Here I am celebrating the movie Alaipayuthey and the producer of this movie is now no more! š I was shocked to read about the sudden demise of G.Srinivasan, Mani Ratnam’s brother cum producer of Alaipayuthey and all the other movies produced under the banner of Madras Talkies. š May his soul rest in peace.
Moving on to the post, starting with the first meeting of Karthik and Shakti, it couldn’t have been picturized any better what with the joyous atmosphere of a wedding, friends and relatives pulling the leg of the bride and the groom and an excellent song by Rahman in the background! There can’t be anyone who doesn’t enjoy the conversation between Karthik and Shakti. š
Mani Ratnam uses just two scenes, one for each of them and we get a pretty good picture of not only what kind of persons Karthik and Shakti are but, also of their family too! Karthik, the rich guy, enjoying his life with his fatherās money and having a mother who pampers him and a dad, who though scolds him, gives him all the money to enjoy life. Shakti, enough has been said about her and her family in my earlier posts.
The second meeting: Karthik and Shakti travelling on different trains and the trains crossing each other and Karthik and Shakti’s eyes meeting each others’ with again, the song, Yaaro Yaarodi in the background. It is from this scene that the train starts playing a major role in bringing Karthik and Shakti close to each other. š
What we have after this is one of the best set of scenes ever showing a couple falling in love with each other, wherein each and every scene during their courting is sure to make you fall in love with the movie even more! š (I donāt really understand how the same people who enjoy watching lovely scenes like the ones in Alaipayuthey can also stand watching other stupid movies featuring other āgreatā Tamil actors! One thing that I canāt stand watching is stupid love stories and unromantic āromanticā scenes. This is one of the reasons why I watch very few movies.) To stop my post from becoming something like a narration of the movie (as if it already isnāt one!), I will just write about some of my favourite scenes and wrap it up.
I would say the best ever dialogues used to propose to someone are these š :
‘Shakti naan unna virumbala un maela aasai padla, nee azhagaa irukkannu nenakkala, aana, adhudhaan nadandhudumonnu bayama irukku!’
Then, there is the kid, Karthikās niece. Is she sweet! š Yet again, Mani Ratnam shows that there is no one who can create lovely scenes with kids like he does! The kid telling the shopkeeper, āAvanoada illa. AvaLoadaā, āChee Shaktinaa pombaLa aambaLa illaā š , and later jumping with joy, tells her grandfather, āNaan rendu rooba sambadhuchuttaenā!ā
There are so many nice scenes like Karthik’s father walking past him coughing, when he is speaking with Shakti over the phone; Karthik telling his mom that Shakti is the girl he is going to marry in front of a whole lot people and more than his mom, the lady sitting next to him becoming curious and asking him if itās true and starts spreading the news! The joy some people derive from spreading news like this and the joy some feel on hearing it! But, at the end of it, when someone goes and congratulates Karthikās father on fixing his sonās marriage, the expression on his face is priceless! š
Again, comes one of the lovely conversations of the movie:
‘I Love You!’
‘Appadinna enna mean panre?’
‘I love younaa I love you!’
‘Appadinna ennannu seriya theriyaamaye’
‘Unakkaaga enna vaena seivaennu arttham’
‘Trainlaendhu gudhippiya?’
‘Maattaen’
After the meeting of Karthikās and Shaktiās parents ends up as just a clash of egos (I feel more than Karthikās Dad, in some places it is Shaktiās Dad who is not interested in letting this marriage take place), comes yet another favourite dialogue of mine:
Shakti: āInnikku oru poNNakkaaga Amma Appa ellaarayum vittuttu varuva. NaaLaikku innoru poNNukkaaga enna vidamaattannu enna nichayam?ā
Karthik: āHello unga logic sagikkala!ā
After they decide to split only, they both start missing each other so much and Mani Ratnam uses the song, āEvano Oruvanā to showcase their missing each other so beautifully.
She is missing Karthik and is drowned so much in thinking about him that she doesnāt even realize that she has to attend to a small child, a patient, even when she is standing right next to it, until another doctor brings to her attention that child! When they meet again after a long time, it is Shakti, the same girl who didnāt give in to Karthikās words earlier in spite of him trying to persuade her again and again to marry him, who now, wants him to marry her immediately. Again, after a sweet conversion, they decide to get married.
Coming soon is the wedding! You all are invited! š
P.S.: Translation for the dialogues used in this post will be done later!
wonderful, absolutely wonderful. when i start a film mag, will you please take charge of the film-review section?
in real life, “i don’t think you are …, but that’s exactly what I am afraid is going to happen” won’t seem like a proposal, sounds more like testing the waters. depending on the girl’s reaction, next step!!
but coming back to the film,
“will you jump from the train?”
“nope”— priceless.
the verbal sparring between karthik and sakthi during their courtship indeed make one of the most enjoyable sequences in the film.
lovely post!
The scene when Karthik and Shakthi first meet, his friend says “dei karthik vazhiyaadha da!”
it made me rotlf! it was too natural!!
and of course his calculation to find shakthi! simply amazing…
Was eagerly waiting for ur post….Yes too good scenes and dialogues…These small small incidents and natural dialogues makes this movie really wondeful to watch. Alongwith Karthik I too sometimes feel like falling in love with Shakti…I rarely watch any romantic movies,but cant get enough of this one..
Well neenga music cover panuvengla???
Calc to find shakti – the best way to make some one believe that the no-logic way is the logical way ! … seriyaana olarals athu ! aana Mani’s MBA came handy there !! nalla yaemathinaaru oora !
Mani is at his best when he explores human relationships. Alaipayuthe was a comeback for him in many ways ( After years of wilderness doing Thiruda Thuruda, Iruvar and Dil Se) .
Btw,Sad to hear abt the demise of G.Srinivasan.Irony that both his brothers suffered an unnatural death.
Daneel,
Thanks.
Seems there is no need for translation to be done for the dialogues used in this post š
Mathangi,
Thanks. Yup!
Girish,
Falling in love with Shakti? š
Music I haven’t covered much. Maybe later. Let me take a break from writing about Alaipayuthey.
Sreekrishnan,
Avar oora emathirkkalaam. But, I don’t think you got emandhufied š
Cogito,
Yup!
Sad indeed š
hey Aparna,
quite good posts abut Alaiputhyey, i just love the way u describe all thing.which are also my favorites.i loveee this movie i have seen it first hindi n than tamil one. but i like tamil one..n maddy is just wow in movie.i dont understand tamil but still i like that movie very much.
i m happy that at least some one feel like the way i feel abut this movie..i dont know much tamil but,”yeippai erkey?”(how r u?) hope it’s right.
keep it up š
Komal,
Welcome to my blog! Thank you!
In the scene in which Karthik asks for a week, they are both dressed in dark colors, but by the time Shakti boards the train they have both changed clothes while we are going forward and then backward in time. Very odd, and surprising for a well made movie.
Ram,
Welcome to my blog! They are wearing different dresses in that scene since that scene happens a week later! Isn’t it so?
Aparna
I don’t think so, the first conversation ends with a “No” from Shakti, the second conversation (after the flash forward) begins with “Inda oru vaaram ellam vendam” by Shakti. So, I don’t see how a week could have passed. After the parting on the train, Shakti no longer takes the train, and is shown with her sister taking the bus etc., the conversation again has Shakti saying “Vittachhu anna Vittudano”. Then, Kartik gets Shakti on the phone courtesy his niece.
I have access only to the you tube version, it is possible the original plays differently, but the dialogue clearly presumes no time lapse between the dress changes.
Thanks for the welcome. Alaipayuthey led me to you, and then the discovery of an ARR fan sealed my decision to comment. Liked many of your music posts, disagree with your take on Ranjani Gayathri, heard them in Krishna Gana Sabha in Dec, enjoyed it, but then I am no expert.
BTW, I graduated from Guindy engineering college (long before you were born) but I am curious to know if you went to Anna university, or Guindy college.
Ram,
Oops yes it’s not after a week. Maybe the next day or on some other day within a week but definitely not on the same day. Even though she says ‘no’ in the previous scene, you see Karthik trying hard to convince her. And her ‘No’ isn’t a firm ‘No’ either. So you know she does gives it a try. The dress change indicates that.
>but the dialogue clearly presumes no time lapse between the dress changes
The dialogue just shows that Karthik is still trying his best to convince her.
>disagree with your take on Ranjani Gayathri
I said I found that concert boring. Others around me were enjoying it. Who knows someday I might also enjoy some concert of theirs..
>if you went to Anna university, or Guindy college
I didn’t
OK, I buy your take on this. I think though that the editing was not very good with three scenes at the railway station, and possibly the director could have done better too. There are many ways to dissolve the first scene, go flash forward and return to a different scene. For example, in the first scene Karthik could have ridden off on a motorcycle, and in the third Shakti could be shown tentatively looking for him until she runs into him. Just a thought.
It might interest you to know that last night at a professional basketball game — Dallas Mavericks at home to Portland Trailbalzers they played a snippet of ARR’s song form Slumdog. I felt so thrilled by the whole episode, nothing surprises with ARR of-course.
Put some money on ARR getting the big O.
Ram,
Thanks for that info š Makes every Rahmaniac feel so proud š
This is a awesome scene..
i love it..the whole flim is just awesome…
An awesome portray. It just brings back the sweet memories of my lost love.
Ma’am I had just started reading yesterday. As I am a malayali, I really didn’t understand some dialogues but your post gives a picture perfect description and it’s so good to read about one of my favorite Tamil movie even after 20 years of its release. Thank you so much!!!
It would be also nice uf you can write about other maniratnam movies also.