the characters we love
What made you fall in love with THAT hardbound book you don’t lend to anyone or THAT movie which you are watching after all these years? I am sure it varies from one person to the other. For me, it’s always the characters. The characters I read about. The characters I see on screen.
From ‘Indira’ who goes to Ceylon in search of her daughter’s biological mother to ‘Pani’ who waits by the sea shore for the return of her love — Tamil cinema has given shape to a lot of women characters whom we have so gladly fallen in love with. Personally, as an individual who loves cherishing the little things about the characters I fall in love with, Aruvi was pleasantly surprising. Aruvi was different.
As I witnessed the journey of a girl baby grow with the tunes of ‘Kukkotti Kunaatti’ become that playful girl embracing the city life, I never really gave much thought to what the script had in waiting for me — the characterization of Aruvi and the people around her were too detailed to not pay attention.
For example, here is one such scene.
Probably, half an hour into the movie, there was a frame where little Aruvi walks with his father on a countryside road..
Aruvi says “Cigarette pudikatha pa, naaruthu!”
On hearing the same, he throws the cigar away after taking one long puff.
“Inimel pudikla ma!” he replies.
While Aruvi as a sole character had a very strong impact on the audience, it’s also the ones around her who made the experience wholesome.
How can one not fall in love with the genuineness of the assistant director Peter’s characterization? It’s admirable how well defined his character was and how beautifully the bond he shared with Aruvi was given shape. No wonder the director got applause in theaters with a simple note expressing love. Something which two-hour long romance movies fails to get.
As the second half unfolded, I looked up at the companionship of the transgender Emily, I laughed at the tea boy’s ‘nanban’ antics and even found myself smiling at what the sixty-two-year-old security guard did.
How can one not relate these characters and the little moments shown on screen with the random ones we see in our everyday lives? This is some story telling. This is some film making.
I often wonder why do we always fall in love with these fictional characters. I don’t have answers. Maybe, we do so because we find a bit of ourselves in them or the vice versa. :)
Aruvi is one of a kind. She will make you laugh. She will make you weep. And after doing it all, she will make you think.
Go, get drenched! :)
