Caught up with the
#MankathaReRelease. I don't want to review a 15-year old blockbuster but couldn't resist sharing some thoughts.👇
I think there's no other film quite like
#Mankatha in the history of Indian cinema. That's a bold claim to make, isn't it? Hear me out.
The most obvious reason for me to say so would be because the "hero" is actually a despicable villain.. very uncommon.. right? Not quite.
You see, nearly all our beloved superstars would have played a villain at least once in their careers.. but it comes with a catch. They've only ever slotted into one of the three following sets.
FIRST SET- This "villain" will be a ruffian/law-breaker but will have some redeeming quality.. something sweet or good or a larger selfless cause which will justify those transgressions. They might even have a conscience and give in to relationships and sentimentality.
SECOND SET- They could be all black, totally unlikeable and irredeemable.. but in those cases the same superstar will quell the negativity and villainy of this character by playing another character who opposes him with righteous vigour. The famed double role. History is littered with many such examples.
THIRD SET- IF the villain played by a superstar doesn't slot into either of the first two sets, here's a less common third set. The wickedness and cruelty will have a price. The character will pay either with his life or will lose everything in the end with karma catching up and punishing him for his misdeeds.
Then there's the gloriously unique Vinayak from Mankatha.
He does everything a big mass hero must never do.
-He cheats on his girlfriend in a drunken daze.
-Spouts lies in the name of love and uses her for personal gain.
-Drinks endlessly and smokes like a chimney.
-Has no morals and ethics and is totally fine double crossing and killing those who trust him.
-Bad mouths women in the most vile and shocking way.
- Shamelessly materialistic and wants to get rich without working for it. Also slips into an unhinged frenzy, the kind which film characters do before meeting their doom.
..And amazingly, he gets away with it.. all of it. He wins. There's no justice for the good folks he hurts or kills.
There are no parallels for this in our cinema. Shocking to think of, even today.
This is unfair on so many levels but the film works because of the conviction and raw charisma with which
#AjithKumar plays this character. Man, he sells the hell out of it.
The sheer nerve to take up such a film as your milestone 50th demands a separate deconstruction. You can like the film or hate it but you gotta marvel at the sheer audacity of
#ThalaAjith. Kudos to
#VenkatPrabhu for not flinching/giving in to cliché and sticking the landing.👏👌
..and oh. How can I not mention the grey hair. Again, Ajith lead the way. "I'm a mass hero but I'm 40 and I have grey hair. Deal with it."
Pioneering. Iconic.🔥
@sunpictures
#Thala50
@vp_offl
@SureshChandraa