A chance meeting with the Kaarthiks while waiting in a Que for a ticket to watch a play at the ITFOK, Thrissur in 2018, and a bond that i had tended over watsapp and Facebook helped me secure an invitation for the Indian premiere of their film, 'His Father's voice' on 23/6/2019. I was hoping to see a hall packed with the glitterati of the dance community to celebrate the movie, that had among it's cast around ten popular dancers, all of them spectacular and much loved performers in the Bharatanatyam circuit. But I could see only a handful of performers at the show i happened to attend. ( there were two other shows the same day, may be i missed them to the other shows )
I had been eagerly looking forward to this premiere,and had been following the news about the film ever since the first looks and trailers were shared on Facebook. It was thrilling to see the film open to raving reviews at its Hollywood premiere, and then premiere at Malaysia before arriving in Chennai. To add to my excitement was Kaarthik's video journals, short videos posted on Facebook. These videos had brilliant visuals and equally enrapturing texts.
The screening was at NFDC's premiere screening facility in the city, Tagore cinema, inside Music college campus in RA puram. It was a quiet opening for an outstanding film. The version that we were being shown that day was a truncated 100 minute verson.
The film for most part is located at the serene home of the Kaarthiks, called Kaavadi, located near Pondicherry. The beauty and serenity of Kaavadi and the immaculate, charming grace of the lead actress Ashwini form the backbone of the movie. The film unfolds as a chain of beautiful visuals, accompanied by wonderful mix of carnatic and western music and dramatic segments of preformative lyrics and movements.
The slips in the Plot
In the first few minutes, the viewer is let in on the central plot of a son in search of his father. The viewer also gets to know that the father is away on a journey and is expected back anytime. With these cards set out on the table, there is very little to hold the interest of the viewer. This probably is the weakest point of the movie. The viewer is left to munch in on the beautiful visuals as they unveil, and patiently wait for a twist or a turn that could get him hooked to the narrative.
Yes, few attempts are made at keeping the viewer interested, like opening out on why the Boy had to leave his father and quite later around the question of whether Parvathi had a role to play in the breaking up of the boy's parents. But somehow these potential suspenses fizzle out before they can build enough tension in the audience, probably due to some misgiving in the way the sequences are being played out. The Director pans in and out between the present and the Past, and somewhere the steam fails to pile up enough pressure.
I had been eagerly looking forward to this premiere,and had been following the news about the film ever since the first looks and trailers were shared on Facebook. It was thrilling to see the film open to raving reviews at its Hollywood premiere, and then premiere at Malaysia before arriving in Chennai. To add to my excitement was Kaarthik's video journals, short videos posted on Facebook. These videos had brilliant visuals and equally enrapturing texts.
The screening was at NFDC's premiere screening facility in the city, Tagore cinema, inside Music college campus in RA puram. It was a quiet opening for an outstanding film. The version that we were being shown that day was a truncated 100 minute verson.
The film for most part is located at the serene home of the Kaarthiks, called Kaavadi, located near Pondicherry. The beauty and serenity of Kaavadi and the immaculate, charming grace of the lead actress Ashwini form the backbone of the movie. The film unfolds as a chain of beautiful visuals, accompanied by wonderful mix of carnatic and western music and dramatic segments of preformative lyrics and movements.
The slips in the Plot
In the first few minutes, the viewer is let in on the central plot of a son in search of his father. The viewer also gets to know that the father is away on a journey and is expected back anytime. With these cards set out on the table, there is very little to hold the interest of the viewer. This probably is the weakest point of the movie. The viewer is left to munch in on the beautiful visuals as they unveil, and patiently wait for a twist or a turn that could get him hooked to the narrative.
Yes, few attempts are made at keeping the viewer interested, like opening out on why the Boy had to leave his father and quite later around the question of whether Parvathi had a role to play in the breaking up of the boy's parents. But somehow these potential suspenses fizzle out before they can build enough tension in the audience, probably due to some misgiving in the way the sequences are being played out. The Director pans in and out between the present and the Past, and somewhere the steam fails to pile up enough pressure.
On the other hand, there’s also the potentially interesting
plot of a play that is taking shape within the movie. The characters are shown working
on the conception and rehearsing the nuances of what should go into this play, and the
film concludes with the staging of this play. Somewhere this
potentially interesting plot is also squandered in the panning in and out of sequences. We
are left with relishing glimpses of some brilliant and beautiful moments from the Ramayana being rehearsed to some enticing Bharatanatyam accompanied by Sanskrit
poetry set to tantalizing music.
In this context, Sanskrit being upheld as a Devabhasha, sounded a bit cliched. However, i start getting a feeling ( after watching Urubangam play and listening to a few renditions in this movie) that Sanskrit does come across as the language best suited for theatre, and theatre is identified with the Devas in the Natyasastra and it is probably in this context that Sanskrit is touted as Devabasha.
In this context, Sanskrit being upheld as a Devabhasha, sounded a bit cliched. However, i start getting a feeling ( after watching Urubangam play and listening to a few renditions in this movie) that Sanskrit does come across as the language best suited for theatre, and theatre is identified with the Devas in the Natyasastra and it is probably in this context that Sanskrit is touted as Devabasha.
Magical moments
Recounting some of the magical moments, Kris and Valli straying in on the rehearsals of the Characters of Janaka and Kousalya, played respectively by Masters of the art, Balagopalan and Bragha Bassel, was a moment of lilting poetry. Kris and Valli, played respectively by Christopher and Sudharma, rehearsing the Lava and Chandraketu sequence is another flash of brilliance, but these end up being beautiful transient moments that just pass by the viewer without actually engaging him.
The Director has done a brilliant job of getting these professional dancers to emote naturally for the camera. Ashwini, who plays Parvathi, aces it by looking completely at ease with camera, her presence on the screen is very graceful, composed and reassuring. Narendra, who plays Parvathi's husband fails to connect in some sequences, and aces it in the others. Christopher and Sudharma evoke a natural and friendly bond. It's a joy to watch their camaraderie reflect in the gentle professional competitiveness that's subtly visible in their trying to edge each other over in brilliance of performance.
The actor playing Jon looks vulnerable in the scenes he appears without his little guitar. And in the scenes with the guitar he looks like a possessed person. The actor who plays Jon's wife has an air of easy wickedness about her. Thankfully, she is wicked only to the extent of wanting the best for her son, in this film.
Fine Tunes and lines
Music is the throbbing soul of the film that keeps the spirit of this film together. The director has found his best foil in Vedant Bharadwaj in hitting the right mix of carnatic finesse and the breezy flow of western music. It would be an injustice to call this fusion, as the two distinct styles are treated in their natural plane and retain their distinct grace and spontaneity. The voices of Vedanth and Bindu Malini add zing and verve to the music.
While JeremeyRoske's voice and Vedanth's guitar stand out in the 'fire and ice' song, 'Santana Tillana' is a beautiful coming together of Vedanth's breezy rendition of a thillana and Jeremy's tapping rendition. The marathi song brings to the fore Bindu malini's magic, while the Hemavathi song is a brilliant ground for Karthik's lines.
Kaarthik's lyrics works at different levels- at times they bring out the hidden emotions of the characters to the fore, and at others they play the guessing game with the viewer. Talking of enaging the viewer, Kaarthik's dialogues are truly a delicious aspect of the movie. It keeps lifting the narrative and the mood up whenever there is a tendency to sag.
The dialogues keep reverberating across as the craft of an intelligent mind at work. Valli quizzing her parents about their attitude towards Jon was an interesting case in point. Karthik bounces question off at his characters to give us a feel of their mental make up. Whereas Parvathi's response reflects her maturity, her husband's response to Valli's quizzing reflects his attitude towards life. Kris' response on the bus to a stranger quizzing about his whereabouts reveals his temperament. There are few lines that so very perfectly fall in place that one takes a moment off to applaud the dialogue writer. There were also a couple of moments where the dialogues sounded a bit unnatural and oddly formal.
There were a couple of moments when the director steers things clear without resorting to dialogues. For instance, Valli reassuring Kris, when he is down, with the roll of her eyes was a very cute gesture. But when it gets repeated on more than a couple of occasions it gets a bit odd.
Three pillars
For me, there were three things that lifted the spirits of the movie from sagging into a chain of brillinat sequences. The Hemavathi song with it's bordering on the ecstatic mood gives the movie it's first big push. The baby shower song brings in a new energy to the film with it's fresh perspective. and the final 'Fire and ice' song gives the movie a fitting close on a positive high.
The baby shower song also ends in a beautiful painting by Ashwini ( she graduated from JJ school of arts), Mumbai), my favorite among the ones featured in the movie.There's a moment in the act of painting, when a stroke of paint on the canvas is captured at close up, revealing the beautiful texture of the canvas, transforming it for a magical moment into a dyed fabric. These are moments that reflect the deep love that the artist in Karthick has for his muse.
The setting of the movie is filled with aesthetically done spaces adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures. A cute little Skanda easily wins hearts. It's also a reflection of the karthiks' spiritual sojourn that we see portraits of Ramanar prominently displayed, pointing to their preferences over the Aurobindo influence that is prominent in that region. Also not to forget the simple and appealing costumes.
This is a movie that needs to be celebrated by the dance and music community of Bharatanatyam performers and fans alike.And to the others, this movie could mean soulful music, brilliant visuals, interesting dialogues and an immersive experience in Bharatanatyam.
 |
| Kris and Valli |
The actor playing Jon looks vulnerable in the scenes he appears without his little guitar. And in the scenes with the guitar he looks like a possessed person. The actor who plays Jon's wife has an air of easy wickedness about her. Thankfully, she is wicked only to the extent of wanting the best for her son, in this film.
Fine Tunes and lines
Music is the throbbing soul of the film that keeps the spirit of this film together. The director has found his best foil in Vedant Bharadwaj in hitting the right mix of carnatic finesse and the breezy flow of western music. It would be an injustice to call this fusion, as the two distinct styles are treated in their natural plane and retain their distinct grace and spontaneity. The voices of Vedanth and Bindu Malini add zing and verve to the music.
While JeremeyRoske's voice and Vedanth's guitar stand out in the 'fire and ice' song, 'Santana Tillana' is a beautiful coming together of Vedanth's breezy rendition of a thillana and Jeremy's tapping rendition. The marathi song brings to the fore Bindu malini's magic, while the Hemavathi song is a brilliant ground for Karthik's lines.
 |
| Karthik, Ashwini and Vedanth pc: HFV |
Kaarthik's lyrics works at different levels- at times they bring out the hidden emotions of the characters to the fore, and at others they play the guessing game with the viewer. Talking of enaging the viewer, Kaarthik's dialogues are truly a delicious aspect of the movie. It keeps lifting the narrative and the mood up whenever there is a tendency to sag.
The dialogues keep reverberating across as the craft of an intelligent mind at work. Valli quizzing her parents about their attitude towards Jon was an interesting case in point. Karthik bounces question off at his characters to give us a feel of their mental make up. Whereas Parvathi's response reflects her maturity, her husband's response to Valli's quizzing reflects his attitude towards life. Kris' response on the bus to a stranger quizzing about his whereabouts reveals his temperament. There are few lines that so very perfectly fall in place that one takes a moment off to applaud the dialogue writer. There were also a couple of moments where the dialogues sounded a bit unnatural and oddly formal.
There were a couple of moments when the director steers things clear without resorting to dialogues. For instance, Valli reassuring Kris, when he is down, with the roll of her eyes was a very cute gesture. But when it gets repeated on more than a couple of occasions it gets a bit odd.
Three pillars
For me, there were three things that lifted the spirits of the movie from sagging into a chain of brillinat sequences. The Hemavathi song with it's bordering on the ecstatic mood gives the movie it's first big push. The baby shower song brings in a new energy to the film with it's fresh perspective. and the final 'Fire and ice' song gives the movie a fitting close on a positive high.
The baby shower song also ends in a beautiful painting by Ashwini ( she graduated from JJ school of arts), Mumbai), my favorite among the ones featured in the movie.There's a moment in the act of painting, when a stroke of paint on the canvas is captured at close up, revealing the beautiful texture of the canvas, transforming it for a magical moment into a dyed fabric. These are moments that reflect the deep love that the artist in Karthick has for his muse.
The setting of the movie is filled with aesthetically done spaces adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures. A cute little Skanda easily wins hearts. It's also a reflection of the karthiks' spiritual sojourn that we see portraits of Ramanar prominently displayed, pointing to their preferences over the Aurobindo influence that is prominent in that region. Also not to forget the simple and appealing costumes.
This is a movie that needs to be celebrated by the dance and music community of Bharatanatyam performers and fans alike.And to the others, this movie could mean soulful music, brilliant visuals, interesting dialogues and an immersive experience in Bharatanatyam.
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