Showing posts with label boxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boxing. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 September 2021

When Ali met MGR!

Sarpatta Paramparai (சர்பட்ட பரம்பரை, Tamil, 2021)
Written, Directed by Pa Ranjith

One can learn a thing or two by watching films, i.e. if one is bothered to check the backstory. This is one rare full-length boxing film in Tamil, coming from a land that usually infuses familial masala to the storyline. In keeping with the timeline the story is set in, in the 1970s, there is ample sprinkling of Tamil Nadu politics to set the mood.

For once, we see actors who really look their part as boxers. The make-up, boxing techniques and the make-believe props that cradles us back to the mid-1970s are convincing enough.

Before watching this film, I did not know that boxing was a passionate sport in northern Madras even before the 1940s. Boxing came to India with the British. In Tamil Nadu, it was named 'kuttu chandei', and it came with its own set of rules. Boxers could not hit each others' faces, not the body. In the early 1940s, it seems there was a black British boxer (some say he is Anglo-Indian) by the name of 'Tiger' Nat Teri was a fighter to be reckoned with. He defeated most South Indian boxers. Arunachalam, the greatest boxer of Madras of yore, fought him but died during the match. Three months later, an up and coming star, Kitheri Muthu, fought him and beat the British at their own game. He hailed from the Sarpatta Parampai (Sarpatta Clan).

Kitheri Muthu and ‘Tiger’ Nat Terry 
The clan does not refer to any caste or creed. It is basically a group of people who live together in the same locale and show allegiance to the Club/Clan/Paramparai. This area in north Madras where this sport became famous comprise shipyard workers and fishermen of all religions, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims. The other prominent clans were Idiyappa Naicker Parambarai and Ellappa Chettiyar Parambarai.

With 'Quit India' yells in full force in 1942, Kitheri's victory over Teri was hailed as a booster to the Indian psyche. Periyar and his people in the Justice Party feted him as a Dravidian hero. With that win also, the sport gained popularity. The game went on full force, with enthusiasts from other districts making trips to learn and perfect their techniques.

This movie loosely overlaps with Kitheri Muthu's story but is set during the 1975 Indian emergency. Kabilan, a fervent boxing enthusiast, has his boxing aspirations clipped by his mother. His mother fears that the fate that befell Kabilan's boxer father's life would repeat on her son. Kabilan's father used to be a feared fighter when gangsters from a rival clan knifed him down.

The story tells the competitiveness of the various parambarais and their effort to stage a boxing match amidst the background of National Emergency, witch-hunting of DMK party members (who opposed Indra Gandhi's government), internal squabbling and sabotaging of members.



The hero, Arya, as Kabilan poses with his opposer, Vembuli, in a pre-match photoshoot (Lt) and with his coach, Rangan, played by the talented Pasupathy (Rt). 

M Kitheri Muthu, one of the earliest boxers of the Sarpatta Parambarai.


Ali, the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, and MGR, the Kollywood heavyweight, hold hands. An electrifying sight to the film-crazed Tamil movie-goers to see the star-politician and inspirational boxer together. Ali came to Chennai in 1980 for a bout with Jimmy Ellis in Chennai's Nehru Stadium. Boxing must have been that popular here that Ali decided to 'dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee' in Chennai. Before boxing became popular in Tamil Nadu, silambam was the primary self-defence sport. Gymkhanas and sports clubs were present even in ancient India.

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

Do we do it for love?

Irudhi Suttru (இறுதிசுத்த்று, Final round, Tamil; 2015)


This flick which falls under the new category as far as the Tamil cinema is concerned, sports drama, was recommended by a long time connoisseur of Indian arts, music and performing arts. I decided to give it a go.

I was floored by what I saw. It breathes a fresh of new air into an otherwise stereotypical exploitative misogynistic world of Indian cinema which pays more attention to the erotic female part of the anatomy rather than exploring themes of empowerment and positivity. For the outset, one can kind of predict the direction of the movie, just as most stories from this genre are. There are more things to see here than the mere storyline and eye-candy. It is the setting, the simple real to life acting and realistic boxing that are the selling points of the offering. Sorry, no glamorous, exotic looking Aryan beauties in psychedelic-hued garbs to savour, just sweaty girls from the fishermen's village in boxing shorts (not boxer shorts!).

The songs are not sung by actors but form as a background score to set the mood to the flow of the story. The songs most sound like traditional village songs with understandable Tamil wordings and skeletal accompanying percussions.

A disgruntled sportsman with loads of potential failing to rise to the occasion due to unavoidable circumstances, own follies or external manipulation is all too familiar to us. Due to non-conformity to rest of the corrupt officials with personal agendas and self-gratification, Prabhu is non-ceremoniously sacked from his coaching job in Delhi and is sent off as a punishment to an under-sponsored under-performing amateur boxing club by a fishing village. Prabhu lives a bitter life after failing to hit it big in the international boxing arena after a sabotage and after his wife walked out from his life.

He detects an unexpected talent in an untameable crude young fisherwoman, Madhi. In the sea of mediocrity, he sees raw trainable talent for world class boxing. All through the turmoil of sibling rivalry, the sister's passion for making it to the police academy, family poverty perpetrated by a drunken father, attitude problems, puppy love and sabotage from the top, the hero expectedly, extracts the pearl from the mud which harvests the oyster!

Two things struck me as I was watching this movie. Firstly, the concept of love in the modern world, no thanks to the lingua franca of the world with its limited vocabulary for the word 'love', every gratifying feeling is equated to passionate lustful love. Perhaps because of the fear of growing old and unproductive, modern man subconsciously tries to keep the fire for lust burning in his belly way past his shelf life, sometimes with the help of pharmaceutical agents.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who was the
chief guest, with Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis during a 
boxing match in Madras on January 31, 1980. 
Next, everybody in the film seems to be behaving as if they are sacrificing for another. Madhi is frustrated as she has to give up so much to take care of the family as the father neglects his duty as the head. The father feels he is suffering by having two female heirs, instead of sons, as a curse for marrying outside his caste. The elder sister believes her sister, Madhi, is spoiling her chances by boxing better, but she gives in. The mother feels she gives in to the whims and fancies of her alcoholic husband to ensure the family stays intact. The coach uses his own funds to sponsor the boxers, another sacrifice! Are they all genuinely going out of their way for the love of it, the game, the bond, the passion of the sport or the DNA-blood relationships? Is it based on self-interest? The pride of having a kid who is a world champion, the coach who geared his student to the world stage or the fame and wealth behind these?

Another subtle message that is sneakily made evident is how different generations, particularly the women folks, go with their day to day challenges. The older GenX ladies appear more fatalistic in expecting many outcomes in life. They accept their second-class role in society almost willingly. The millennials take nothing lying down. They give a good fight, standing shoulder-to-shoulder challenging the obstacle ahead eye-to-eye with their counterparts of the opposite sex!

A highly recommended movie. Remade in Hindi as well (Saala Khadoos). An example of the direction of the new wave of Indian cinema. In the same vein as ' Bhag Milka Bhag', 'Mary Kom.'

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

Evasion under guise of self interest?

The Trials of Muhammad Ali (Documentary; 2013)

This documentary offering is not an offering to highlight the achievements of the most famous pugilist of all time, the three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Muhammad Ali but it concentrates on a particular time in his life when he had a brush with the American legal system.

It focuses a point in the late 60s and early 70s when Ali was at the height of his youth. It starts with him narrating of his experience back home in 1960 after winning the gold medal in Rome Olympics. A restauranteur refused to serve him even though he had made his country proud.

He goes on to tell about the hypocritical attitude of the members of his church. The calling to embrace Islam came in 1964, but his conversion came under the scrutiny of the radar when he decided to follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and his association with Nation of Islam, Malcolm X and Dr ML King. The Nation of Islam was classified as a radical group which fought for a black separatist America.

When Ali was draughted for the Vietnam War, he refused on the defence that it was against his religion. He had famously said that he had no bone to pick with the Vietnamese, his beef was with the American system and the whites. In the trials which miraculously turned into his favour after a unanimous decision when a judge admitted erring in the first seating!

In this documentary, one can see that Ali is only quick with his legwork and punches, he is quick with his wit as well as sharp with his words. He is poetic in his sentences and has the charisma to lure the public. This, with his humble background to entice the impoverished black population in the volatile era of the 60s, must have given the US government machinery many jitters.

Believe it or not, Muhammad Ali, at a time when his boxing licence was revoked, actually took part in a musical. He appeared as a black slave in chains being transported to America. He seems to be in the lead role.

Sometimes, I cannot help but wonder. Are all these talks about not fighting a war because it is, as Ali alleges is not ordained by Allah, is just an excuse of convenience? Of course, it not for mortals to judge the religiosity of a believer, sometimes actions may appear otherwise. Ali is infamous for his weakness for the fairer sex. Who can forget the fiasco that happened in Manila when his girlfriend was wrongly referred to his wife at the Presidential dinner with Marcos and was televised on the US TV. Then there are the two daughters that Ali had outside the sanctity of marriage.

Whatever said and done, Ali did make Boxing a real world event. After his retirement, the interest in boxing has waned.

Friday, 24 October 2014

Time tells a different story

Thrilla in Manila (2008, HBO documentary)
They say that nature is a violent creature. There is plenty of evidence that shows that the forces of Nature are both brutal and murderous. Its damage can be mammoth. It has no sympathy for the weak-hearted and even the righteous. It is a necessary evil that ensures only the best survives. Man can be equally inhumane. Over generations, the will to survive as a species has ensured that only the strongest survive. A reflection of our violent past is seen in the society sanctioned a display of legal murderous intent of boxing. Here two individual are put on display to knock each other blind as many around them prosper in more ways than one.

We grew up at a time when a live telecast of boxing could paralyse a nation. In the 70s when live broadcast was new, a boxing match held half a globe away was a national event, especially one involving the World Heavyweight Championship, specifically one involving Muhamad Ali. The greatest boxing fights of all time is the one involving the two greats of the ring, Muhamad Ali and Joe  Frazier. Their fights went beyond the ring. It started as a friendship when Ali refused to serve in the US Army in Vietnam for his religious belief. Frazier petitioned with the courts and President Nixon for Ali to be allowed to box when his licence was withdrawn for his refusal.

Suddenly, things changed when they were arranged to fight in a bout. Therein started the mortal animosity and the trilogy of Ali-Frazier classic fights.
After an eventful first fight and a not so eventful second fight, the two pugilists were drawn at one fight each; Frazier winning the first and losing meekly in the second. With such a curtain-raiser, the stage was laid for a final showdown.

The Philippines with its internal turmoil, a flamboyant dictator and communist uprising, Marcos decided to divert the attention of his subjects by upstaging an extravagant boxing match to showcase to the world of the greatness of this backwater country. 
History has shown that such an event happens all the time to make people feel good about their country and forget the fact that they are being shortchanged.
Ali-Frazier's fight has always been sold by Ali as a fight between the whites and newly emerging Black Power Afro-American community of America. Ali with his affliction with the Nation of Islam and his newfound religion is the voice the blacks whilst Frazier, who was financed by mostly white bankers is a reflection of the old.

Ali as a build-up to the fights called Frazier with derogatory terms like ugly, gorilla and 'Uncle Tom'. 'Uncle Tom' refers to a subservient black slave of the slave trade era who would 'sell' his own race for the comfort of the white masters. Ali continued tormenting Frazier with his antics even at Frazier's training ground. The media had a field day covering all these thrashy news and the stage was slowly set for the showdown.

The contest's name is derived from the frequent rhyming boast made by Ali that the fight would be a 'killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila'. A song about Ali even made it to charts.

Even Ali's philandering lifestyle came to fore to spice up the event. During a formal state function, Ali's African girlfriend Ms Porsche was introduced as his wife to President Marcos. Upon viewing this televised event in the US, Ali's real wife, Belinda, scurried to Ali's hotel to show her discontent to the glee of running cameras!
For Frazier's credit, he was a cool cat. Despite all the heckling and the intimidations, he never retaliated.

The fight proved to be a well-awaiting clash of two Titans. A 6'3" Ali and a 5'11" Frazier who just would not bow to each other and refuse to fall. Visibly exhausted fighters soldiered on past 12 rounds - Ali almost at the brink of collapse and Frazier blinded at both eyes. Frazier later confessed that he had actually been fighting with sight only from his right eye. A 1964 training accident blinded his left! Imagine a blind man punching aimlessly without surrender. Ali, at the 14th round, was begging for his trainer to 'cut his gloves' but he refused. Frazier, on the other hand, was still rearing to go with a puffed-up face. 

Unfortunately, the Filipino umpire, who himself was a fill-in umpire as the regular umpires were deemed too controversial for the fight, stopped the fight. Frazier's trainer threw in the towel. He had seen enough men die on the canvass. There would be another day, another fight. Unfortunately, they were not to be. The fight scarred both men and it did irreparable damage to their bodies and they were never the same again. The differences between the boxers were nerve resolved and Frazier took his grudges to the grave. Ali apologised to Frazier's family about his misconduct, quoting that it was all part of the marketing of their boxing duel. 

“Be afraid. Be very afraid.”*