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.

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If walls could speak!

Vivekanda Illam, Chennai.

Ever wondered how people in the tropical climates used to cool themselves down on a hot day before the advent of refrigeration? Frederic Tudor, a businessman from New England, had the foresight to harvest something free from its frozen lakes to ship it to places that needed it most. He mastered the art of sending tonnes of ice, covered with sawdust, to Florida and the Caribbean in the early 19th century. He later even exported it all the way to India. A trip carrying 100 over tonnes of ice from Boston to Madras typically took 4 months with 80% of the cargo intact. In the 1840s, Frederic Tudor built a facility in Madras to store his merchandise. It was named the Ice House.

Frederic Tudor was part of the Boston Elite or Boston Brahmins, as they were referred to. The Boston Brahmins are descendants of the earliest immigrants from England. They were Protestants and were the leading influencers of American institutions and cultures.

Frederic Tudor

In 1833, the first shipment of American ice arrived in Calcutta. It sent excitement to the locals of such chilly luxury. For the next two decades, these cargos were in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. They had a good thing going until local artificial-ice manufacturers started their businesses. Around the 1870s, refrigerated merchant vessels started scaling the high seas.

Madras, as it was known in the 1830s, was a bustling metropolitan city with a network of business enterprises. Many of its old buildings aged more than 200 years are still standing today. It speaks not of the English exploitation of the country but instead of the astute craftsmanship and quality of buildings built by the local builder. It is said that Madras had its own brand of superior plaster-mix. Chennai also has the reputation of having the second most number of heritage buildings in India after Calcutta. It has its own Heritage Conservation Committee that oversees maintenance and reservation of their old erections.

Sister R.S. Subbulakshimi

The Ice House was sold off in the 1880s after the ice business winded up. It was bought by a High Court judge who named it Castle Kernan. It was later changed ownership many times. It is now called Vivekananda Illam (Vivekananda Home) as he is said to have spent time there in 1897. The building was also used by Ramakrishna Mission and R.S. Subbulakshmi, a social reformer, for social upliftment activities. Almost all Indian freedom fighters, at one time or another, is said to have met there to preach their efforts for Independence at the premises.

Sister R.S. Subulakshmi was widowed at the age of twelve, and she made it her life ambition to uplift the plight of widows and woman generally. She continued her studies and obtained excellent results. She started Sarada Ladies Union (Sarada, being Swami Ramakrishna's consort) for widows. In 1915, the Government of Madras acquired the Ice House for her social work. 

It went on till 1963 when it was given to the Ramakrishna Mission. It currently houses an exhibition on the life and times of Swami Vivekanda.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Love among common people

Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (Court Case Number 18/9; Tamil, 2012)
I ended up watching this 2012 India's nomination for the Oscars in the foreign film category. It was recommended to me by my wife as the next best thing since sliced bread using an unknown cast. Unlike me, she never had the chance to appreciate the late 70s and 80's era of 'arty' mainstream Kollywood film shot in unglamorous villages using new plain atypical film-star faces and relatively little makeup. Films in this category would include 'Pasi', 'Nizhalgal' and 'Moodu Pani'.
The way I see 18/9, this film can be divided into 3 parts. The first part showcases the daily trials and tribulations of the low-income citizens of Chennai. Every living day is another day of survival, ferociously arguing and barking at fellow human being for a piece of the dwindling pie in the material world. The second reveals the relative comfort of the prospering 'milder' mannered but shrewd and cautious middle class with their way of living emulating the affluent and the third being the tying up of the story of both.
It starts with a police inspector hurrying to a hospital to interview a patient and her wailing mother. I always find this type of wailing demanding pity by portraying their helplessness a tad irritating behaviour in the community. The officer is told of a certain young boy who had the hots for the victim.
The boy, Velu, is summoned to the police station and he starts telling his story. Remember, till now, the viewers are kept in the dark on the nature of the crime committed and its victim. Velu tells his story to the apparently sympathetic officer...
Velu left his native village to work in a sweat shop making and packing savoury snacks in Northern India to pay off his parents' debt after a dismal harvest. Toiling day and night to this end to this end, he absconds from his workplace when he discovers that the news of his parents' death was kept away from him.

Velu

Velu lands in Chennai literally half dead and penniless. He survives as an assistant to a road-side food peddler. He develops a soft spot for a domestic maid, Jyothi. However, Velu is always seen in a bad light in front of Jyothi and her ferociously protective mother, earning their dislike! After many scenes, things kind of cools down. The next thing he knew was that he was marched to the station for questioning.

Intermission....

Sweets making sweat shop

The teenage daughter of household in which Jyothi worked, Aarthi, volunteered to the police of a certain neighbour boy whom she suspects of the crime. She then narrates her side of the story...

What the heck!

Dinesh, a school going young adult, befriends Jyothi in the pretext of discussing school subjects. Their relationship becomes close, but later she realised that he was up to no good. He had filmed her privately and had boasted about his escapades to his friends via MMS. When she tried to avoid him, he became aggressive. Aarthi suspects that Dinesh must have thrown acid on Jyothi's face!

The final part...

Dinesh and his mother are summoned for questioning. This is where you see the uncouth ways of speaking, abuse of power, police brutality and corruption which are rife in India is bare open. Dinesh's mother, a secretary to a minister, draws in the minister to use his clout and money to bribe the investigating officer, Kumaravel. Velu is beaten to pulp to confess. When he stayed adamant, Kumaravel, played good cop. He made a deal with Velu to confess while he used the rich man's money to finance Jyothi's plastic surgery bills.

Love among common people

The next thing Velu knew, he was doing time for 10 years and Jyothi is ostracized and home bound with a scarred right side of her face.

Jyothi comes to learn the whole truth and avenges by splashing acid on Kumaravel. Velu's case (18/9 - the title of the film) is reviewed. Velu is freed, Jyothi is sentenced 7 years of imprisonment and the police team is reprimanded. The film ends with Velu crying, promising to wait for her till she completes her incarceration albeit her half-burnt face. End.

The story is nothing unusual, having seen injustices of those with wealth or power over the have-nots in too many Tamil movies. The only gripping thing about this thriller is the suspense created by not revealing the crime and to a certain the victim. The main thing that aroused my attention is the director's contrasting depiction of the symbiotic way of life in Chennai of the have-nots on the lowest rung of the social ladder versus the middle class who in a way depend on the other to carry on their journey in life. And there is no running around the park love songs. I would give it a liberal 8.5/10.

"bravura piece of filmmaking that will leave you stunned - and even invigorated - by the time it ends"

M. Suganth, The Times of India (4.5 / 5)

A full length comedy!

Madras to Pondicherry (Tamil,1966 B/W)

Director: M. Thirumalai

One of the sites I visited recently ranked this Tamil film as #4 in their list of 50 Tamil movies 'to see before you die!'. Not for any particular reason but its unique genre - the road movie category. In fact, I recall watching another film (Thirumalai Thenkumari), where various characters and escapades are depicted while en route to a pilgrimage. Along the way, the divine powers of the Lord are portrayed in a rather melodramatic and melodious manner through the story and devotional songs.

In Hollywood, offhand, one can recall films like 'Boney & Clyde' and 'Easy Rider' which fit this description. In a way, the 60s western TV series 'Have Gun Will Travel' - "¶Paladin, paladin, where do you go?¶" - can be included because it shows someone with a dark past seeking adventure! MTP is a full-length comedy with a minor element of suspense woven into it. It tells the story of the adventures of a bus driver (A. Karunanidhi) and his conductor (Nagesh) as they travel in their rickety bus, which has seen better days, from Madras to Pondicherry.

A lady desperately boards the moving bus in a panic, trying to escape some attackers. As the bus continues, we learn that the lady, Mala, has a dark past. Her story is revealed gradually, interwoven with the antics of the bus passengers and the occasional chaos and even anarchy that erupt inside the bus from time to time. There is a group of three men from a drama troupe, some friends of different religions, a narcoleptic, a bossy mother and daughter, a Brahmin couple - a domineering wife (Manorama), a henpecked husband with their overweight, thumb-sucking child (Pakora Khader, who also appears in many movies with obese jokes), and others.

Mala (Kalpana), an aspiring actress, ran away from her home after falling victim to two conmen who promised her stardom. Their rivalry led to one murdering the other. Mala witnesses this act and goes on the run. Her love interest is Ravichandran (@B.S.Raman, a Malaysian medical student who found acting more rewarding than burning the midnight oil studying Anatomy), who appears mysteriously during her career-boosting efforts.

All in a day's job

Meanwhile, the crooks trail the bus, and one of their accomplices boards it to attempt to gun Mala down. Somehow, Ravichandran also boards the bus. The hero then saves the day. The crooks are arrested. Actually, Ravichandran was the arranged groom for Mala, and their marriage takes place at the end.

All the passengers gather at the wedding, uninvited, and the main message to the audience was not to look at single girls with suspicion and bad intent, as the passengers of the bus were guilty of. They could be just as deserving as anyone else.

I remember watching this film in RRF, but I think there was a massive power failure, and we missed a large part of it. We didn't miss much anyway. The jokes, however, were quite original and were shamelessly copied many times over the years. The songs did not leave a lasting impression, and I have never heard them in my life.

For a full-length comedy, I prefer Nagesh's tour de force, 'Server Sundram', anytime.