Anticipation is a sweet thing. Because hope resides in waiting, no matter how dire the situation maybe.
Waiting for a Mani movie is always the best part and sometimes better than the movie itself.
It is delightful awaiting another Mani love story. Another couple, another angle. It is hard to beat him at this. It is hard to even choose a favourite pair from past movies. How do you choose between Madhavan/Vidya Balan in Guru or Mohan/Revathy in Mouna Raagam (let’s not even bring in Karthik/Revathy) or Vikram/Aishwarya Rai in Raavanan or Arwind Saamy/Madhubaala in Roja or Shah Rukh Khan/Manisha Koirala in Uyire, so on and so forth? How can we forget Raghuvaran/Revathy in Anjali?
Some might argue awaiting the musical score for a Mani movie is the best part. Here we go again. I have the dilemma of making tough life decisions. Music is huge in his movies. We have had hit after hit from his movies. We have had a whole generation ‘chill’ and change. Cool friendships and crazy talent shows have become the norm, thanks to new music from the combo of Mani/ARR. Yeah, nothing beats waiting for the songs from a MR/ARR movie.
Then there is the cast. this is a director who has the talent to make every character stand out in his movies. Every actor looks new. I saw a new Mohan in Mouna Raagam. I readily forgave his stereotypical acting from all movies prior. A new Abishek Bachan in Guru, a new Madhavan in Aaythe Ezhuthu, a new Simran in Kannathil Muthamittaal. He brings the best out of an actor who sits comfortably in the character he portrays. He deserves credit for making child artists shine. Yes, there is so much to look forward to in his movies. I can’t wait to see who the ‘friends’ are, or how complicated ‘the elders’ might be.
Some critics will point fingers at me for not talking about his cinematography first – everyone awaits the thrill of what gets captured through those lens. “Amateur bloggers”, these critics and fans will whisper in exasperation. Mani, you put pressure on us. I have snapshots from his movies – they’ve shaped my dreams. Karthik silhouetted against the street light above the subway steps in Agni Natchathiram, the light captured through baby Anjali’s hair in Anjali, Shobana teaching music by the side of the temple pond in Thalapathy, Kamal Hasan and Saranya with pigeons in Nayagan, the stormy Kerala sky forming the background for Shalini and Madhavan in Alai Payuthey. What landscape will the next one showcase? What beauty will fill the background of a pilot’s love story? Will it be white as the clouds in the sky or golden as the rays of the sun? Let me dream.
Awaiting a good story? Well, who really cares about the story? Mani’s stories are not as spectacular as the dialogues are. There is already more than enough for me in his movies. Just the waiting seems so long….. but sweet!