Art & Entertainment

An 'Indian' Story

Kamal Hasan's multilingual blockbuster touches popular sentiment

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An 'Indian' Story
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IT'S a theme that touches the heart of every harrassed Indian citizen. The radical social statement of Indian, versatile actor Kamal Hasan's latest blockbuster, has set cash registers ringing in about 200 the-atres in four southern states and a dozen countries abroad for eight weeks now. From the very first day, the 190-minute film has been recording 100 per cent collections in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh—where the Telegu avatar is called Bharatheeyudu—and Kerala and Karnataka currently have 80 per cent returns after full houses during the first six weeks. Audiences have overwhelmingly approved of the film whose Hindi version, Hindustani, will be released by mid-July. Tickets for the film were sold at Rs 200 for nearly a month in A centres, reiterating Kamal Hasan's unquestionable appeal and establishing Shankar as the director with the Midas touch.

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A social potboiler that appeals through its theme, performances and cinematic technique, Indian is the story of Senapathy, an extremist freedom fighter who fought for Subhas Chandra Bose's INA but ends up disillusioned by the all-pervading corruption. Interestingly, during his tenure as Orissa chief minister, Biju Patnaik had publicly asked people to beat up government officers if they were found corrupt. But for Senapathy, whose daughter dies in hospital after he refuses to give bribes, a few blows aren't enough. The old man first paralyses corrupt officers through a martial art form called marmakala, hitting them at strategic nerve centres with his taut fingers or toes. A dagger does the rest. He embarks on a psychotic cleansing spree after the death of his daughter, killing corrupt police inspectors, IAS officers, and doctors, ending it by killing his own corrupt RTO inspector-son—also played by Kamal Hasan. But there is more to the film than just blood and gore.

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The film's USP is Hasan's portrayal of a psychotic 70-year-old Senapathy with jowly cheeks and wrinkles. Cavorting with Hasan junior are Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar. One song is shot in Australia, atop the Sydney Harbour bridge, while another is a take-off on Michael Jackson's Do You Remember the Time. With computerised effects, Hasan vanishes into thin air in the number, transforms himself into a lion, a reptile, a chair and an eagle even as he gyrates to A.R. Rahman's techno score.

The USP of the movie, however, is Hasan's portrayal of a psychotic Senapathy. Hasan is made up to look all of 70 years, complete with thick jowly cheeks, furrows of wrinkles, hanging earlobes and a grey mop. Senapathy's visage is a creation of Michael Westmore, a Hollywood make-up expert who also did Dr Spock's face in Star Trek. Shankar flew in sketches and a plaster of paris mould of Hasan's face to the US before Westmore sent an assistant to Madras. Hasan had to spend nearly five hours in front of the mirror for every shoot and Shankar completed Senapathy's sequences through 40 days. Says Hasan: "I was keen to give life to Senapathy's character and make him look like an old man on the street. Voice intonation also required a lot of effort as Senapathy had to sound quavering without losing strength."

Little wonder the production cost a reported Rs 5 crore, a figure which producer A.M. Rathnam refuses to confirm or deny. But the success of Indian matters most to the director, considering his personal involvement with the theme of corruption. "Indian is the outcome of my bitter experiences before I became a director," Says Shankar: "Our country's bribe culture killed my ambitions and aspirations when, as someone living below the poverty line, I sought college admission or tried for a government job. Besides, I encountered morbid forms of corruption in other walks of life as well." So it doesn't come as a surprise when Shankar sums up Indian's message: "Give no bribes, receive no bribes, don't create delays for want of bribes'."

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