The Predicate

My friend Arun Vaidyanathan has made his debut in the film industry with his long-awaited film, “Achamundu Achamundu”. Having known him for years, I’ve watched him take a plunge into movie making from the relatively safe confines of the IT industry. His hard work and perseverance has paid off, when the credits rolled, “Direction: Arun Vaidyanathan”.

I had read the script of this film more than a couple of years ago, and I was amazed how close to the script the actual film turned out to be. Making a movie with a bound script, organized rehearsals, live sounds, less than two hour running time, no unnecessary side tracks, shooting with the Red Digital camera.. the achievements in his first film are too many to list. I had no doubts in my mind how the film would turn out to be, and it was close to my expectations.

One day I may sit and write a detailed critique, but not today, since I just want to celebrate the fact that my friend has made a movie that will make his name in the industry.

The film has a linear narrative, shown without any frills, and though it meanders towards the climax, it is short with a running time of 1:50. Arun has taken care to set his own style and not tease us with the standard ruses in a thriller a.la. M.Night Shyamalan. The film is more about the slow change in the psyche of the lead characters as they discover that there are unknown forces to fear about in the suburbia. Life in the suburbia can be quite tricky. We’ve dealt with it when we just moved in, and now it is just a part of our system. I watch out for a strange car in the neighborhood. I expect break-ins and strangers luring young kids and always am wary of that. This feeling may be a bit alien to the Indian audience, but by showing in detail for the first two acts, Arun has sketched the situation very well.

John Shea plays the pedophile who enters the lives of the Indian couple and threatens to take away their daughter. I was glad to see Arun not try to push the envelope with grisly montages of pedophilic acts. Rather, he has left much to imagination, making it more palatable for Indian audience, I guess. Contrast this with other directors like Bala and Ameer, whose in-your-face violence leaves nothing to imagination. In the same note, I expected a love-making scene hollywood style, but was disappointed

I think regardless of how the film fares at the box office, Arun will get a lot of recognition from this movie. This will be a visiting card that he can proudly carry.

Just getting a movie released itself is very hard these days. Veteran directors like Bharathiraja and Mishkin were unable to get their movies out in time. Even big budget movies like Kandasami are waiting to see the light of day. In that sense, just getting this film to screen is a tremendous achievement. Kudos  to Arun and his producers.

It has become a standard thing to say when we write about good and bold new ventures in thamizh, that encouraging such efforts will move the industry in the right direction. I’ve practiced that in spirit. I’ve not spent a dime on my money on Vijay/Ajith movies, and try to vote for good films with my ticket. Watching Achamundu on opening night was another such gesture.  Ultimately, the almighty dollar makes all the difference. So, go ahead and watch Achamundu in a cinema next to you. It will be worth your time!