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 Post subject: Kamaraj - Tamil Movie
PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:49 am 
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http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php ... 5&cid=2429

Movie
Kamaraj

Director
A.Balakrishnan

Producer
Ramana Communications

Music
Ilayaraja

Cast
Richard Maduram, Charuhaasan, V.S.Raghavan, Anandhi

By Moviebuzz

Image

Kamaraj, “the black Gandhi” and perhaps the greatest political leader from Tamilnadu is now the subject of a film by A.Balakrishnan. Kamaraj is one history lesson meant to educate and inform, especially in an election year.

Clearly the director’s intentions are noble as Kamaraj’s achievements are incredible- a school dropout turned freedom fighter and a man who fought for the poor and oppressed and later became Tamilnadu Chief Minister, All India Congess President and there was not even a whiff of scandal associated with this chronic bachelor.

In fact Balakrishnan’s bio-pic of the revered congress leader Kamaraj is faithful to the life and times of the great man though at times he eulogises the subject. It is an intimately scaled biography that starts from the boy Kamaraj’s involvement in the freedom struggle and the nine years that he spends in jail.

Moving from Virudhanagar to Chennai, the screenplay touches on how Kamaraj shaped congress politics post independence. His becoming the chief Minister of Tamilnadu where he introduced path breaking reforms in the education system like noon meals for children in school and opening of more schools in rural areas. The industrialisation of Tamilnadu was started during his period and quite often you sense that the director wants to glorify the subject as his human kindness, gentlemanliness and spirits of camaraderie are interspersed throughout the film.

If the first half of the film is all about the rise and rise of Kamaraj as a political stalwart the second half is how he turns kingmaker in Delhi. His controversial ‘Kamaraj Plan’ where senior leaders will leave the government and come back to party work is shown vividly. The naked ambitions of Congress leaders to be the Prime Minister of India after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri are clearly brought out by the director.

But for Kamaraj’s democratic ways and tact Indira Gandhi would never have been the Prime Minister of the country at a time when Morarji Desai looked the clear winner. However Balakrishnan with depth and emotional colour blames Mrs Gandhi for Kamaraj’s disillusionment in his last days especially during the emergency. He refuses to acknowledge that the emergency was welcomed in south India with open hands.

But then the director have to give politically correct brush strokes to Kamaraj. Strangely enough however the film does not totter due to overindulgence. Richard Madhuram, former Chennai airport manager with striking resemblance to the late leader puts up a remarkable performance. The effect is that of an actor who has grasped the complex nuances of screen acting. The scenes where Kamaraj with his old mother who still calls him ‘Raja’ is emotionally wrenching.

All the others in the cast even in minor roles have done the film proud. Anandi, a stage artist as Indira Gandhi is regal and dignified. Rangaswamy’s camera is evocative of those days and V.T Vijayan’s editing is crisp and Ilayaraja’s background score is brilliant. Balakrishnan has been faithful to the subject and has come out with a mature form of cinema.

Verdict: Class Act


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 2:15 pm 
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DragunR2, the picture that you posted, is it real life Kamaraj or the actor in the film. He does look exactly like Kamaraj.

Rana


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:53 pm 
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It is probably from the movie.


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 23, 2004 1:37 am 
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http://www.musicindiaonline.com/news/ar ... 004-3.html

Will film the 'dark Gandhi' work magic for Congress?

Chennai, Feb 22 (IANS) A film on late Congress leader K. Kamaraj - also known as "the dark Gandhi" - is set to make a splash, coming as it does ahead of general elections in India.

"Kamaraj", by producer-director A. Balakrishnan, is being distributed across Tamil Nadu. Such a project was on the cards for decades but it was only some two years ago that it began in earnest.

The release of the film at this time is seen as a shot in the arm for the Congress in southern India because it is a documentary not only on Kamaraj but also on the contributions of the party.

The film, says Balakrishnan, was shot in 20 days, with a budget of Rs.5 million.

Kamaraj was one of the most successful chief ministers of Tamil Nadu. But Congress rule ended in Tamil Nadu in 1967 and after that Kamaraj moved to backstage politics.

He was referred to here as "Karuppu Gandhi", or the dark Gandhi.

The film uses a considerable amount of archive footage to recapture scenes on people who moulded the early life of Kamaraj, who came from the southern district of Virudhnagar.

The film is being released also at a time when the DMK and its allies, including the Congress, have all gathered in Virudhnagar to hold a two-day strategy conference for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

An aide to Kamaraj was roped into the production team by the director to ensure that scenes and speeches looked authentic. Dubbing artiste M.S. Bhaskar gave the voiceover.

The film has not been made with Congress funds but a lot of archival material pertaining to the party in the 1950s and 1960s has been used.

It is in three parts, the first showing Kamaraj's growth as a politician before independence and the influence of another Congress stalwart, popularly known only as Sathyamurthy, on the young Kamaraj.

The role of Kamaraj is played by actor Sampath. In the second half of the film, it is played by Richard Madhuram.

The second phase shows Kamaraj as the man he was, incorruptible, an able chief minister who steered reform in the education sector, a large-hearted Gandhian, and as a man ready to walk the extra mile for a good cause.

The third phases captures the leader's life as a Congress strongman, his tabling of the Kamaraj Plan, rejuvenation of the Congress party and his own personal disillusionment with politics and the ethics of politics until his death.

Veteran music director Illayaraja has given the music.

Illayaraja, says director Balakrishnan, was so influenced by the film that he was not satisfied with just providing the background score.

"When he saw the completed version, he offered to do the music for three songs in the film. He even chose the parts where the three new songs would fit," he said.

Lyrics writer Vaalii wrote the songs. Illayaraja also provided the music for the scene showing Kamaraj's funeral.

He says he has produced the film "keeping young audiences in mind".

"Kamaraj entered the freedom movement at the tender age of 13, going round the streets singing 'Vande Mataram'. It was the young in those days who formed the core of the social reform movement.

"This film will bring back memories of those days for the older generation. But it will also make a strong impact on the younger generation."


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:32 am 
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http://www.elite-vision.com/Kamaraj.aspx

Image

Special Features
Enhanced Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
English Subtitles
All regions, NTSC color
Interactive Menu


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2004 8:15 pm 
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This DVD is similar to Ayngaran DVDs, which is not surprising considering it was authored at Prasad. The print is in good shape, with good colors and very little dirt. If you watch the DVD, don't panic when the opening is beat up, since that is actual file footage. Detail in general is somewhat lacking, particularly in the wider shots. I don't recall seeing any edge enhancement or compression artifacts. The video is ~2.35:1 anamorphic, progressively encoded.

Sound is "enhanced" 5.1, since the original was mono. There is even a text screen when you start the disc that says it is enhanced. Given that this was a relatively low budget film, the sound is a little distorted at times, but is usually pretty clear. Subtitle translations are about the same quality as on Ayngaran DVDs.

The only extras are previews for Karakattakaran, Amaithipadai, and Meera.

I will post a review of the film later.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 6:19 am 
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Sorry for not doing it earlier, but here are some thoughts on the film.

While it is an admirable effort to make a film on Kamaraj, this film is hampered by a poor scope. The film focuses almost solely on Kamaraj himself when it should have also depicted the impact his policies had on the people. Unfortunately we get very little of that, and the film is underwhelming. Those who know about Kamaraj and Indian history will be able to fill in the gaps, but to me it felt like the film went from episode to episode in his life without delving below the surface. A biopic on a figure like him deserves a bigger budget and a more prestigious release.

Richard Madhuram's performance (voice dubbed by M.S. Bhaskar) is very good, and he is confident in the title role. The film is solely on his shoulders.

Kamaraj is not a great film, and its limited scope is disappointing, but it is worth seeing.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 1:19 pm 
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Kamaraj will be released in English on Aug 15th.

http://www.chennaionline.com/film/Moviereviews/English/2005/08kamaraj.asp

DragunR2 mentioned this correctly. For those who dont know atleast some history behind Kamaraj, it will be bit confusing to see the movie, but for those who know atleast a little, it is a good movie.

There were few scenes which made me cry [mostly scenes where they show Kamaraj's simplicity, hard to imagine such a leader these days] and few scenes which made me anger [specially Indra Gandhi's part].

A must see for those who want to know the history a little bit. Great performance by Richard Maduram. Hard to believe that he is a custom's officer in Chennai Air Port. His acting is a very great + point for the movie.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:58 pm 
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Location: Chennai, India
This is a very good film - i would recommend anyone intersted in films about indian leader to check it out .

Though as a "film" it could have been shot better (felt drama like), the subject matter is so engrossing and the actor so convincing that it makes you forget you are watching a 'flawed' film. The DVD is good ( better than your average indian DVD )

I am not so sure about the english translation ( Kamaraj had a unique southern tamil accent , that will fall through )

Kamaraj – this is what a politician should be or atleast strive to be, forever in-debt for his educational policies


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:38 am 
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http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews ... 05-1.shtml


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:54 pm 
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Wow, that is sad. RIP.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 4:36 am 
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http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tami ... 23622.html

Now GKM’s life on celluloid
IndiaGlitz [Monday, July 10, 2006]

Remember director Balakrishnan? He was the director of the much-acclaimed film Kamaraj - The King Maker. The movie starred Richard Madhuram as Kamaraj, the most revered national leader from Tamil Nadu.

It was even dubbed and released in English and screened in various film festivals. Thanks to the good support that he received for his movie on Kamaraj, Balakrishnan is all geared to do a movie that chronicles the events in the life of another popular Congress leader, G K Moopanar.

Considered a close aide of former Chief Minister Kamaraj, Moopanar came close to becoming the Prime Minister of the nation a few years ago.

Balakrishnan had been to Moopanar's native and met his friends, relatives and is planning a movie on his personal and political life.

Search for the star cast is on for the movie.

Sources say, Balakrishnan is keen on not to make any compromise and give events as it happened in the life of Moopanar without any imagination.

The million dollar question is that whether the movie will spark any controversy with several contemporaries of Moopanar still alive and active in politics?


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