Kannathil Muthamittal (A peck on the cheek)

    Kannathil Muthamittal (A peck on the cheek)

    A very sweet Tamil movie made in 2002, starring P.S.Keerthana, Simran, R.Madhavan and Prakash Raj. The movie is directed by one of my favourites, Mani Ratnam, who also takes the credits for story and screenplay. Dialogues are written by a well known Tamil dialogue writer, Sujatha, whose words are used in epic films like – Guru, Shivaji - the boss, Enthiran (Robot) etc.
The story is set in the midst of Sri Lankan Civil War.

    Keeping the base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the story, Mani Ratnam, has weaved in a superb dramatic screenplay of a 9 year old girl, notorious, lovable, sweet and smart, called Amudha (P.S.Keerthana) in a family of a dad who is strict and a writer, Indra (that’s what he writes his name as Author) (played by R. Madhavan) a very sweet mom, who is not scared of this strict dad, the real Indra (Simran) and two younger brothers. Amudha is loved by everyone and is the favourite in the school and colony. A happy family is faced with a twist when Amudha is told by her father the fact that she is not their child and she was adopted.

    Film that begins with the marriage of a couple in northern Sri Lanka, played by Nandita Das and Chakravarthy, jumps to their first night and leads to military forcing in the jungle where the couple is spending a good time. Chakravarthy tells Nandita to go home and runs into the dense jungle. Nandita das is brought to Rameshwar where the screenplay is cut at the point of her labour pain. It’s left at the audience to apply logic to know that she has given birth to Amudha.

The core film is when Amudha, starts insisting her parents to search for her biological mother. All they have is her mother’s name – Shyama. At the beginning Amudha tries her own sources which go out of hands when she does not come home from her school. One day, she goes away to Rameshwar (the family stays in Chennai) to search for her mother with her cousin. That time Madhavan commits Amudha to take her to her biological mother, about whom they are not sure if she is dead or alive.

    What is impressive is the acting of all the artists…everyone has done a fabulous job. Now since it is proved that Mani Ratnam can even make a stone shine like a diamond (taking into consideration the explicit performance by Abhishek Bachchan in Yuva, Guru and Ravaan), acting had to be over the top. Even more impressive is the cinematography – Ravi K. Chandran. Superb camera work and deliverance by this man. A 30 percent credit has to go to Ratnam for conceiving the shots. Especially in the song “Sundari”. Though shot in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry, the cinematic difference is felt between the shots of India and Sri Lanka.

    Music – Just as the film begins, the highly soothing harmony begins with the top shot, and that’s exactly where you understand (if you follow that man’s music) it is A.R. Rahman. He did just what he is good at.

    Now to the favourite factors of the movie…credited entirely to Mani Ratnam, that only he can make sequences like these look unique on paper.

    The love in the family is the nicest feature of this film. The attachment in the family, Amutha’s relation to her father, her grandfather, to her mother and her brothers, all of it is particularly defined and put into us. Every Father loves his daughter more than anyone…it is exactly portrayed likewise in this film. Though it’s difficult to give equal love to the adopted one for the mother, who she has the children of her own, Simran is shown giving Amudha, the equal love and priority (and the reason behind this is the best part of the movie, which I will discuss later). Her Grandfather (Mother’s father), loves her as she is the first child of the family. And then, the brothers, both younger, where she always fights with the immediate one and the latter one always complains.

The man has something in his presence on the sets of his films while shooting the emotional scenes. He just makes it unbelievably emoting and expressive. What he writes must be the result of what he has felt at least ones in his life. But they are amazingly captured and put through.

    The presence of Prakash Raj – For bollywood people, they have seen and loved Prakash Raj for his roles in Wanted, Singham and Dabangg2. He makes the best whimsical villain. But watch this guy in this film. His Role is as jolly and connective as the best people in our groups. He has a white collar role and a person who has a helping nature, who helps the family to search for Shyama, during the high of LTTE and Sri Lankan Military fights and shootouts, as if they are his own family. Superb role, written for and played by Prakash Raj.

    The Shootout sequence in Sri Lanka – Of course there is no comparison between the two I am going to mention, but what I am talking about is the feel – Remember the first 30 mins of Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’? The superb shots taken and presented. The shootout sequence at a garden and the building nearby between Sri Lankan Military and LTTE fighters is made very very well and shot creatively.

    And finally the best sequence I liked, is the reason why Simran loves Amudha equally is the flashback of how Amudha was adopted. When Amudha asks – How was I adopted? R. Madhavan replies with – We did not adopt you who adopted us – taking us to the flashback at Rameshwar and the love story of Madhavan and Simran. A superb sequence, highly peppy and sticking to the characters that are placed in. No character behaves out of his nature. And giving two entirely different moods equal justice keeping the same characterization for everyone is very difficult and Mani Ratnam is one of the greatest who does it well.

    

    Finally, I would rate this movie a 6.9/10. (Mind you 8/10 are like popular’s 100/10 for me.)