Manmathan(2004)

When I first watched this movie, I made the mistake of expecting a sexed-up**, modern day version of Sivappu Rojakkal, the apparent inspiration for this flick. To say that I wound up disappointed would be an understatement. In short, I HATED it. I felt there were too many songs, too many shots of Simbu looking at the camera, and that both the backstory and the motivation behind the killings were stupid. I also didn't care for the gratuitous flashbacks to Jyothika getting raped. I thought, "Okay. I GET IT. You gotta keep the front benchers happy but please, I've had enough."

I've since learned, however, that this is the type of movie you cannot take seriously. Once I lowered my expectations and accepted it for what it is--a poor man's copy of Sivappu Rojakkal***--I had a more enjoyable viewing experience. Now, I just roll my eyes at the parts I find dumb or annoying, and mentally flesh out the scenes that I feel have the most promise.

Oh, and I thought Simbu looked hot, especially when he was acting(?) crazy. He's not conventionally good-looking, but there's something about him that gets to me.

ETA 11/25/09: I've been rewatching this on and off for the past couple of weeks, and I'm both amused and disturbed at how...blatantly? it enforces the "The virgin never dies" rule of slasher flicks. The one time Mythili(Jyothika) had sex(and with Madhan, no less), it was in a dream, and it was against her will, so she's still "a nice girl", and not at all like those sullied, slutty girls who willingly sleep around with guys whose sexual behavior isn't governed by the same rigid codes of morality. While that's nothing new or profound, it's just something that was on my mind while I watched this. I could go off on a tangent about how some guys can't make up their minds about female sexuality--if you don't have sex with them, you're "uptight", if you do have sex with them, you're a "slut", there's no middle ground, you can't be both a "nice girl" and enjoy sex outside of marriage--but I won't ;) I'll refrain from using this post as an online therapy session :P

ETA 12/29/09: Now that I think about it, and I meant to post this a lot earlier, the bleeding nose thing was most likely swiped from Valentine. And let me say for the umpteenth time that I got so sick of him looking at the camera and wiping his nose. Plz don't b breakin' the 4th wall, thx. I hate it when actors acknowledge the audience.

ETA 02/08/10: I've developed a liking for the scene where Madhan kills Vaishu and Seenu. Before, I didn't really give it much thought, but lately, I've been rewatching that particular scene and finding it humorous in a dark, politically incorrect way. What really makes the scene for me is the way Madhan clucks his tongue a la Ajith in Vaali and says, "Vaishu waiting" before ramming Seenu's head into the wall(or was it on the stairs?). I also liked watching him slam that blunt object(a vase? a trophy?) on Vaishu's head. (Yes, I have a sadistic streak.) It makes me chuckle because, if I were to discover that my best friend and boyfriend were screwing around behind my back, I can imagine myself behaving--or rather, wanting to behave in a similiar manner. In reality, I wouldn't react one-tenth as violently, but I'd sure feel like it, especially if I didn't fully rage, as I'm wont to do. (I'm one of those "slow to anger" types. I don't truly get pissed-off sometime after the fact.)

ETA 03/24/10: I'm already going to hell, so I feel no shame in admitting that I liked the rape scene. I didn't like the frequent flashbacks to it, because I'm a "once is enough" kinda gal, but the first time? Yeah. I'm convinced that scene is one of the reasons this movie was so successful.

Jyothika was so pretty. One reviewer remarked that she looked more like Simbu's mother. Eh, maybe, but I consider her type of "matronliness" to be of the "warm, comforting" variety. Like, she would just give you a big ol' hug and nice, hot meal if you were having a bad day. Or maybe I'm just giving this way too much thought.

Anyway, Jo seems like the kind of person I'd want to hang out with in real life. She has such a likeable screen presence. Yeah, she can be OTT, but I find her histrionics endearing enough to kind of forget their headache inducing-ness.


**It was certainly "sexed-up", but not in the way I hoped--i.e. more implied, less in-yer-face. For the most part, I don't mind getting hit over the head with the sexuality hammer, but there are times when I find it sexier to have to use my imagination.

***While SR is one of my favorite films, I don't think it's necessarily great, but what makes it so appealing to me is Kamal's eerie performance and the chemistry between him and Sridevi.