With a national award in his kitty for his lyrics in the song ‘Ovoru Pookalumey….’ ( Autograph ), Pa Vijay now dons make-up and plays the protagonist in ‘Gnabagangal’.
And apart from playing the hero and penning the lyrics, he has also taken on the onus of scripting and producing the film. Wielding the megaphone is cinematographer- turned-director Jeevan.
The film opens with Kathir’s trip to Delhi to collect his national award for best lyricist. Before returning to Chennai, Kathir had two personal trips to make. One to Haridwar to look up on his old love Meera, who he would be meeting after a decade. And the other to the Taj Mahal where he would pen a poem. He does get to fulfill both his desires. But in a way he wouldn’t have anticipated. The opening scene invokes interest and an element of curiosity as we watch Kathir arrive at Meera’s bungalow and encounter her.
Kathir’s mind travels ten years back, and his past is revealed to us in bits and pieces here. Of his stay in Chennai, and of his efforts to make it as a lyricist in films. His love affair with Meera, a north Indian girl, and the unexpected course the affair takes.
And then it’s back to the present, and the subterfuge the duo engage in, to cover up reality. Pa Vijay is restrained and subtle, though he does have a tough time expressing deeper emotions. One does feel here, that he could have etched his character keeping his limitations in mind.
The screenplay is weakly etched, and the narration amateurish. The love-track lacks depth. There are unwanted distractions, like Kathir’s tryst with a militant group. The scenes towards the end seem contrived, forcing the story to a desired ending. Which takes away most of the emotional punch from it’s finale. Sridevika is peppy and vibrant here, a far cry from the bland look she had sported in her earlier films. ‘Gnabagangal Illayo thozhi…’ is melodious and the catchier of debutant James Vic’s songs. However, the song-dance numbers are thrust into the narrative, without proper placements.
Finally, Pa vijay informs us in a voiceover at the beginning of the film, that his script was inspired from his friend Kathir’s unfortunate love saga. But probably forgot to mention other ‘inspiration’. Popular Bengali film-maker Rituparno Ghosh’s debut hindi film Raincoat , the Ajay Devgan-Aishwarya Rai starrer, released a few years back. Or was it plain co-incidence that Vijay’s script is uncannily similar to Ghosh’s? That in the most crucial episode the film, where Kathir enters Haridwar bungalow and encounters Meera, it’s almost a frame by unabashed replica of the earlier Even in its slightest details, happenings and lines spoken, the movement and demeanour of the two actors, even its artifacts and the set (curtains, dilapidated toilettes and kitchens included!), this entire episode is a photocopy from Ghosh’s film.
No doubt plagiarism has become the rule, with even the most eminent of filmmakers indulging in it. But here it’s a bit too blatant for comfort. And it also doesn’t augur well for a film, which claims to be based on facts and true life incidents.
expresso@epmltd.com