Nirai Kudam (நிறை குடம், Full Pitcher, Tamil; 1969)
Sivaji Ganesan was at the zenith of his career. It was at a time when almost every month saw the release of one of his movies. It must surely be a record of sorts. The 'modern' world may accuse him and the films of his era as melodramatic, stereotyping and over-acting. His loyal fans, however, to date, place him and his skills in a pedestal so high that cannot be filled by anyone yet to be born.
Being so prolific must have its downside. This film must provide the testimony of such an endeavour. The story is such loosely knitted that defies logic; that a group of three final year medical students (a brother-sister pair and her boyfriend) should engage in such a foolhardy prank that kills one of them and blinds the other. The girl blames her boyfriend for her brother's death and her loss of vision. The truth of the matter is kept a secret until the remaining student becomes a successful ophthalmic surgeon and discover a ground-breaking surgery to reverse the blindness. Along the way, we see family melodramas, hiding of truths, testing of human relationships and the third medical student masquerading as somebody else and marrying the blind student without she having an iota of suspicion that his voice and probably body scent may connect him to the person she abhors so much. Along the way comes the mandatory comedy reliefs, this time from the Cho-Manorama combination. Sivaji, Vanishree and Muthuraman take the lead.
I suppose one should not ask too many questions when watching mainstream Indian movies. One should enjoy the message, the value and the traditional Indian philosophies imbibed in its storyline. Perhaps, as the title suggests, a person in power should not be too boisterous or hellbent on creating mayhem. Like a pitcher (container) which is filled to the brim, he should be quiet. An empty vessel makes all the noise. Everything will reach a steady state. We do not need people on the top of the perch also be screaming blood or revenge when things go wrong. Those in the higher echelons should appear calm. No problem cannot be solved. Everything would fall into place eventually. What we need is to a step back, assess, put on the thinking caps, re-evaluate and execute.
On the other hand, the saying 'Nirai Kudam' (நிறை குடம்) may refer to completion. In traditional South Indian auspicious functions, a metallic vase is filled with water almost to the brim and is adorned with garlands, coconut, mango leaves and is inscribed upon it sacred symbols to invoke the feminine forces of Nature. I wonder how this is related to the title of this movie.
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Sivaji Ganesan was at the zenith of his career. It was at a time when almost every month saw the release of one of his movies. It must surely be a record of sorts. The 'modern' world may accuse him and the films of his era as melodramatic, stereotyping and over-acting. His loyal fans, however, to date, place him and his skills in a pedestal so high that cannot be filled by anyone yet to be born.Being so prolific must have its downside. This film must provide the testimony of such an endeavour. The story is such loosely knitted that defies logic; that a group of three final year medical students (a brother-sister pair and her boyfriend) should engage in such a foolhardy prank that kills one of them and blinds the other. The girl blames her boyfriend for her brother's death and her loss of vision. The truth of the matter is kept a secret until the remaining student becomes a successful ophthalmic surgeon and discover a ground-breaking surgery to reverse the blindness. Along the way, we see family melodramas, hiding of truths, testing of human relationships and the third medical student masquerading as somebody else and marrying the blind student without she having an iota of suspicion that his voice and probably body scent may connect him to the person she abhors so much. Along the way comes the mandatory comedy reliefs, this time from the Cho-Manorama combination. Sivaji, Vanishree and Muthuraman take the lead.
I suppose one should not ask too many questions when watching mainstream Indian movies. One should enjoy the message, the value and the traditional Indian philosophies imbibed in its storyline. Perhaps, as the title suggests, a person in power should not be too boisterous or hellbent on creating mayhem. Like a pitcher (container) which is filled to the brim, he should be quiet. An empty vessel makes all the noise. Everything will reach a steady state. We do not need people on the top of the perch also be screaming blood or revenge when things go wrong. Those in the higher echelons should appear calm. No problem cannot be solved. Everything would fall into place eventually. What we need is to a step back, assess, put on the thinking caps, re-evaluate and execute.
On the other hand, the saying 'Nirai Kudam' (நிறை குடம்) may refer to completion. In traditional South Indian auspicious functions, a metallic vase is filled with water almost to the brim and is adorned with garlands, coconut, mango leaves and is inscribed upon it sacred symbols to invoke the feminine forces of Nature. I wonder how this is related to the title of this movie.
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