The aura of Mysskin
There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing a piece of yourself getting reflected in art. Especially when there is an increased feeling of being misunderstood and being disconnected from the rest of people. Mysskin's films fall into that category for me. I have always believed that the subject of his movies and film language he employs resonates with the core of my being. This was further confirmed when I was breezing through some old pictures of mine, posing exactly like how Mysskin's characters do and many times, he himself does. As I once said, "Beauty no longer interests me, it is the oddities that do". There is this strange sense of oddness to his film language.
2 nights before, I watched Mysskin's latest offering, "Savarakathi", albeit he was only the writer of the movie and it was directed by his brother GR. Adithya. I did not expect the cinema hall to be packed to the rafters but at the same time, I did not expect it to be as empty as it was. Many of the seats were empty in a rather small 'Screen-2" at the Kamala Cinemas. The film was very unlike and like Mysskin at the same time, like him as well. The story of the movie happens in a single day. A goon is out on parole. He has been proven guilty and end of the day he has to surrender himself to the police. The protagonist is a barber whose in-law is a person whose leg has been paralysed and had run away with the daughter of a minister. The barber and his family are driving (pregnant motormouth wife, a son and a daughter) on an old "Rajdoot" bike to chase the in-law. Their paths cross with the thug, where the barber unknowingly punches the thug and escapes from the scene. The thug has his ego hurt and now goes after the barber's life. This makes for a perfect premise to a blockbuster commercial film. But Mysskin doesn't tread that path or does he?
The film was outrageously whimsical and did not have a very serious undertone but for the last few minutes of the movie. It was pretty dark and indulging with Mysskin's goons providing the comic relief with their actions and mannerisms. The guy named "Geetha" was the best. The camera angles and lighting were quite unlike the Mysskin movies we have seen so far. In the latter half of the movie, we are met with stock Mysskin characters like noble poor who doesn't look for money, the "poiyya Mozhi" tea shop and the "parisutham" cycle shop. I think he has fallen in love with the idea of nobility in poverty. I also quite subscribe to that thought with full knowledge that it is rather a flawed romantic ideology.
As always with Mysskin films, it was quite redeeming at the end. The guy who was untying a bag full of lies, for once spoke the truth. While on a chase to rescue his wife and children from the thug holding them hostage, he tries to rent a cycle at the "பரிசுத்தம்" cycle shop without any money, the cycle shop owner first refuses to rent the cycle. The Protagonist proceeds to barter his watch in return for the cycle. He then instinctively realizes that the watch is faulty and proceeds to walk off. The shop owner notices the honesty and rents him the cycle. In the end, like all Mysskin's movies, humanity always trumps everything. He keeps reminding us that there is humanity even in the most cruel of peoples. The climax scene is a testimony to that. As Mysskin says "For what better objective should the knife be used, other than to cut off the umbilical cord"
2 nights before, I watched Mysskin's latest offering, "Savarakathi", albeit he was only the writer of the movie and it was directed by his brother GR. Adithya. I did not expect the cinema hall to be packed to the rafters but at the same time, I did not expect it to be as empty as it was. Many of the seats were empty in a rather small 'Screen-2" at the Kamala Cinemas. The film was very unlike and like Mysskin at the same time, like him as well. The story of the movie happens in a single day. A goon is out on parole. He has been proven guilty and end of the day he has to surrender himself to the police. The protagonist is a barber whose in-law is a person whose leg has been paralysed and had run away with the daughter of a minister. The barber and his family are driving (pregnant motormouth wife, a son and a daughter) on an old "Rajdoot" bike to chase the in-law. Their paths cross with the thug, where the barber unknowingly punches the thug and escapes from the scene. The thug has his ego hurt and now goes after the barber's life. This makes for a perfect premise to a blockbuster commercial film. But Mysskin doesn't tread that path or does he?
The film was outrageously whimsical and did not have a very serious undertone but for the last few minutes of the movie. It was pretty dark and indulging with Mysskin's goons providing the comic relief with their actions and mannerisms. The guy named "Geetha" was the best. The camera angles and lighting were quite unlike the Mysskin movies we have seen so far. In the latter half of the movie, we are met with stock Mysskin characters like noble poor who doesn't look for money, the "poiyya Mozhi" tea shop and the "parisutham" cycle shop. I think he has fallen in love with the idea of nobility in poverty. I also quite subscribe to that thought with full knowledge that it is rather a flawed romantic ideology.
As always with Mysskin films, it was quite redeeming at the end. The guy who was untying a bag full of lies, for once spoke the truth. While on a chase to rescue his wife and children from the thug holding them hostage, he tries to rent a cycle at the "பரிசுத்தம்" cycle shop without any money, the cycle shop owner first refuses to rent the cycle. The Protagonist proceeds to barter his watch in return for the cycle. He then instinctively realizes that the watch is faulty and proceeds to walk off. The shop owner notices the honesty and rents him the cycle. In the end, like all Mysskin's movies, humanity always trumps everything. He keeps reminding us that there is humanity even in the most cruel of peoples. The climax scene is a testimony to that. As Mysskin says "For what better objective should the knife be used, other than to cut off the umbilical cord"
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