Topic started by theena (@ 203.143.1.26) on Sun Feb 10 17:33:26 .
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The film Sethu realeased in early 2000 set the tamil industry on fire. The movie came in with little anticipation or expectation as the cast had only two well known actors in Vikram and Siva-Kumar, and the director was unheard of.
Tamil movie fans were afterall used to such formulas of new directors presenting thier maiden project with a relatively unknown cast. So it was with little sence of expectation did film fans go to the film.
What they saw, took thier breath away: An incredible script that has minor shades of Kamal Hassan's "Guna", Brilliant cinematography, and one of the best pieces of collective acting from each member of the cast-especially Vikram-turned the movie into a darling of the pop-corn eaters as well as the critics.
Special word needs to be mentioned of the two most important people behind the project: Director Bala and Vikram. It was not only the intellectual brilliance in the script that made the film special, but the raw powr in Vikram's performance. His change in deamenour from a college bad-boy to raging man whose love is destined to fail to the hapless being in the lunatic assylum is ...................BRILLIANT! No other word can describe the guy's acting.
Sivakumar, Sriman, Rajishri give equally if somewhat less significant performances in this modern classic.
A film professer in one of his books about film appeciation said this in regard to what makes a good movie, and what makes a classic. He proposed a formula: 5 is the maximum value of a good {'actor-proof script' as termed by the great Marlon Brando'}; and another 5 is the maximum value of a really good visual translation of the script-editing, art-direction, cinematography etc. Therefore, the author adding the 2 values, proposed 10 as the value of a really great movie.
If we apply that same formula to 'Sethu' then it will probably go as below:
1. Script Value=4;
2. Visual Translation=4.
This brings the grand total to eight outof ten. Some fans of the movie might say that is doing it injustice, but I don't really think that anyother maiden directorial effort in tamil cinema could come close to 'Sethu'.
16Viyathinale is probably the closest, but it looses out to 'Sethu' due to the visual splender present in that movie comparatively to 16Viyathinale.
Kamal Hassan's 'Hey!ram', brilliant as it is doesn't come close to the collective acting performance of the cast in 'Sethu'.
S.J.Sooriya's "Vaali" gets points for great plot, but the screenplay,cinematography, well it just not fair to compare it to "Sethu", although Ajith turned in a terrific performance as the deaf twin.
I haven't seen Santosh Sivan's 'Terrorist' yet, so i won't pass judegement on that movie.
To round up, if you guys think that there is a maiden directorial effort that surpasses "sethu", I like to know. Either respond on this site or e-mail me: k_theena@hotmail.com
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