Udhiri Pookkal

Its not easy watching a movie universally regarded as a classic and fondly remembered by everyone who has seen it. The superlatives contained in any description of the movie create sky-high expectations that are difficult to meet and any negative opinions we feel while watching it are accompanied by doubts as to whether we are missing something that the others saw. There are no such problems with Mahendran's Udhiri Pookkal though. It deserves all the accolades it gets. For the most part.

Udhiri Pookkal is completely realistic and for that reason, stands out among the melodrama-laden films of the time. From the atmosphere of the village to the characters inhabiting it to their behavior and interactions with one another, it feels real. So the characters' emotions feel real too. There is no drama even in sequences(like the one where Vijayan visits Charuhasan to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage) that seem to demand it and that makes what the characters say or do, more powerful.

The biggest reason for this realism is ofcourse the characterization. These are real, vivid characters and the emotions they evoke, whether its sympathy or hatred, are real. Even the supporting characters(like the barber, whose repeated requests to shave the boy's head are met in an unexpected way) feel fleshed out and are given their 15 minutes to shine. As a result, we are always absorbed in the proceedings and the movie never feels slow. And Mahendran ensures that affairs of the heart always take centerstage. He even cuts away during scenes of overt, physical violence.

The realism does take a brief hit during the third act of the film. As Ashwini's sister sings a sarcastic but cinematic song after Vijayan's marriage, the movie resorts to a cliche - something it had studiously avoided until then. Vijayan's subsequent act is also so blatant and brazen that it doesn't seem to suit his character. His acts so far, while still heartless, were things he could - and did try to - rationalize to the other villagers. But this act is nothing like that and so seems like a plot point brought in solely to set up the climax.

But the powerful and memorable climax does make us forgive those missteps. It makes us - even if only briefly - question our own feelings towards the characters as Vijayan seems more human than he has been so far while the villagers seem to be the heartless ones. Just as in Mullum Malarum, the build-up is long but effective and Ilaiyaraja's score heightens the impact. The final shot - that gives the title its meaning - shows us who the real victims are through all this.

This is one movie where the characters and the actors who play them are so intertwined so that its difficult to think of one separate from the other. Ashwini, with those sad eyes, tugs at our heartstrings and manages to convey so much (like the thought of how things would have been if she had married Sarathbabu or the split-second of courage as she imagines telling Vijayan what's really on her mind) with those eyes. Even when she smiles, she somehow manages to convey that its just a facade to hide all the sadness inside. Vijayan earns our revulsion as someone completely ruthless and ready to do whatever is needed to attain what he wants. Charuhasan and the actor who plays the barber are just perfect in their roles.