“Looking closer, with misty eyes”

“LOOKING CLOSER, WITH MISTY EYES” – By Bhuvanesh Chandar.

1. HOW ILL-FATED IS FATE? – The juxtaposition
2. THE COSMIC TOUCH!
3. PERFECTLY USED CROSS-CUTTING!
4. THE WHAT-IF
5. THE BEAUTIFUL PREM KUMAR!
6. FRAMES, LIKE NECTAR
7. 96 – THE EXPERIENCE

 

[ SPOILERS ALERT!]

HOW ILL-FATED IS FATE? – The juxtaposition:

After almost 22 years of leaving his hometown, his home, his friends, his school and his love of life, due to his father’s debt issue, and after years of finding brief solaces in his favourite Salon shop (due to dejection caused by things as simple as coming across a bus that travels to his hometown) and finding comfort in his travelling trips, after exhausting journeys to memory lanes where Jaanu resides, Ram finally travels again to Thanjavur, along with his student, Prabha. He shows her around his hometown with such passion, engulfed in the obvious scent of Nostalgia. “Enga oor oda pazhaya busstand’u, echi oorum bakery, enga oor ku modhal la vandha mall”, and hesitatingly “Indha theru orathula dhan enga veedu“. “Shall I stop near your house?” Prabha, who is driving the car, asks and he reluctantly says “Illa yaarachum paatha kepaanga, pesanum“. I, who watching this movie for the 2nd time, couldn’t help, but gulp the lump in my throat. The thought that “Oh how would they react and what would they talk, when they see this boy, who along with his family ran away from the town 22 years ago due to debt?” seems to be running in his mind. How difficult it should be to not be able to go back and talk to his neighbours, and the only place he doesn’t hesitate to go and visit, is his school. There, amidst the smell of chalk powder, old wooden benches and the taste of nectar from Ixora flowers (Vedchi poo), he will always be K. Ramachandran – 10 C.

THE COSMIC TOUCH!

It felt so beautiful to notice that, after missing Jaanu for over a week, he grazes her bench in the classroom with his fingers, before settling in his place. And in the present day when he visits the school, Ram sits in Jaanu’s place first before sitting in his place. Even Jaanu, after finishing her 12th standard, and after 2 years of Ram desolating her, goes to their 10th grade classroom and she sits in Ram’s place and rests her head in dejection. It’s almost as if there’s a song playing in that universe, celebrating these cosmic physical touches between these two souls. 

PERFECTLY USED CROSS-CUTTING!

Another beautiful moment was when Director Prem Kumar decided to use simultaneity editing technique (cross cutting) when Jaanu realises that Ram has also come for the reunion and walks towards him. She is nervous, excited and confused as she is going to meet him after all these years. It cuts back and forth to a young Jaanu going back to school after a vacation, only to find that the love of her life has deserted her – at least that’s what she thought. There’s a beautiful contrast that is exhibited, in this way of storytelling – the high school Jaanu unexpectedly loses her Ram for a lot of years, and the present day Jaanu, unexpectedly goes on a journey with him for a night and loses him again.

THE WHAT-IF:

Life always seems to revolve around what-Ifs. Insecurities, goals, dreams, experiences, relationships – everything tends to have what-ifs in them or sometimes they are started because of what-ifs. Probably the most beautiful and heart breaking moment in the movie was when Jaanu takes Ram in a what-if ride while reciting a tale to his students as to how Ram proposed Jaanu in her college.  The collateral beauty in that scene was too much to handle.  I wished that What-if was a what-is.

THE BEAUTIFUL PREM KUMAR:

Another thing which I loved about the screenwriting is that, Prem, as a writer, doesn’t leave us hanging there when it comes to the future of Ram. There are subtle signs all over the movie that his student, Prabha, is actually interested in him. Remember that Jaanu tells him that she wants to meet his future wife and tell her that she has to take real care of him, and that she would never ever get a guy like Ram. And we also come to know that this is what Prabha tells Jaanu, when she mistakes her as Ram’s wife. This is not conclusive, yet not vague too. It gives us hope that there might be something to look forward in the life of Ram too. Dialogues such as — “Aambala  naatukattai. Yaaruku dhan unna pidikadhu”, “seekram kalyanam panniko, un pasangala naan paakanum”, “yen naan K Ramachandran ah love pannitu, Saravanan ah kalyanam pannikala?” and the very fact that Jaanu is happily married and has kids, would have, hopefully, brought a change in Ram. After all, “Jaanu solli Ram kekkaama irupaana?” (Would Ram ever disobey ‘his’ Jaanu?)

FRAMES, LIKE NECTAR:

96 was an experience. Cinematography surely played an major role in creating this experience. I noticed that there was a lot of symmetrical framing, and in most of them, there’s a line, imaginary or not, that divided Jaanu and Ram – whether it was the shot at the last day in school when they talk alone, or the shot when they are standing outside their classroom, or when they take a walk over that bridge, or when they travel in metro, and even in the last scene when they are at the airport before Jaanu boards her plane, you can see a line between them. Subhashini and Murali should be relieved that neither of them crossed that line! I’m waiting for the Blu-ray release of the film so that I can show you all the beautiful frames in the film and talk about the cinematography in detail. Congratulations Shanmuga Sundaram and Prem kumar!

96 – THE EXPERIENCE:

I watched the movie twice and I’m still not out of the world of Jaanu and Ram. I can still feel Ram and Jaanu. I can still feel those breath-taking visuals. I can still hear the sounds of those birds chirping and the leaves rustling in the background. I still remember how I felt when the older Ram’s voiceover transitioned into younger Ram’s. I still remember each and every expression in the movie. I keep thinking over those beautiful details in the screenplay. I want to be immersed in those background tunes and I still feel that hefty lump in my throat.

While everyone applauded and left, I sat there wishing if I could stay a little bit longer in the world of Ram and Jaanu.

Even a person who despises “love and all that”, after watching this movie would have definitely wished that a love like this, at the least, grazed him like a breeze, if not stayed on by his side. 96 was an experience I’d cherish for a very long time.

Thanks a ton for this experience: Prem Kumar (Writer-Director), Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha Krishnan, Gouri Kishan, Aadhitya Baaskar (Actors), other supporting actors, Govind vasantha (Music), N. Shanmuga Sundaram (Cinematography), R. Govindaraj (Editor), Nandagopal ( Producer) and every technician who worked in this film