Alwarpet Aandavan.

Kamal Haasan

Just saw the interview Kamal Haasan made outside his house claiming he is now officially on the verge of bankruptcy and his plea for his movie to be screened, the Tamil Nadu government has apparently given him "options" : to cut the movie, mutilate it or ban it. I want to talk about the man that is Kamal Haasan and why his speech almost brought me to tears. A man moulded from pressure, a man lost in his own love for his work. He is been in this film industry for 50 years. 50 years! That spans a career longer than Clint Eastwood's, but with a much broader growth since Eastwood never worked as a dance master, stunt director, lyricist and the likes. I grew up with his work actually. I remember the times when entire weekends spent in front of the TV, watching Moonram Pirai, MMKR, Guna, Aboorva Sagotharargal(AS).. the list goes on. Being a movie fanatic myself, it was he, who took my hand and showed what good movies were before I watched my first Scorcese movie. So what has he done to Indian Cinema? Only everything. From winning a National Award at the age of 6, he has only moved from one strength to another. First man who brought the concept of make-up as a tool rather than an accessory, at a time when Indian movies differentiated between two different characters who looked alike, with a mole, he made use of chipped teeth, linguistic differences, accents, buck teeth even going to extremes like in AS where he had to act with his legs folded in to fit the role of a midget and in Alavandhan where he beefed up by consuming two dozen eggs a day. He introduced the concept of digital film-making in Mumbai Express, use of animation to show violence in an entertaining way in Alavandhan(even Quentin Tarantino got inspired when he saw this and emulated this in Kill Bill), use of live set sounds in scenes in Virumaandi, use of steroids and injected fluids for make up in Kuruthipunal, the list goes on. All this from a man who did not even finish his schooling. To speak fluently in six languages, act in all of them and truly show that Tamil cinema was not to be taken lightly.

Aalavandhan and Kill Bill: Animated sequences

A self proclaimed atheist, he has never shied away from speaking his mind or tackling social issues in his movies and in real life. His associations were the first to become social work organizations rather than just a bunch of hooligans screaming and pouring milk over his cut-outs. He has a cancer foundation for children, is a brand ambassador against AIDS prevention and yet in spite of all this it is his two marriages and a live-in relationship (with Gautami, whom he helped overcome cancer) which has become a judgment call on this man's character. Maybe he is a man ahead of his time, most of his films are classics which never became hits, may it be social movies which tried to focus on communism, women's rights, communal violence etc., like Hey Ram or Anbe Sivam or movies which have reached a cult status like Paesum Padam or Alavandhan. They have never been appreciated in their time. Or maybe he was just born in the wrong place, in a state where people took offence to him calling his movie "Sandiyar" or calling him a traitor for making "Hey Ram" or a man without values for making a "Mahanadi" or, like now, for trying to make a good wholesome movie which is on par with Hollywood standards and trying to put Tamil movies on the world scene. His movies were a mirror of the society we lived and when he showed the mirror to people, they did not like what they saw. The only fault he has done through all this is to take everything silently and let people do this to him. Long has India and TN shunned this man and his talents. The truth? Our people simply don't have the brains to handle the subjects this man has to offer.

If he chooses to leave TN, I would be sad and yet happy at the same time. I am reminded of his famous lines "What is the point of feeding grass to a lion? What is the point of using an artist, if you don't use his potential?". Hollywood's knocking, what with Barrie Osborne(producer of "The Lord of the Rings"  and "Matrix") himself heaping praises on him and expressing desire to work with him. I actually want him to leave. I want to show people that I although love my country I am still ashamed of it and why I don't want to go back. How one honest man's lifelong fight will not make a difference, however hard you try. They chased Rushdie out, Hossein out but lamented their departure and admired their work after they left, just like they will for Kamal. Now they are pushing away the most important man in Indian Cinema, only this time I hope he gets the message and leaves.

When I come to India the next time and I happen to drive by Alwarpet and if I realise Kamal Haasan, our "Alwarpet Andavar" no longer lives there, I would smile.. For he surely would be in a better place. And it would be about time.

"விழுந்தால் விதையாக விழுவேன் 
மரமாக வளர்வேன் 
தனி மரம்தானே தோப்பாகாது என்று 
நினைத்துவிடாதீர்கள் 
பல சுதந்திர பறவைகள் வந்து அமரும் மரமாக நானிருப்பேன் 
மீண்டும் விதைகள் விழும் அது 
சோலையாகும் காடாகும் 
ஆனால் விதை நான் விதைத்தது".

-கமல் ஹாசன்

"If I fall, it shall be as a seed

I shall grow as a tree

Don't you think this one tree can populate a forest,

I shall be that one tree where a thousand free birds come to rest,

And they shall carry my seeds

And that will become the forest

But never forget that the first seed was mine."

- Kamal Haasan

Sorgamae endraalum.

I was sifting through I love Chennai's page and that is when it struck me how much I miss Chennai. Having been there all my life, I can surely say I'm a true Chennai'ite at heart.  Even when I was a 6 hour drive from home, in Bangalore, I would always wait for the long weekend when I can come home to my Chennai. We do have a reputation for being noisy, dirty, our "fleece even the locals" auto-anna, the heat, the humidity etc., but you have heard that innumerable times haven't you? Let me talk about the Chennai I miss.

The people themselves:

You know of corrupt cops and honest cops, in Chennai you will meet a new kind of cop. The friendly "Mama", the name which refers to Uncle in English but doesn't justify the sarcasm and colloquial twang in it. He is the guy who books you for no apparent offence saying "If you go to court it is 1000 rupees, but we can settle it here", its always Rs.1000, I don't know why. But he is also the guy who doesn't stop women or a family of 5 on a two wheeler. We Chennaites are approachable, friendly people, just talk to us with a smile. And we wear our hearts on our sleeves. We can rant to complete strangers about "The Man" and quote off "The Hindu", we have grandpas who look down upon our westernization but won't hesitate to help us out if we are in trouble. We have our slum kids who will try to steal from you but would gladly give his "karavadu varuval" for free if you take a picture of him. The "couples" who make out on the beach and the people sitting at a distance and making fun of them. 

Scene podum figures:

I have to dedicate a whole topic to girls. I have travelled a fair bit in India and now being in Europe, I realised the hardest woman to please is the Chennai girl. They are analytical to a fault, the best bargainers who can put wall street traders to shame, have pani puris from the roadside and can handle a Sheraton spread with equal élan, are "obedient" while having fun, modern yet traditional and the worst part is, they somehow know it. And hence the term "scene podum figures" I'm sure you Chennai boys will understand. I'm still to come across a girl in Europe who is as feisty as a regular Chennai girl. And I miss having conversations with girls who can have more grey matter than just, well matter.

Night outs that don't work out:

The best places in Chennai were discovered when we were not allowed into parties in plush hotel pubs because we were "stags". Here in Europe you do just one of two things : You either go eat or you go drink. And the drinking holes are open all the time. There is something exhilarating about the time limit in Chennai, because you know all the places which are open after that time. Let it be the Ascendas Omlette shop or the hole in the wall "Dosa kada". And when you have roamed the entire Chennai twice without getting entry anywhere it seems like it was all worth it when you and your friend share a 1/2 tea and say "Mama, namakku mattum yenda edhuvumae workout aagamaatingudhu?" (Why doesn't these things never workout only for us?)  and laugh our heads off (In the meanwhile we would have been to a hundred other places which we wouldn't have gone to if we had gotten into the pub anyways)

The film industry:

"Thalaaivaaaaaa", aah, how I miss that sound. We are the only people I know who would die for an actor. The manic fervor, the "paal abishegams", the aarti during the premiere, the camaraderie shared over an inaccessible man doing superhuman things. The excitement of having gotten tickets for the first show, the anticipation leading to it, even the man in Sun TV announcing the trailer. This is the place where movies can bring people closer and help them forget everything else and share joy, pure and simple.

Chennai the place:

People in other states have only very few options open to them, when I was in Bangalore it was either Mall/Coffee day or the Cinemas. Chennai knows how to have fun. The Beaches are the first thing people notice, but things go beyond that. Broken bridge, theosophical society, the zoo, the estuaries, the open lakes and the holy grail of everything else, ECR. Here we have miles and miles of resorts, ATV rides, go-carting, theme parks, boat rides, archeological digs and some of the best beach house parties and world class cuisine, and the incentive is, at the end of this is the holy grail of the holy grail, Pondicherry. :) You are never short of things to do if you are jobless or bored in Chennai.

Friends:

We take friendship seriously. I believe Barney Stinson wrote most of his "Bro Code" studying us. We bond over everything, figures, love failures, exams, studies, bikes, booze, tea, sandwich and even beedis. And we are always there for each other. How often have I decided to just "go" somewhere with a friend, penniless? How often have I roamed the streets in the night having no clue where I was at 2 in the morning? How often has some friend or the other  picked me up and said "Vidu machan" (Let it go dude) when I was down in the dumps. If you had ever forged a friendship in Chennai, it's for life. We are the sort of people who like getting you into trouble just to see your reaction, but we are also the first people to be there to bail you out too. Friends from Chennai are friends for life no matter how long it's been or how huge the distance.

Home is where the heart is:

You ache to get back to the place where you have made the best memories. My family lives there, I had my heart broken for the first time there, I have had my bones broken for the first time there, I have played barefoot in the 40 deg sun and I have tried lighting firecrackers in pouring rain, I have laughed and cried on its streets and have flattened coins on its railway tracks. I have been offered food by beggars and shown the door by some of my best friends. I met the woman of my life there.

I have lived in Chennai and I survive everywhere else. And I know there is no other place I would rather be, than in Chennai, my home.

A month down, updates y'all

So it has been a month since I got here. Classes have started (they took their time) and I have to admit I'm struggling, mostly because I'm lazy to even start studying. I have been putting the blame on my confidence which seems to have taken beating since I have been yanked out of my comfort zone of pure design to a more programming based environment. But the fact is that I have to buck up and catch up, and I'm too lazy to do it. Aren't we all?

So interesting things that have happened. I visited a lot of places, Warsaw's Old town being one of them.
Had the yummiest grilled pork and wild boar ever (considering it was the first time I was having any type of boar). The place itself is very picturesque, straight out of a postcard with sideshows everywhere. People doing what they do and ask for a zlotych in return (or not!) . It is more a lifestyle than simply a person begging for alms.

Tried my hand at Krav maga which almost killed me and made me realise I was terribly out of shape and the reason I have joined the gym. Hopefully am getting fitter. Als tried my hand at the Brazilian martial art, Capoeira. It basically involves jumping around, which I love to do. So that was fun. Yannis was our tutor and was awesome for someone who has not been doing the sport for a few years now.

Went to parties, the usual. Danced around, mention-worthy though was the one I went to last. One entry pass to 21 clubs all night. Around 12,000 people all over Warsaw attend this annually. On our 4th club that night I was denied entrance for not wearing a shirt although other people without shirts were getting in just fine. I did not want to argue about racism to the 200 pound bouncer so we decided to leave. It was funny and sweet how my other friends thought I would get upset and tried to console me by saying it was the shirt. I was just happy that my fears were not unfounded.

Brown might not be a popular color but green certainly is, I realised this when I met up with a few Indians and Pakistanis settled in Poland to play cricket (I was Indian so that was the automatic entry to play cricket). We went to a nice cricket club, got treated like royals because the people I was with were well off, but I sucked that day and we lost. But it was again a good experience since I now have played cricket at 4 and 40 deg celsius respectively!

The classes. Well they are not exactly as exciting as I imagined they would be and I find them tough mainly because they are boring. I have to get out of this stupor and start doing what I came here to do. Atleast the food is good. Now, I have to ask you people something. What is the most popular food in Poland? Perignon? Wrong. It is, wait for it, Kebab! Or a bigger version of our Showarma. It is just everywhere.
I also had the very delicious food prepared by everyone else in EMARO. May it be the black beans and meat mixture from Brazil or the Soba noodles or the Serbian dessert, it was all simply delicious. Although cooking for yourself sucks after the first couple of weeks.

It is getting colder and Autumn is coming to a close. Looking forward to my first snowfall in November, the cold (-35 deg) not so much. If Autumn is cold, can Winter be far behind? Ok, I need a jacket.

Keep it real.