I sit down to write about my adulation for a man who has inspired me in a big way. While he was at his creative best, I either wasn't born or was very young to understand him. That would make me sometimes think I was born a generation too late to admire him as and when his works were released back in those days. But he having been the timeless creator that he is, his works haven't still lost even a bit of sheen for me to catch up on them 20 years later. When I matured enough to understand truly his emotions, I endeavored to collect all his works, see and experience them. It was kind of easy in this technologically advanced world. This blog is an out-pour of my amusement for him after doing so. While my fascination for him can never cease, my words could desert his true genius from you.
Yet, I thought I shall try my best. What better way there is to show my fascination for him than writing a letter to him...
Dear KB,
I was 12 when my parents took me to the theatre to see 'Parthaley Paravasam' for a family outing on a Sunday evening. Like any twelve year would, I was expecting a pacy movie with fights, thrills and fun. Two and a half hours went by; the movie was a yawn for the kiddish me. I didn't understand what was going on. All I got was that the hero and heroine married, departed and remarried. But not the logic behind that. Why would a guy re-marry the same girl he got a divorce with? Is he nuts?
After a couple of years, I saw 'Punnagai Mannan' on TV. It was a strange case too; the hero commits suicide with his lover, escapes death, falls in love again, marries and dies in an accident. Seriously, why does fate have to be so cruel in your stories? Being at the wrong age to understand these things, I hated your movies. That was also when some of your tele-serials were aired on channels. One called 'Sahana' was one that my entire family couldn't afford to miss at 9 pm everyday. I didn't get to control the TV remote back then and had to see 'Sahana' while having dinner daily. It didn't make much sense to me either; why would someone give her child for adoption when she herself doesn't have a child to fall back to? I dug deep and saw the prelude of this epic, 'Sindhu Bhairavi'; I was 15; a man falling in love with another women while having a lovable wife? No way, I thought I've had enough of you and was contented with the fascination that cricket had to offer.
At 18, I accidentally bumped into 'Thillu Mullu', and rolled on the floor laughing. By then my age also helped me answer a few questions that your movies had thrown at me. I no more liked mere kicking and dancing in movies. Entertainment, I understood, was a play with one's emotional senses. I still couldn't however acknowledge things like a divorcee re-marrying, falling in love with someone else after marriage, living together before marriage? At this age, I at least grew curious to know your justifications for all this. At 21, I finished my engineering and had some time off before I joined a company. I finally had the time and mind to follow up on your works.
To my pleasant surprise, those movies which my childhood shrugged off seemed perfectly acceptable now. Those movies showed how much our society has influenced us into believing wrong notions and myths. By then, 'Parthaley Paravasam' had become an all-time favourite of mine; A dialogue from 'Sahana' had stayed with me through all these years. It was about how one should die a thousand times,each time after every bitter experience, to help forget and start afresh with a new life of hope, "This is my 423th birth", I still vividly remember was the exact line the character uses to emphasize the importance of moving on in life. For someone just into the twenties, movies like 'Apoorva Ragangal, Kalki, Moondru mudichu, Avargal, Aval oru thodarkathai, Iru kodugal and Arangetram' taught me why the society must be kept at a distance to lead our lives in peace. Marriage, after all, is a society driven ceremony. If we look beyond the surface about the concept of marriage, it is just all about the two people involved and has nothing to do with the society. Divorce and intricacies in relationship needn't, rather shouldn't, be judged from a society's eye. Nothing is right or wrong. Everything is subjective and personal. I now see no difference in living together or having sex before and after marriage. It is all in the mind. I should say all these thoughts coming out of your movies, chiseled my broad-mindedness.
Isn't the way your female lead characters portrayed in 'Aval oru thodarkathai' and 'Premi', the way how a women should be? I atleast dream that is how my girl should be. The honesty and integrity in characterizations, the dignity in dialogues got me to respect you very highly. As I began to understand what life really was, I liked your movies so much more. I learned what decency is; even started recognizing how should one go about living life: simple, ambitious, courageous and ultra-positive from each of your characters, both good and evil. I began paying attention to every detail.
I have always been awestruck by the way you highlight certain mannerisms for each character and use symbolic references for specific emotions. There has been times I have literally shed a tear; 'Kai alavu Manasu, Premi, Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, Achamillai Achamillai' come to my mind right away. Movies like 'Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu, Thaneer Thaneer' were epic depictions of a poor society, stressing the need to work for its betterment in a hard fair way. Films like 'Azhagan, Ek duje Ke liye' made all of us a lover boy/girl. Besides, most importantly, you deserve heaps of credit for breaking the society's cliches on women. You carried a torch for women's rights and voiced their concerns through most, if not all, of your works daring the society to correct its outlook. Women have to agree that men can sometimes be more of a feminist than their fellow females on seeing you. Its you who made me a feminist as well.
To put it simply, you never cease to amaze me, Hence it makes it hard for me to end writing this letter. I shall keep singing your praise, forever, to everybody I know whom I think would have the class to acknowledge and admire your works. I sign off thanking you for what you have been and given to me.
Yours lovingly,
Vignesh
Now, if you are wondering why does this have to be a blog-post, its for people who like K Balachander to celebrate him; its more for the people who don't know about him to help follow his creations, enjoy, appreciate and treasure his take on life and the person he is. I wish to take pleasure in making you feel good about seeing some of the best movies and serials there has ever been created.
Regards,
Viggy!
