Why Mysskin, Why?

What happens when Bruce Lee replaces Christain Bale in The Dark Knight, which ends up turning into a half-Chinese half-American bake-up, that falls into the hands of a Tamil director with a budget not even 10% of the original TDK movie?

You would probably expect it to be pretty awesome just cause Lee's in it, but no. The legendary Bruce Lee died almost 30 years back, and nothing can replace what the Master brought to the screen. And of course, Chris Nolan is perhaps the most bankable and cerebral director in showbiz today. Ergo, Mugamoodi, starring Jiiva, Narain, Nasser, Girish Karnad and debutante Pooja Hegde fails to impress us, as a superhero movie, and unfortunately, as a Mysskin film.

Mysskin, one of Tamil cinema's rare film-makers, who bring out films that go beyond the normal scope of mind, had built a huge hype over this movie, considering the fact that his previous films 'Yuddham Sei' and 'Anjathey' were runaway hits. But, alas, he delivers us a product that is shockingly, not 'Mysskin' enough. Having carved a niche for himself with his specific way of story-telling, it is sad to see that the screenplay drags, and runs amok suddenly through the movie, lacking clarity and the usual fast pace his films have.

Mugamoodi, is the story of how Anand aka Bruce Lee, an innocent martial-arts student, intersects into the web of crime created by Anguchamy and his kung-fu trained henchmen, who go around cities, looting and murdering rich, old men, and how his costume-clad joke turns into his city-saving secret identity.

Jiiva, as Anand, and Nasser as Gaurav have done complete justice to their roles, and Pooja, though not having much to do in the film, shows promise. Selvaah, as the kung-fu master Chandru, doesn't leave around much of an impression, and it is criminal to see a veteran like Girish Karnad be wasted over a menial, ridiculous role.

And yes, Narain, deserves a special paragraph. It was Mysskin who put Narain on the map with 'Anjathey', and now the very same intellect brings Narain to dismay. While his effort is highly appreciable, we can only wonder what on earth he was trying to pull off as the sadistic Anguchamy - to be a psychotic killer, with sinister plans, or to be a parody of Heath Ledger's immortal Joker?

Sathya's cinematography shines as usual, and K's (yes, his name is screened as K) music and background scores are commendable. While the 'Bar Anthem', a Mysskin usual, is getting a bit old, 'Vaayamoodi Summa' is a definite fresh ring to the ears. Madan Karky impresses with his lyrics, and so does art director Balasubramaniam. Tony Leung, the stunt coordinator deserves special mention for his work with the kung-fu sequences throughout the movie.

You could watch this once, perhaps, for Jiiva and for Mysskin, and for the mighty effort put by the team into the making of this film. But, don't let the Marvel-inspired title frame fool you. Mugamoodi, sadly does not live up to the hype of a superhero movie. While the director has tried his best to make a superhero fit to Tamil screens, he fails in several sections, which acts as a sharp blow to the idea that Chennai could be portrayed in the likes of Gotham City.


Aditya Baskaran

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises, has been released amidst colossal hype. Not only does the iconic symbol of Batman strike a chord in every man's heart, and bring that six-year old out, it is the treatment that this comic character has gone through the hands of director Christopher Nolan that has people looking up to it. Batman Begins got our attention, The Dark Knight stunned us beyond comprehension and the much awaited conclusion is here.

Well, line one - it is a superhero movie. You walk in, expecting strong one-liners (which we call as "punch" dialogues down south, and now, please do not ignore the fact that superhero flicks sometimes can remind you of Vijayakanth movies) and some dramatic, tense moments, and a feel-good climax. Of course, TDKR is no exception. But this is a Nolan movie we're talking about. It involves the trademark cerebral feel he delivers so well, and yes, my friends, you will walk out of the screens mind-zapped as usual.

It's been eight years since Batman/Bruce Wayne's last sighting and things have been peaceful all this time at Gotham City. Wayne, away from usual life, doesn't realize that the life around him is collapsing - that a man is after his fortune and his company, and that slowly, a storm approaches Gotham, bigger than ever. Bane, an ex-member of the League of Shadows arrives to strike terror into the heart of Gotham, on a mission which he terms as "Gotham's reckoning". How Batman returns to save his city, and the emotional turmoil involved in his greatest and final stand for saving his city forms the crux of the story.

Now that's enough spoilers for you guys. Christian Bale, as Batman/Wayne has donned the mask so brilliantly that now it would seem that no one else could  possibly suit this role better. His performance through the trilogy has been simply, apt, and makes former 'Batmen' like George Clooney, Micheal Keaton and Val Kilmer look like parodies. Anne Hathaway, as the sensual jewel thief Selina Kyle aka Catwoman has pulled off her role perfectly. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake, a cop who parallels on values with Batman, and carries a similar sense of justice, performs well as usual, and packs a surprise in the end. Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, the board member who wins Bruce's trust (and some more), fits her role to the bill, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, well, you don't even need my opinion to know how good he was. But the show-stealers were Tom Hardy as Bane, a villain, who not only challenges Batman's mind and body, but his heart and soul as well. What Tom Hardy does, in a mask, that covers most his face and lets him use only his eyes (and his digitized voice) is something to be appreciated. The other would be the legendary Micheal Caine, who is simply touching in his emotional performance as Alfred. Gary Oldman shines as Commissioner Gordon, and while his character is given more depth than before, his screen-time is quite low.

While decent cinematography, and taut editing makes this movie feel much shorter than it's original runtime (At nearly two hours and forty five minutes, it is the longest Nolan movie ever) it is the mind-boggling music by the amazing Hans Zimmer that takes the visual experience to a whole new level.

Christopher Nolan is perhaps the most bankable director in world cinema right now, with all his films winning worldwide acclaim. His way of making movies, whose base ideology is to play with our brains, combined with his idea of bringing in visual grandeur, making his movie a sort of a massive spectacle, is simply out-of-the-world, and this movie falls in no manner. But having said that, this is definitely not his best movie ever. While the movie remains to be a winner, you will find certain moments that seem a bit too cliched, a bit too obvious, but hey, maybe it's just usual in a superhero movie.

So, is it worth a watch? Worth a watch is an understatement. Watch this movie for the performances, the larger-than-life action, for the hype and simply for the fact that this is the final part of the superhero trilogy that's made all other superhero movies look like Disney flicks.


Aditya Baskaran