‘Kakka Muttai’, the filmmaker’s fourth film, which also stars Vijay Sethupathi in a scintillating cameo, is a striking combination of realism and surrealism
(spoiler below)
There’s something different about director M Manikandan that sets him apart from his peers, if his body of work – Kaka Muttai, Kutrame Thandanai And Andavan Kattalai – Had to be considered. his first film Kaka Muttai was a masterpiece: a child-centered film that uses humanistic realism like Satyajit Ray’s to make a serious point on consumerism and class differences. Andavan Kattalai It was a light-hearted take on aspirations, but at the same time portrayed its story and characters as close to reality without sacrificing humor and cinematic sense. This author has not seen Kutrame Thandanai But just two other films were enough to whet the appetite of the audience, who had to wait for months for their release. What kind of marriage: (The Last Farmer), Manikandan’s fourth film and perhaps the most poignant.
Read also | Get ‘First Day First Show’ our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema delivered to your inbox, You can subscribe for free here
As the title indicates, how ever…a take on the state of Indian farming today. The trope is familiar; There are very few people in today’s rural India who see aptitude in farming as a viable occupation and it is rare in today’s rural who wish to be engaged in the difficult conditions that come with agriculture. but what sets how ever… Also there is the treatment given to the subject, and this is where the art of Manikandan comes into play.
similar to Kaka Muttai and Lenin Bharati Merku Thodarchi Malai, the main roles in this film are not played by actors, or at least by people familiar to the audience. This is clearly done for the purpose of authenticity. Apart from Vijay Sethupathi and Yogi Babu, who both appear in cameos, there is no other prominent face. The central character, Mayandi (Nalandi), is played by a man who may be none other than a stubborn farmer himself. Other supporting roles are also written by the locals of a village near Usilampatti, where the film begins. What differentiates these characters and actors from typical Tamil films with a rural background is that they are not just spectators or spectators who occupy the screen space, but look and behave like real people.
A dose of realism lies in the characters and settings that set the stage for the message being conveyed by the director: that farming as an activity requires the protagonist to pursue difficult yards to continue against overwhelming odds. can be kept It is no surprise that every other landowner-farmer in the village has sold his holdings for a quick buck; One of them also buys an elephant and uses it for beneficial purposes.
Mayandi is not just the “last farmer” in the village; He is a simple man untouched by the conveniences of modernity, as evident from the absence of electricity in his home or mechanized equipment for farming. A loner, he sticks to his profession not only as a means of livelihood, but also as his way of unity with nature. It is no surprise that when some village elders decide to appease the village deity by performing the rites with the presence of all the communities, they turn to Mayandi to provide fresh offerings of grain harvested in their small field. put on.
Mayandi goes about her work with her characteristic fervor, even as the land grabbers want to buy her fertile land holdings only to turn down their offer outright. They try to fix Mayandi for this. Police have registered a case against him for killing peacocks. The magistrate hearing their case is easily convinced of his innocence, fueled by Mayandi’s desperation to go to the field and look after her life-giving crops. But the long arm of the law does not spare him. He is kept on remand for several days before the police take his sweet time to correct his bureaucratic mistakes. It falls on his fellow villagers and a police constable (due to a reprimand by the magistrate) to look after his crop and without Mayandi’s knowledge and nurture, the task is clearly not easy for them. Finally, when Mayandi is released from remand, the entire village transcends its bitter casteist division, and even the magistrate is impressed by her dedication. They participate in helping to harvest produce with a happy ending.
How this change takes place within the village is what drives the second half of the film, and the director pulls in the heart of the audience as much to realize the importance of fellow villagers and state agencies. What kind of marriage:, It is not just the realism or the emotional intrigue that Manikandan uses to make his point. He relies on surrealism in the character of Vijay Sethupathi as Ramaiah. Ramaiah has mental health issues and has lost his ground due to a personal tragedy. Unlike other villagers, who treat Ramaiah with entertainment or pleasure, Mayandi seems to be completely fine with breaking bread or sharing his feelings with her. This is in stark contrast to his interactions with others which are characterized by bitter wit, little ridicule or indifference. Mayandi seems to be as attuned to reality as Ramaiah in his insistence on devotion to his craft, but his innate humanity and bond with nature bind him as kindred spirits.
To this writer, Mayandi, Ramaiah and the other characters in the film are not much different from the farmers of Tamil Nadu, who went to New Delhi a few years ago to register their pain in a strange way against the government. For Indian farmers, unity with nature, dependence on monsoon cycles, soil, domestic animals and even the presence of wild birds like peacocks is a given and belief in divinity, tied to their dependence on nature.
Manikandan expresses this not through the typical cinematic manner of dialogue and message, but through a combination of realism and surrealism. This may sound incoherent to an urban audience, but I doubt it will strike a chord with the rural of rural Tamil Nadu – the key audience that Manikandan targets in his take on the old-fashioned farmer.
Kadaisi Vivasai to release in theaters on February 11
,