Evana Bala.....!!! (Is he Bala....!)




Getting Chows by thriving,
Reciting some tale on routine
Haunted by thoughts,
Snagging around the populace
I had reached the silver tresses.
Did you sense I go squandered?
after ensuing a petrifying mood
Like droll lives?

This is a poem by Subramaniya Bharathiyar (In my best possible English ). I happened to read the book "Evan thaan Bala" which was published in Anantha Vikatan.I had read that in non habitual basis ,which had let me not to capture the jinx in a proper way. This book starts and ends with this poem, which shows how he is silencing his critics and the society around him.
Seven years ago I happen to read a article written by Ilayaraja in Anantha vikatan which was about a movie which he had recently composed and he had also mentioned that the movie is going to take entire Tamil cinema by a wave .I had the belief when such a Genius commenting on it .He was speaking about Sethu.Rest is known to every one .

Now I wanted to know what this man is ?
-Why is he carrying lots of controversies in his movies?
-Why are his characters so bleak and dark that we don’t feel of getting inspired?
-Above all why is he making unpleasant climax
-Why love is not successful?

I was sure I would not get the answer by reading the book ,But I related the move with the book to know why?
Director Bala started his career as a production boy with Director Balumahendra the man who made Moondram Pirai,Erattai vaal Kuruvi,Veedu .Bala stayed with Balumahendra for quiet a period before directing his movie Sethu in 1999.He has made three movies so far Sethu,Nantha,Pithamahan.
I presumed after reading his book its so evident that he is not a human being who had the youth which was notorious .It was much worser than it .Life was given easier for Bala but he never took that way he choose to get ruined in the youth with fellas and he flunked his education and he disregarded his family. His character and acquaintance had all been so reckless which makes him to create characters in the movies as similar to him ,outlaw, tarnished .He never chooses normal space for his script. He chooses the pits and the forbidden of the society for his play arounds.Its so dark that his characters always carries a pain which is so evident .But Bala had been very clear in showing why his characters roam around as such. Right from Rajeswari in Sethu,Chittan in Pithamahan,Nandha in Nandha .But do these pain account for his success???
Definitely not. Presenting Pain on screen does not mean the tears in your lids .It has nothing to do with it. Intense presentation and characterization are involved in it which needs a mould .The role of a director is as a sculptor who makes what he wants.Bala is one such sculptor who moulds ,He moulds his characters with a pinch of mourning and fierce rage which never lets you to love it.Did any one of us love Nantha’s attitude or Chittan’s Bodylanguage? .Thats Bala for you.His characters are so simple and short-lived that can not be admired.Focussing on the same brings you a new stage and inexperienced for you to see. I have seen female community invariably disliking his movies one important reason for it is he never gives you a pleasant end for the movie may it be Nandha,Sethu ,Pithamahan.

He makes a entombment of his character at the end what you call it as “Dhvumsam”in Tamil .It is as meant as “No life for this character after this “.Have you ever seen a series of movie in similar kind .His three of his movies were as such committal not only for his main lead but the all the characters are also left with the pain struck after the movie .For example Cheenyan’s brother (Sivkumar ) in Sethu ,Kalyani (Laila) in Nantha and Manju(Laila) ,Gomathy (Sangeetha@Rasika) .All these characters ended up as a pain struck soul at the end of each movies.Often we imagine life beyond a particular movie “They lived happily there after “.There is no such imaginative thing in his movie.It s the end and not peace after it and you will not wish to go beyond it .The book shows why its so as this;Because Bala himself been as this through.
Man who worships Balumahindra mentions in his book as he is my Guru and he is the man he respects most .He doesn’t stop with it he says he is the man whom he never wanted to meet.(Eventually he met Balumahendra when the later had a heart attack).His movies always throws the traditional film formulas aside and takes a different pain struck angle. His movies are celebrated for its approach, Characterization and of course the technicalities. But if you come out of the theatre you would have had a depressing heart for no reason of yours.

I love his movie for all these. There is a director who tells about guys whom we never had a look even.I suppose his forthcoming movie “Naan Kadavul “ is also on the same grounds.
Did you sense I go squandered? after ensuing a petrifying mood Like droll lives?

Comments

mathi said…
Karthik,
A very well observed and well written article.In my opinion Bala is a creator with a level of integrity rarely displayed in tamizh movie making.His works attempt to delve into the darker sides of human psyche.I loved your observations on the fringe characters other than the lead experiencing an insurmountable distress at the end.
I loved your translation of the Barathiyar poem as well.Nice attempt.
Sivaram said…
hey definitely bala is a gr8 creator and all his movies revolve and evolve around the ppl whom hwe havent bothered abt but he is a big show off in a sense he tries to keep away from ppl and try proving ppl that he is a legand
any ways would like to add that his next movie is about "beggars"
Karthik said…
Thanks Mathi,,,Its really great to read ur comments.Thanksfor the motivation.
Sabhari Nath said…
I was amazed when I read his "Ivan thaan Bala" in Anantha Vikatan. This one is a good write-up about the other side of Bala
Karthik said…
tnks sabari..keep visiting
Ashok said…
Hey Karthik,

Have been reading your blog for a while now.

The observation as whole on his three movies are very well fetched in this write up. What I liked in this write up is that it is not exploration of reasons of the darkness but the feeling of putting something to the viewers who watching it is brought out by you well. All Bala's movie has this unknown way of approaching the characters and causing the "pain" you described in fierce manner. This has been extremely well analyzed and well written from you ! Keep it coming !
Karthik said…
Thanks Ashok....I had written on the Viewers point of view as u said

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