Flashback Friday: Why Kamal Haasan Starrer-Indian Has Aged Well

 



Why is Indian this week's pick?

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As 'Indian 2' releases in theatres today, marking the return of Kamal Haasan as Hindustani and Shankar as director, we thought it might be just the time to rewatch the megastar's 'Indian' and see how well the vigilante film has aged. Surprisingly, the look and feel of 'Indian' is still very relevant today. How? Read more to find out.





 


Flashback Friday: Indian (1996). What is it about vigilante films that makes audiences root for them? Be it an 'Indian', 'Sivaji: The Boss' 'A Wednesday', or even a 'Jawan', this popular genre has always found a way to entertain audiences. Perhaps, it is the idealistic way things come to their desired end which may not happen in real life that fans root for the film and the vigilante figure, however stoic and predictable he might be.


Among the many out there, 'Indian' is a vigilante film done right. Starring Kamal Haasan, Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar, 'Indian' has Kamal Haasan in double roles, playing both the idealistic vigilante Senapathy and the corrupt officer Chandu, iconically named Chandrabose( Chandru).


While the plot template follows the generic three-act structure and the formula of wrongdoing being corrected by the vigilante who has suffered at the hands of the system, 'Indian' is ahead of its time in many ways that it will still resonate with contemporary audiences.


There is nothing new about a retired Indian army official( part of Subhash Chandra Bose's INA) turning vigilante when he sees that the freedom they fought for is now being curtailed by the very people who fought for it. 


But Shankar's presentation of a simple plot with the 'Mother India' twist of a rogue and corrupt son who would go to any extent to save his back and yet dies at the hand of his own father, for who principles and morality are more important than the life of his own son, is an interesting take coupled with some really intersting dance sequences.


 





Here are 3 reasons why 'Indian' has aged so well:




Representation of women actors




While the somewhat progressive template of presenting Urmila( Sapna) and Manisha( Aishwarya)'s character does climax to a catfight between the two, a screen space where both are accorded respect and some dimension to their characters is a rare in such male-dominated films, especially in the time and genre 'Indian' is made.


Even, Sukanya's character who does not have that fleshed-out a role, is accorded an impressionable moment as a freedom fighter who leads protests during the last leg of British rule in India.


Even the experimental soundtrack by AR Rahman and the lyrics of the songs do not descend to cheap objectification of women. In fact, the 'Akadanu Naanga' track challenges the status quo and their double standards when it comes to stereotypes associated with modern women.


Indian Movie Music




This brings us to the soundtrack of the film which is very experimental, unique and resembles the spirit of the late 90s and ealry 2000s where several indie numbers ruled the charts. 


Despite 'Indian' being a mainstream film, this Kamal Haasan starrer has iconic numbers choreographed to perfection and shot so meticulously that they need to be studied separately.


Several soundtarcks of 'Indian' also borrow beats and interesting samples from pop culture and the west. The song 'Telephone Manipol' was sampled from Ace of Bass song 'All She Wants'. 


Likewise, 'Latka' has beats from Paul Young's 'Love of the Comon People'.


 





The framing of songs and the way they are shot, almost always celebrating the diversity of a country like India, is one way music ( despite its unbearably long songs) serves as an organic narrative device in the film.


The 'Telephone Manipol' song, 'Maya Machindhra' are also filmed quite well.


Genre mixing




While a vigilante film is generally rooted in reality and is mostly cotemporarised as per the time and age of the plot setting, 'Indian' interestingly genre mixes and even gives an entire sequence of the Indian freedom struggle, some of which is original, in black-white and features freedom fighter and leader Subhash Chandra Bose.


In fact, the graphic designer of the film Venky had noted that 'Indian' was the most difficult project for him because a scene features Haasan's character alongside that of Subhash Chandra Bose. This particular scene required Venky to remove blemishes from Bose's reel in order to merge it with that of Kamal Haasan.


The Senapathy connection to the INA and him being a commander of a section of the INA during their Kohima haul is an interesting take that brings layers to an otherwise simple plot.


Kamal Haasan as Senapathy, was also the first to use prosthetic makeup in an Indian film, and this again him being a visionary in bringing new film technologies and ways of bettering cinema.


 





Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore worked on the older version of Kamal Haasan, and that he acted just right in creating one of the most memorable characters on screen.


'Indian' created history upon its release to become the first Tamil film to cross 50+ cr in all laguages, the real pan-India release to do so. 


This Shankar directorial was also chosen as India's official entry for the Oscars from India, however the film did not get nominated. 


On the other hand, 'Indian' won three National Awards with Kamal Haasan also winning the Best Actor award.


As anticipation rides high for 'Indian 2' release, fans might consider watching 'Indian' again or getting their recap here.


 





Let us know your thoughts on 'Indian' and 'Indian 2'.


 


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