It actually appears inconceivable to scroll by means of Instagram with out seeing a reel video carrying the ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ monitor from the Tamil movie Gunaa. Unless you have been dwelling beneath the gigantic rocks of Guna Caves, you’re more likely to know that the placement of the monitor in the sensational Malayalam hit Manjummel Boys. — which is a couple of tragedy that befalls a bunch of pals visiting the Guna Caves — has introduced again the 1991 Kamal Haasan starrer to the centre of consideration. But ask the cinephiles and they’re going to vouch for the way Gunaa, which was criminally under-appreciated throughout its launch, has all the time been a cult traditional set in stone.
A nonetheless from ‘Chanakyan’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The story of how Gunaa got here to fruition requires a movie by itself. When Kamal was 19, he was not glad with the monotonous work he was getting in Tamil movies and that’s when his mentor determine Ananthu (keep in mind this title) requested him to present Malayalam cinema a shot, an endeavour that garnered him large success aside from rejuvenating his thirst for the craft. His final movie as the lead in Malayalam was Chanakyan (1989) helmed by National Award-winning filmmaker TK Rajeev Kumar in his directorial debut. It additionally marked the debut of author Sab John and his first collaboration with Kamal.
The following 12 months, the duo, together with director Sibi Malayil and cinematographer Venu, determined to staff up for a movie on insurgency in Sri Lanka, an concept that was shot down by veteran Cho Ramaswamy citing the feathers it would ruffle. Sab John discovered one other plot from his childhood, which was about this man who can be seen ceaselessly in his neighbourhood and was known as by everybody ‘Pottan’ (a derogatory time period for an individual intellectually gradual to study and observe). Kamal, intrigued by the thought, gave his nod. Malayil was not accessible by the time the movie took form and Kamal’s longtime good friend and filmmaker Santhana Bharathi (who in 1987 made the Sathyaraj-starrer Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu which Kamal produced) took over the path reins. When the staff began with recce works close to the Berijam Lake, Kodaikanal, they noticed a milestone for the nationwide park named Mathikettan Solai (the forest of the misplaced minds) and Sab John really useful that as the title. But as a result of of the adverse connotation, the makers went with the title of its major lead; and thus, Gunaa was born!
A nonetheless from ‘Gunaa’
Gunaa, condensed right into a one-liner, is the story of a newly launched psychiatric affected person who kidnaps a heiress, believing it’s their future to get married. The plot may sound just like the Spanish movie Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! by auteur Pedro Almodóvar that got here out only a 12 months earlier than,however John had earlier clarified Gunaa had nothing to do with it; the layers John, Kamal and Bharathi add to Gunaa would show that. For starters, the preliminary parts of Gunaa are set in Andhra Pradesh and the very first shot introduces us to Gunaa standing atop a constructing in the pose of Nataraja as the digital camera strikes alongside exhibiting how he’s the solely man in a brothel managed by his god-fearing mom. As the story progresses, we study that his uncle, unaware of his psychological well being points, used to tie him as much as a Gunaseelan temple from which he escaped, sought medical care and was recognized with Obsessional psychoneurosis.
In a implausible 150-second arc shot that has develop into synonymous with the movie, Gunaa explains how he’s ready for his ‘Abirami’ with whom he needs to flee from this god-forsaken world. His abandoning father grew to become a villain he by no means knew and the repercussions that led his mom to take up intercourse work are all “impurities” for him. He needs to quiet down with Abirami atop a chilly “Pentothal hill,” removed from this ugly world that’s chilly sufficient to lie that his mom has died to get him out of hospital.
Immediately, we minimize to a montage tune by which the movie’s composer Ilaiyaraaja lends his voice to the ‘Appan Endrum’ monitor and Vaali pushes house the level of Gunaa’s must purification with strains like ‘kuppai aga vandha udambu’ and ‘endha Gangai aatril indha azhukku pogum’. The ‘Unnai Naan’ monitor deserves a particular point out for the way, visually, we get to see each Gunaa’s mom and Rosy, the solely two souls that look after our titular hero, take turns pacifying him. Just like Chanakyan, John’s Gunaa can also be a couple of love story that doesn’t finish on a constructive be aware, and Rosy’s unrequited love in direction of Gunaa can also be an underlying motif that’s carried all through the movie.
A nonetheless from ‘Paartha Vizhi’ tune from ‘Gunaa’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Gunaa finds his Abirami when one other implausible monitor, ‘Paartha Vizhi,’ performs; the tune is from Abhirami Pattar’s ‘Abhirami Anthadhi’, a Tamil assortment of poems sung on goddess Abirami, and in the movie’s context, the lyrics coincide with Gunaa discovering the almighty in Rohini (Roshini) who he believes to be Abirami. The tune can also be when Gunaa goes right into a dream sequence that includes the lead pair dancing collectively dressed as gods. In reality, Gunaa is laced with many such spiritual references from each Hinduism and Christianity — The heist sequence by which Gunaa inadvertently stabs a thief with a trident, the church sequence, and Abirami, wearing white, in comparison with that of an angel are some examples with a private favorite being the shot the place blood from Gunaa’s injured hand unwittingly lands on Rohini’s brow resembling smeared vermillion.
Probably as an extension of Kamal’s beliefs, nature takes over as the almighty as soon as the movie shifts to the third act, that includes the intimate moments between Gunaa and Rohini the place the latter embodies the Abirami persona. It’s an entire new world the place the hills of Kodaikanal flip into their model of Mount Kailash; for us, it’s the place a schizophrenic individual and a Stockholm syndrome sufferer discover peace and love. The Devil’s Kitchen — that Subash and his pals dreaded in Manjummel Boys — turns right into a comforting house for the couple. The writing additionally makes certain there’s a breadcrumb path to showcase how Gunaa has been one with the nature round him. In an earlier sequence, we see him speaking to a cow and when requested for the purpose by his uncle, he retorts with “manushangaluku en thukkam puriyathu” (people received’t perceive my grief). There’s additionally a pair of sparrows nesting in the church which acts as a metaphor for the lead pair and one of the sparrows getting killed by a gunshot is a prophesy of how Rohini meets her finish.
A nonetheless from ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ tune from ‘Gunaa’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Gunaa, unsurprisingly, began a sub-genre of movies that paved the means for titles like Kaadhal Kondein (2003) and Kadhalil Vizhunthen (2008). Apart from influencing an period of filmmakers who would usually cite it as the movie that acquired them into movie-making, Gunaa can also be one of these uncommon movies that made real-world variations; the Devil’s Kitchen changed into a touring spot, with its title modified to Guna Caves. Gunaa was additionally an addition to Kamal’s checklist of movies that handled psychological well being points, like Sigappu Rojakkal, Moondram Pirai and Aalavandhan. Kamal and Bharathi would even go on to staff up for Mahanadhi, which, like Gunaa, additionally sheds gentle on the plight of intercourse employees.
Gunaa may not have gotten an astounding monetary success when it was launched. Nothing had ready the viewers for a movie prefer it; Bharathi’s earlier movies — as a solo director and as a co-director with P Vasu — have been largely romance dramas or cop flicks. An actor who didn’t persist with the norms of a standard “hero”, Gunaa was just like what he had beforehand accomplished in movies like 16 Vayathinile and Kalyanaraman, and the hard-hitting movie got here sandwiched between comedy capers like Michael Madana Kama Rajan and Singaravelan. The undeniable fact that the movie was launched alongside titles like Bramma, Rudhra and of course, Rajinikanth-Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathy, didn’t assist it both.
Nevertheless, Gunaa turned out to be a cult traditional over the years. The nifty touches, references, and coverings of its pretty songs make it one of the greatest movies from the Tamil movie trade. Speaking of nifty touches, keep in mind Ananthu who I had earlier talked about about? He performs a cameo as Gunaa’s roommate at the hospital who inculcates the idea of Abirami inside Gunaa, similar to how Ananthu mentored Kamal Haasan.
A nonetheless from ‘Manjummel Boys’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Malayalam movie trade has referenced Gunaa and the ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ monitor in lots of of its movies like Premam however Manjummel Boys takes this a step forward and turns it right into a tribute to the movie. Even the plot of it, which’s acquired a bunch of pals paying no heed to the warnings and indicators, seems like a reference to the that means of Mathikettan Solai which has its personal share of city legends. At the core, each the movies take care of the affection and the attachment between the lead characters, although it’s love for Gunaa and friendship between the boys in the new movie. Nevertheless, Manjummel Boysactually seems like a love letter to Gunaa full with the ‘Kanmani anbodu kaadhalan naan ezhuthum kadithamae’ line. It’s undoubtedly a beautiful homage to Gunaa, a superb movie made by some of the greatest abilities in the nation whose love for this craft of filmmaking had no bounds. Could we fathom it? Probably we’ll by no means get it. Probably they meant it once they went “Manidhar unarndhu kolla idhu manitha kaadhal ala, adhayum thaandi punidhamanathu!”