Pope Francis is so different

Read the Pope's book : The name of God is Mercy  

                                    A conversation with Andrea Tornielli….published this year.

What he had to say on corruption is so topical and easy to understand. He has an answer too to the scourge. Loved hat he had to say....so human, so full of goodness and humble, talking like you and me. All of us will benefit by what he has to say on corruption, not only politicians and businessmen. And all of us can play a role in eradicating it. This is what Pope Francis says:

"Corruption is not an act but a condition, a personal and social state in which we become accustomed to living. The corrupt man is so closed off and contented in the complacency of his self sufficiency that he does not allow himself to be called into question by anything or anyone.The self confidence he has built up is based on a fraudulent behavior he spends his life taking opportunistic shortcuts at the cost of his own and others’ dignity. The corrupt man always has the gall to say: It wasn’t me. My grandmother would have said that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.The corrupt man gets angry because his wallet is stolen and so he complains about the lack of safety on the streets, but then he is the one who cheats the state by evading taxes, or else he fires his employees every three months so he doesn’t have to hire them  with a permanent contract or else he has them  work off the books. And then he boasts to his friends about his cunning ways. He is the one who goes to Mass every Sunday but has no problem using his powerful position to demand kickbacks. Corruption leads people to lose the modesty that safeguards truth,  goodness and beauty. The corrupt man often does not realize his own condition, much as  a person with bad breath does not know they have it………………

."Corruption is a sinful hardening of the heart that replaces God with the illusion that money is a form of power. It is a work of darkness fed by suspicion and intrigue…….If we want to drive it out from personal and social life, we need prudence, vigilance, loyalty, transparency together with the courage to denounce any wrongdoing.If it is not combated openly, sooner or later everyone will become an accomplice to it and it will end up destroying our very existence…"

Kammattipaadam. Wow!

After the climax scene of Kammattippaadam, I sat rooted to my seat, hands over my mouth. That’s how hard it hit me. Rajeev Ravi has given us a slick movie, though it stretches to three hours. Mushy scenes, dialogues and pretty dolls have no place in Kammattippaadam. It’s life as you experience it, straight from Kochi and its underbelly. But there are  no hi-fi gangster’s molls or gory scenes. Yes, it’s a movie about thugs, but told from a very human angle, how circumstances make or mar people and about the greed of some that spell doom for others. Real estate tactics are real, you realize after seeing the movie and a silent chill goes down the spine. It’s still there!

The highest marks go to the casting director. Every single character,  right to the character with the smallest role, is picked painstakingly. For a minute I thought it was Dulqar Salman when I saw the teenage version of the character.

Kammattippadam is also the triumph of actors who can give of their best but are underutilized, of mainstream actors who rise above their movie image (read Dulqar. Compare his Second show with this and you see how he has grown as an actor or how much Rajeev has worked on him).

Vinayakan and Manikandan who play two brothers leave a lasting impression with the viewer. But my most  unforgettable character is Manikandan (Balan chettan) who has never ever wavered from the character he plays, thanks to the dialogues, make up, demeanour and even the gait.  This goes for most of the characters.  Make up or presumably the lack-of-it look contributes in no small measure to the success of the movie. That a dark girl is the lead’s love interest is a happy progress in cinematic history. The subdued love scenes are touching, without the lovers ever touching each other or mouthing cloying silly dialogues.

The intensity with which each character  mentally and physically  does his/her part as also the pucca timing makes the viewer forget how long she/he has been watching the movie (close to three hours).

The movie is s a free lesson for people who use drones irritatingly to show they have drones. Well orchestrated drone shots and shots that the situation demands, not scenes to show the locales, or unnecessary close ups, make the camerawork a technical joy. When you see the smoke of incense in one scene, I almost got the smell of it! There are so many shots which seem so natural but you know are magical, and come from an expert’s hands. Madhu Neelakandan is behind the camera, I find, not Rajeev.

The  flashbacks, though well interspersed, slightly jar. The female presence,  Amalda Liz and Shaun Romy, including Muthumani’s in a cameo (one really  cant say cameo because most characters have small, good roles) is realistic. The rustic folk lines, which can be called a song, during the funerals, is heartwrenching.

Dulqar Salman, a chance of a lifetime for you. Manikandan, sporting dentures, looked every inch Vinayakan’s brother. Josettan (?) who makes an entry with a bang, simply stole the show. Shine Tom Chacko is also a fine actor. Vinay Fort, P Balachandran (the story is his),  Suraj Venjarammoodu are some of the others. There are a few more who have done brilliantly. The body language  of all the characters: That’s one aspect which makes Kammattipadam  stand out.

 I am struggling to find minuses. Maybe some of the dialogues in the beginning could have been clearer! Thank you Rajeev Ravi!