster of all time. And we get to read a first-hand account of all of it.

Thank You and Farewell, Roger Ebert!

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Roger Ebert passed away yesterday night, finally succumbing to his long, arduous struggle with cancer. I woke up to the news today morning and haven’t been able to think clearly, if at all, for the better part of the day. How can I even begin quantify the impact Roger Ebert has had on me, as well as scores of other filmbuffs? For me personally, he was the baptist. He was the one who inducted me into the world of cinephilia by a trial-by-fire. It was somewhere between 2003-05 when I began reading his reviews. I clearly remember thinking he was elitist at the time. Of course, this impression had nothing to do with him and everything to do with me being grossly misinformed of movies in general. He challenged casual viewers to look at films as more than just meaningless entertainment. And I did. Once I was able to firmly identify myself as a cinephile, Roger Ebert became one of my two primary sources of film reviews, the other being James Berardinelli.

Random Thoughts on Conversations with Mani Ratnam

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Back in my pre-teen days, I remember catching glimpses of Mouna Ragam, Agni Natchathiram, Roja, and Bombay on TV. This was a time when I didn’t place much importance on wordly things, let alone cinema, kind of like those kids in Anjali. Yet I could sense that there was something in these films, something that made me watch them again and again without making any sense of it all. Later when I entered the latter part of my teens, but still before I was the ardent filmbuff that I consider myself to be now, I saw a couple of movies that knocked the stuffing out of me. They were called Nayagan and Iruvar. The former, I saw at a time when I didn’t even properly understand the language of cinema. But something about it felt so… perfect, for lack of a better word. At the time, I remember thinking how little this feels like a film, and how much as if someone had placed the camera on the streets of Dharavi, Mumbai. It wasn’t until later I came to know that the entire Dharavi sequence was shot on a set erected in Madras by “Thotta” Tharani. I happened to see Iruvar a bit later in my life. I still couldn’t comprehend most of the visual cues/metaphors, but at least I knew enough to recognize why it was so bloody good. But such is cinema. When everything comes together flawlessly, as in the case of these two films, the illusion is maintained. You don’t have to understand anything about cinema to appreciate them.

Neethaane En Ponvasantham - An Introspection

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Note (2026): I wrote this at 24. I’m fourteen years older now, and my relationship with this film has shifted in ways I couldn’t have anticipated then. I’ve kept the piece as a record of where I was.

P.S.: This post plainly dissects into many aspects of the film mentioned in the title. Don’t read it if you haven’t watched the film yet.

In my experience of watching films, I’ve realized that I am a sucker for climaxes. Most of you will agree that the climax can elevate a bad or mediocre film and bring down a good or even great film. I’ve also realized how I feel about a film is directly dependent on the kind of emotions the climax evokes in me. This is why I’ve made it a point of revisiting certain films and watching them beginning to end to make sure my initial reactions were right. I applied this theory to Mayakkam Enna last year and felt that there were a few scenes in the early part of the second half that the film could’ve done without, which the extremely powerful climactic sequence made me overlook. The latest film I’ve applied it to is Neethaane En Ponvasantham.

A Separation (2011)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I have an immense amount of respect for directors who give us dramas. Unlike any other, this is the genre that demands filmmakers to be at their skillful best. Essentially what they are presenting us is a window into the world of these characters they’ve written through which we view them for about two hours before getting back to our lives. And within that time they are in the unenviable position of getting us to believe in the world they depict, care for their characters, and understand their emotions. If they overstep their limits, we call the film manipulative and write it off. If they err on the side of caution in writing their characters, we say we were never emotionally attached to them in the first place to care for what the film presents. Sure there are good, if not great, films that fall into both those categories – flawed classics to use the cliché – but they never stay with us as long as those that nail it to perfection. And perfection is a rarity for a drama more so than other genres.

Mayakkam Enna (2011)

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

After all the hype surrounding the Diwali releases, it is fair to say that the end-product was underwhelming. 7aum Arivu was entertaining but most definitely not worthy of the pre-release hype while Velayudham made no bones about what it was, an old-fashioned entertainer that at least proved to be better than Vijay’s recent fiascos. With the lull in Kollywood after that, trust Selvaraghavan to give us a quality piece of cinema because Mayakkam Enna is exactly that. Easily one of the best films of the year, it not only functions as a great character study but also highlights something that is sorely lacking in Tamil cinema right now – that thing called director’s vision. Selvaraghavan is one of the few who has always strived for that but rarely has he delivered on that vision in as resounding a fashion as he does with this film, which is the most coherent since his stunning feature debut.

Raja Paarvai (1981)

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When I decided to watch Raja Paarvai, I went out of my way to find out a bit of its history before doing so, because sometimes knowing the backstory of a film’s production goes a long way in adding to its enigma. It was the first Kamal production under his home banner, then named Haazan Brothers, later Rajkamal International. Looking at his filmography, one can also deduce that it was one of his first experimental films where he played outside the rules of conventional Tamil cinema. In this regard, my mom told me that at the time he was asked to add traditional masala elements to make sure the film appeals to a wider audience, but he refused saying it would dilute the emotional core that makes up the film.

Thiruvilayadal (1965)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A.P. Nagarajan is mostly famous as the director of various epics based on historical/mythological characters or Hindu Gods that are often characterized by riveting performances, spellbinding music, and by virtue of them being based on well-known history/religion. Arguably the most popular of his movies, certainly the most entertaining, is Thiruvilayadal, which provides an account of Lord Shiva’s grace in helping his devotees through a series of episodes. With ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan’s arresting performance, K.V. Mahadevan’s timeless music, and Nagesh’s legendary comedy among its many pleasures, it is difficult to name a quality that defines film masterpieces and is absent here. The film has been telecast on TV every now and then, but it has still lost none of its charm and remains one of the greatest movies in Tamil cinema history.