NANBAN---Review

Found this article from Firstpost.com.
Thought of sharing with you all


Chennai: Last Pongal season, Kollywood star Vijay was struggling to find theatres in Chennai and Tamil Nadu for his Kaavalan which later became a blockbuster in Bollywood in its remake avatar, Bodyguard.
This time around, he has one of the biggest releases in south Indian film history.
His Pongal release Nanban which is the Tamil remake of Three Idiots has been released in 450 theatres in Tamil Nadu alone, most of them the best ones in the state. In Chennai, the film is running in 27 screens, covering almost every part of the city. The suburban multiplex theatre Maayajaal ran a record 67 shows on the day of the release and is continuing to screen mind-boggling number of shows every day.
If Vijay faced a highly uncertain future early last year despite his immense fan-following as the “Ilaya Thalapathy (young emperor)” of Tamil cinema, same time this year, he is a roaring rage, a bigger star than ever before.
What made this incredible fortune makeover? The change of government from DMK to AIADMK!
It is strange indeed, but true. Politics can make or break your career in Kollywood.
Vijay's Pongal release Nanban which is the Tamil remake of Three Idiots has been released in 450 theatres in Tamil Nadu alone, most of them the best ones in the state. Firstpost

When it was in power last year, the DMK had a vice-like grip on the Tamil film industry, where nobody could survive without its patronage. Almost the entire big budget-pie of the industry was controlled by big production houses such as Sun Pictures, Red Giant Movies and Cloud Nine Movies, all of which belonged to Karunanidhi’s near ones. They controlled most of the big star productions and the best theatres.
For whatever curious reasons, Vijay refused to fall in line and became an instant outcast. Rumour was that he rebuffed the movie-proposal of one of the scions. Their political muscle ensured that his Kaavalan didn’t get any good theatres and that he was under pressure from producers who demanded reimbursement of the losses of his previous movie. He was in a real fix.
The closest analogy, old-timers recount, is a similar fate faced by the late Chief Minister and filmstar MGR at the hands of the DMK when his film Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban was released in early 1970s. Despite his stardom, MGR had an extremely tough time getting even a single theatre in Chennai for his film.
Some even thought that Vijay’s career would come to an end and that if DMK came back to power, he would have to either forget cinema or fall at the first family’s feet. Yet true to the characters he plays in his films, Vijay remained belligerent. He refused to budge and waited for the polls. He threw in his lot with Jayalalitha and made public his support for her.
When the DMK fell, his stock rose instantly. He was back on the studio floors and his first release Velayudham after Jayalalitha came back to power opened in October with a mammoth 850 prints worldwide. He was a superstar again!
Next up was the Nanban, released last week, which had an even bigger release. It opened in every single theatre in every neighbourhood. Tickets were sold out in the city and the suburbs within minutes of the opening of advance booking. It was also released in 25 screens in the UK and became the first ever Tamil movie to be released in France with French subtitles. With the success of Nanban, Vijay is scorching hot in the market.
Whether as a political favour or not, Jayalalitha’s government has exempted the movie from entertainment tax, forgoing 30 per cent of revenue in box office collections. It’s the first film to receive this exemption since she came to power.
While Vijay’s fortunes experienced a fantastic reversal with the return of the AIADMK, a highly popular comedian Vadivelu, who campaigned for the DMK, has suffered an exactly opposite fate.
Carried away by the belief that DMK would return to power, Vadivelu went overboard in his election campaign and shot off his mouth wherever he went to speak. Ever since Jayalalitha became the Chief Minister, he is sitting at home with no film at hand. Nearly all actors and producers don’t want to touch him with a bargepole. Just before the elections, he was so much in demand that he was selling his time by the day.

 

Watched this movie on Sunday.
Enjoyed the movie.
Even though I have watched hindi version, enjoyed Tamil version too.

Ileana looked very pale.
Because of her weight loss, she looked old with more wrinkles :-(

 

NANBAN AND THREE IDIOTS: A ONE TO ONE ANALYSIS

By Arun

With Nanban in theatres, it is difficult to resist the temptation to compare it with Three Idiots; one of the biggest hits in Indian cinema. Here, we see how every actor of Nanban measures up to the corresponding one in Three Idiots.

<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TD vAlign=top width=195>Three Idiots
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Nanban
<TD vAlign=top width=104>Winner
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Aamir Khan
The perfectionist played the all important role of Ranchordas Shamaldas Chanchad to near perfection. He got all the nuances right in a memorable performance. The best thing being that even being a 40 something man does not stop him from playing a college goer with ease.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Vijay
He very nearly equalled Aamir Khan as Panchavan Paarivendhan. But, did Vijay need to adapt even the body language and minor mannerisms in a copybook style? Some shots made the Aamir Khan influence all too evident. Or was it Shankar’s idea? Either way, Vijay is experienced enough and a big star; he could have added his own touch. Of course, he dances better than Aamir Khan.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>


Aamir Khan
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Sharman Joshi
As the beleaguered Raju Rastogi, he gave a gem of a performance. There were instances where the script allowed the character to have more scope than anyone else and he took full toll on all such occasions.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Jiiva
As Sevarkodi Senthil, Jiiva was almost perfect. His job was tougher than that of Sharman Joshi, because unlike him, Jiiva is an established hero with a fan following and an image. The fact that he accepted this role shows that he doesn’t believe in an image and is willing to bow to the script. His biggest asset is his comic timing and he makes full use of it. And, he shows his experience in the ‘alcoholic’ scenes, he is much better than ----------- in them.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>



Jiiva
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Madhavan
He opted out of Nanban because he felt apprehensive about recreating such a hugely successful work. But, he was absolutely top class in Three Idiots as Farhan Qureshi. For most parts, his character is only the narrator; there are only a couple of scenes where he is allowed to spread his wings and he senses the occasions and grabs them.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Srikanth
Perhaps the one casting decision that evoked quite a few doubts in many minds. But, those doubts have been dispelled after the release of the movie. He matches up to Madhavan in most parts, especially in the emotional scene with his dad. But, it is in the small and minute reactions where he falls behind, like the one in the examination hall.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>


Madhavan
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Boman Irani
The all important Virus of Three Idiots. He stamped his authority as one of India’s top character actors with this performance. Really, creating such a body language and diction from scratch requires huge amounts of skill and confidence.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Sathyaraj
Perhaps the smartest casting decision of Nanban. The role seemed tailor made for someone like Prakash Raj, but Shankar thought deeper. Sathyaraj did a commendable job of playing Virus, looking spontaneous almost throughout. But, there were some points, especially with certain English dialogues, where his dialogue delivery looked forced.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>


Boman Irani
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Omi Vaidya
The Silencer of Three Idiots. One of the most important characters of the movie. It was a huge load on the shoulders of the inexperienced Omi Vaidya which he carried off with ease. He was hilarious all the way as the geeky bookworm.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Sathyan
Again, a huge load on the shoulders of an actor who had not handled such a major part for many years. But, he too came through with flying colors, making us laugh on many occasions. One of the defining performances of the movie.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>


Tie
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Kareena Kapoor
The seasoned performer that she is, Kareena walked through the role with ease, getting the humor and emotions just right.
<TD vAlign=top width=200>Ileana
Not as experienced as Kareena and that showed in certain scenes, like the outburst against Virus close to the climax. Otherwise, it was a neat performance.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>

Kareena Kapoor
<TD vAlign=top width=195>Javed Jafferey
<TD vAlign=top width=200>S.J.Suryah
Not much sets them apart.
<TD vAlign=top width=104>
Tie
The others:
The small characters that appear just for a scene or more are also very important in Three Idiots and Nanban. Many of those in Nanban lack the absolute spontaneity of those in Three Idiots. For instance, the senior who gets zapped by urine’s electrical conductivity (played in Three Idiots by the American Mappillai from Vettai) or the tragic character played by Vijay Vasanth or the boy playing millimetre. They have all done well in Tamil, but look a bit plastic when compared to the original. But, on the contrary the experienced Manobala matches up very well and the parents of Senthil and Venkat too hit the right pitch.
There are no grounds to compare Rajkumar Hirani and Shankar in terms of direction because for most parts Shankar has plainly transplanted the shots from the Hindi version without changing anything. So, while we are watching Shankar’s film, what we are seeing is actually Rajkumar Hirani’s shots; barring the songs of course. While in the dialogues department, the remake has done full justice to the original; one daresay that the remake even gets better at a few points. It keeps each scene crackling with humor.
A comparison of an original and a remake is futile; many might think, because nothing ever matches the original; no matter however hard anyone tries. But, Nanban almost pulls it off. For all those who wonder how to go for a remake without spoiling the sanctity of the original while still entertaining the local audience; Nanban is the perfect example.

 

ILT,
Welcome back after so many days of absconding.