Mohamul(1994)

Okay ...This is the toughest task. Writing a review for a movie which is your personal favourite.

I had two minds whether to write or not. Thanks to Sivaram (My Brother) &Sabari.This is also tough because you don’t have any information about the movie in the web-Imdb is blank Wikipedia is blank. I had to watch this movie again to write a article on this. To me by far the movie which has affected me in all aspects is Mohamull.Many of my friends would agree on this.

Let me take a ride on how it p(r)icked me .Mohamull means the thorn of Infatuation or lingering Lust .The movie deals with the disturbance, distraction and magnificent obsession leading from a desired goal or consummate artistry(Source: Tamil blogs .com).
The movie is about a Youth Babu’s(Abishek) infatuation for Yamunaa(Archana Joglekar) who is ten years older than him .The story revolves around in Kumbakonam.
Babu is a gifted of Carnatic singer who is groomed by Ranganna (Nedumudi Venu) who is a renowned carnatic singer and he wants Babu to reach the heights and not get carried away by material possession. Yamunaa, a girl born out to a Brahmin landlord and a Marathi woman of Thanjavur . Babu falls in love for Yamunaa.After a unpleasant situation with his neighbour woman Babu opens his heart to Yamuna but she rejects his socially unacceptable relation .Babu gets dejected .After the death of Renganna; Babu travels with haunting thoughts of Yamunna .Mean while Yamuna’s Family collapses after the death of her father and they move away from Kumabkonam.Babu finds in the hands of a unknown Brahmin who takes care of him.Babu’s friend (Vivek) meets Babu in Chennai and goes in search of Yamuna after realizing the state of Babu .Yamuna meets Babu .Yamuna accepts his infatuated (love )and they unite and the movie ends when Babu takes the Thambura to play.

The movie moved me a lot because the movie was released when my age students were just feeling the heat of infactuation. The movie seemed lots of meaning in my life those period. When I moved by I can just smile for my act.

This movie is inspired from T.Janakiramans Novel “Mohamull “which is considered to be magnum piece of work in Tamil literature. I still love the novel in a different way because it brought the explicit life of Tamil in post and past worldwar.I can say the movie touched it .It didn’t come out in a profound way. It can not because the culture of the land lords and Zamindhars were similar to Polygamy.Adultry is very common in the novel probably that might the true notion of that period. There are some sort of imagination which is let in this movie from the novel.
Some beautiful scenes of this movie are when Babu trying to suicide for having sex with his neighbour .His eyes can see the face of Yamuna in the pool which shows him the love he has for her .
The other scene which takes away is when he shows his love “Yamuna I can realize you are in me when I was with other female” .I don’t remember the same conversation in the novel. But Director Gananarajasekhar has scripted it well. Director has failed in to show one aspect why Yamuna is unsuitable for Babu.Yamuna a woman who is in her thirties unmarried, Hailing from different caste, Different mother toungue, socially different stigmatic status, Poor, unaimed of life is a destitute match of Babu who had to carry the dreams of Carnatic Music from Ranganna. But her beauty captivates him and makes him worship her in the pedestal of his heart
for which she comes to accept his love to give her. The Plot deals cleverly the unconventional love with out any conversations.

Nedumudi venu rules the screen with his character of Ranganna, When I read the novel I could only visualize him. I wonder how Archana Joglekor was a choice of Director for Yamuna but she is the one she steals the show in spite her character not being properly defined in movie except the initial scenes.
Who can be the music for the movie other than Maestro Illayaraja.You wonder I still listen to this songs which are heartfelt melodies made in Carnatic .The songs like Kamalam Patha Kamalam and Sollayo vaithiranthu gave you meaning what the movie is all about .Its the tug of between music and Lust. Where is the singer ArunMozhi who sung the songs ?

Director Ganarajasekharan an IAS officer started his ambitious film career with this movie and made Mugham,Bharathi,Periyar .He had different dimensions in each of his movies.Its is very difficult to get the VCD/DVD of this movie but you can watch the movie once in a while in Satellite TVs. This movie is my personal favorite and will remain till in my memories for the crux it speaks on "Mohamull".