Ranga Marthanda (Telugu Movie )– My Comments
A couple of decades back I happened to meet screenplay writer Mr.Vietnam Veedu Sundaram when I expressed my objection to the contents which put youngsters as riff raffs, perverts, fools and criminals just to glorify the old parents in the distressed limelight. Some examples of Tamil movies I referred to were Vietnam Veedu, Gouravam, Padikkadha Medhai, Thangappadhakkam. All of them were big hits with Sivaji Ganesan in the key role.
It was a great argument when I said that elderly Sivaji never deserved that kind of importance for one reason, that he was pleading as a lawyer knowing that the client was a criminal in the movie ‘Gouravam’. Mr. Sundaram was surprised to hear me out and advised me to start script writing. I said I won’t because if I did that I can’t be the critique that I love to be. –lol
Well. My apprehension is still there against the cynical design of such content. Here is another film in the same line of thought.
This film:
• Prakash Raj, like Kamal Hassan is an actor good enough to make us forget his off-screen naïve unsolicited political statements. In this story, the decision to write away all his wealth to the kids much in advance is a glaring foolishness not only for celebrities but for all. The purpose of choosing an erstwhile artist is just to show how bad in contrast, life gets one in the dim light.
• Ramya Krishnan fits the role like a hot pot of finest sambar on which all other characters could float like iddlies.
• The script was written neatly in many places. A couple of scenes where the importance of the mother tongue was expressed are worth a ton. I repeat – Telugu is ‘The Sweetest language in the World’. All efforts should be made to preserve, develop and propagandize the Telugu language at least to Teluguites worldwide. Tamilians can be taken for good inspiration.
• The roles of the daughter and the daughter-in-law could speed up the movie which otherwise would be losing the race with a lame turtle by detailing the disgruntled expressions of the old haggard’s emotions. In a way or more, the world is for youngsters between 20 and 50. All others are just clinging on. Life loves those who love life. There is no time or reward to drag life into any failed part of our history.
• Brahmmanandam has done a good job as an inevitable spare tire for a truck on a long journey. Prakash Raj, giving him ‘moksha’ is a criminal act of absolute conceit and morbid stupidity. It’s a murder damn it, and he rubs his butt and walks away with no guilt or remorse. Anyone sane on the censor board should have removed the scene and warned against it. I’m surprised, they didn’t. At least, he should have been rather handcuffed by the climax.
• We want Ilayaraja to do music for 1000 more films and forever. But someone should stop him from singing and remind him that there are scores of singers waiting to sing for him.
Old people would love to watch this film and relate certain scenes with what they might have seen. Youngsters, get out of here, go home and take loving care of the old ones. Learn to respect and enjoy their fuzz.
This is a good movie. Having said that, – My dog sitting near me could sense some relief in me and was happy, as the movie ended at last.
-Srirangam Ramesh