By Vivek Shivakumar
It is a common knowledge that Tamil cinema and politics have been intricately related to each other, isn’t it? Tamil films have for long been propaganda vehicles, carrying the political ideologies of its image-driven star. However, this article is about a movie which delivers to its respected audience the image of an ideal political leader and worker – Aayutha Ezhuthu.
Aayutha Ezhuthu, written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and the powerful yet natural dialogues written by Sujatha, marvelous music by AR Rahman and produced by Madras Talkies, came out to theatres in the year 2004. Though the movie did meet with rave reviews, it did not quite strike the right chord on the commercial front back then. However, it very much is in today’s world, where people, not media, are looking at youngsters as the new hope towards better governance.
Putting aside the question how the movie is relevant to today’s political scenario, which is quite apparent, let us look into the less than obvious details of this wonderful craft of metaphors, symbolism, and content this movie is.
(The upcoming analysis requires the reader to have seen the movie, to appreciate the film better)
Let us start by looking into nature, a seemingly poetic diversion from a movie analysis one might say. Nature consists of four fundamental interactable elements – Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
Each color can represent each of these. Red is commonly associated with Fire, Green with Earth and Blue with Water. What about the Air? Well technically you cannot see Air, but clouds, clouds are essentially water trapped with air, do take up the color – black while heavy and casting a shadow, and white while they are weak and can be blown away.
Keeping that above in your mind, Aayutha Ezhuthu revolves around the lives of three main characters, each having a personality, which develops throughout the movie according to their interactions with each other and through their love lives.
Each of them is represented by one of the primary colors Red-Green-Blue (RGB), and their personalities match with those of their color. You could visibly see Mani Ratnam and the art department to have taken great effort in the detailing of the set and frame to match the color of the character the camera is capturing.
The color red represents Inba, portrayed by R.Madhavan. Red is a color often correlated with danger, love, desire – all of these matching the qualities of Inba who is a gangster. Red represents Fire, Inba is Fire, burning down all those who come in his way to his desires. The evolving costume as the movie moves forward best describes his character arc. Black like coal at the beginning of the film while in prison before his release, which then turns red once he is out and in the path of fulfilling his material desires and love. Towards the end of the movie, he is seen sporting a yellow shirt over a red inner shirt, capturing the image of real blazing fire. However, in the climax, as he waits for his death sentence, he is burnt out and seen wearing white.
His relationship with his wife Sasi also shows his change in personality as his desires increase dangerously. In the beginning, he chooses to meet his lover Sasi over his rowdy brother Guna, who helped him get released. In the end, he decides to meet up with Guna for one “last” job, before joining his wife Sasi at the train station.
Before I talk about this character, I must confess that this character has had a significant influence on me throughout my life, and I was more than happy to know that this fictional character is based on a real-life person named George Reddy, who had died standing up to his ideals. (Do read up about him!)
Fortunately, for our energetic student leader Michael Vasanth, performed by Surya, sees the light of dawn in the murky politics overshadowed by the corrupt minister Selvanayagam. Michael encapsulates positive attributes like energy, growth, and ambition. Represented aptly by the color green, Michael exudes qualities of the Earth – beaming with enthusiasm and enabling growth. He is the ideal leader who can direct people towards a righteous and ambitious destination – the People’s house.
All these characteristics are starkly contrasted with those of Inba. Michael’s story is about serving justice. His story begins with hitting back a guy who assaulted his friend over a matter of student politics and ends with hitting back on corrupt politicians like minister Selvanayagam, wonderfully performed by veteran writer-director Bharathiraja. However, the more significant hitting back comes against Inba.
Michael faces off with Inba twice, and Michael bests Inba on both occasions. Once over a small bridge, representing the magnitude of things at stake - small, where Michael spares Inba over a truce. Moreover, the second time, he faces off with Inba over the more massive, Napier bridge, the same place Inba hit Michael with an unexpected bullet while Michael was driving. A larger bridge shows that the stakes are higher now – a fight of good vs. evil. This time Michael defeats Inba once and for all over the sunset, and landing the final blow with his right hand; the hand that he got shot at by Inba previously, giving a sense of poetical justice.
Minister Selvanayagam, represents a black cloud, again resembling his choice of color of clothes, casting a dark shadow over the political welfare of the state. However, in the end, he is seen wearing an all whiter, alluding to a cloud that has lost all its moisture which gets easily pushed away, just like the final scene where Michael pushes away Selvanayagam with his right arm as he enters the Lok Sabha bringing in a new dawn.
Maintaining the same elemental color trend, Arjun the happy-go-lucky youngster is given the color blue, representing his relaxed nature. Arjun is Water, flowing along with the turn of events, and best represents the majority of the audience because he is very associable. He is selfish, doesn’t want to be caught in any problem and acts to be chilled out always even at critical moments.
However, this does not last long, for when he gets caught between the Earth, Michael and Fire, Inba, he is forced to decide between supporting and enriching the land and getting evaporated by the flame.
This is also showcased by the change in color of his clothes. Initially blue, then a mix of colors exhibiting confusion and finally when the importance of Earth dawns on him, he adopts it and wears green. He gets absorbed by the energy of the land and becomes one with it.
Arjun’s open relationship with his lover Meera was something very refreshing for the audience when the movie came out in 2004. Though their relationship starts off as something of a casual fling, it soon turns out to be more, because if it had not been for Meera, Arjun would not have matured from his selfish nature. Their relationship has three defining instances. One when Arjun realizes that he does love Meera and is ready to throw away his US dream for her. Second is when Meera too realizes her love for Arjun at the railway station as she is leaving when Arjun takes a firm stand in his decision to help Michael. Moreover, third is when Meera comes back for Arjun, and their love is complete.
Aayutha Ezhuthu is a remarkable and a futuristic movie, not in terms of any sci-fi but it is early recognition of the fact that the future is in the hands of politically charged youngsters.
“Edhir Kaalam Ilaignargal kaiyil.
Ini oru ini oru vidhi seivom, vidhiyinai maatrum vidhi seivom”
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