@maya_twit On Virumandi. As I spoke to a friend on a mail. Straight out of it. Sanitized a few informal abuses here and there (as is common among close friends ;)) and some explicit Kamal and IR fandom, I hope you'd understand that ;)

KothaaLa Thevan (KT) hates Naickers. Evident from his FIRST dialog in the film after Angela asks him to speak; "Naicker kaalathirkku munbAgavE, Sundara Pandian aatchi..." and Angela stops him right there. Insightful. Because Sundara Pandian was the last King of Pandian descent before the Naickers got hold of the throne in Madurai. Pandya dynasty was extinguished by late 14th century. And Madurai later went to Nayaks aka Naickers in the 16th and 17th centuries (Thirumala Naicker, Rani Mangamma, etc.). Also, Panchalankurichi was ruled by another Jagaveera Pandyan, who claimed descent from the Pandyas. Since he did not have an issue, he named his minister as King. That King was Veerapandiya Kattabomman's father :-)

He named himself Aadi Kattabomman. His actual name was Bommu and he came from Andhra. He had the nickname Getti Bommu (Strong Bommu) and that merged with Tamil and became Kattabommu (kattai udambu nu sollalAm). That became Kattabomman after his time. Being the first King, he called self Aadi Kattabommu. His son, interestingly had the name Veerapandiya Kattabomman who had the name Pandyan in his name. But his full name? Veeramaraja Jagaveera Pandiya Kattabomma Karuthayya Nayukudu :-) (In this context, Sivaji's sentamizh portrayal of Veerapandiya Kattabomman is an outstanding hyperdramataization looking amazingly authentic when the real Kattabomma (not Bomman) would have spoken a Telugu-Tamil). His dad had the name Jagaveera Pandian hidden inside his name, probably out of reverence to the Pandyan King for giving him the Kingdom. Why I say all this is because KT claims descent for his caste from the Pandyas. For him to see the Naickers rule after their ancestors is a matter of pride. That is brought out in 1 dialog without being explicit!

Also, the nativity of the Naickers is incredibly brought out! Nallamma Naicker saying "okkatti lEdhu" for Emi lEdhu is one example which Plum once mentioned. Napolean is Nallaman (real name Kumaresa Duraisamy Reddiar, another Telugu-Tamil in real life :)). Kamal's elder brothers have spoken about how they've seen caste dynamics play out in Paramakudi. Possible that it trickled down to Kamal from them.

On that note, notice how Peikkaaman asks Angela if she is proper Tanjore. Wickedly sly question. Peikkaaman is Peikkaama Thevar and he supports KT mainly because of caste (inside car post appathA's death he explicitly mentions this). Angela says not proper Tanjore, but Keezhavenmani and Peikkaaman's face contorts very briefly. Also, this is more prominent when she later confides to Virumaandi that her father was "Kathamuthu" who brought her up and she got married to James and became Angela James and her dad killed James and she became Angela Kathamuthu. Outstanding is the word because in TN, SCs who convert to Christianity are OBCs after conversion (correct me if I'm wrong), and that to me explains PeikAman's visible contortion.

On that note, masterstroke from Kamal was Virumaandi is Viru Virumaandi Thevar! :-) The hero is the same caste as the villain who lives by his tongue and honor, is guided by a ramrod straight appathaa and is loved by Annalatchumi, who is KT's niece. The elephant in the room in Thevar Magan was how he took a reflexive position and turned the film into a Thevar vs Thevar clan feud. Here, the hero and the villain are Thevars and he removes reason for bias.

Again, I go back to the maN vAsanai. As Virumaandi is taken out under the van, Nallamma Naicker is with Peikkaaman as a group dance to beats from mELam. Naicker urges them to restart when they stop due to police interruption. It looked like Oyilaattam to me at first, but isn't :-) It is Devarraattam, ironically exclusive to the Naickers. Supposed to be a dance form descended from the Devas (Gods) for the Naicker Kings according to their lore. Kamal also doesn't stop with the Naicker authenticity. He goes further with regional divisions. Kondarasu Naicker who Kamal abuses at the Panchayath, has land in Koyamuthur as Virumaandi himself alleges. Kondarasu speaks a Tamil that has a strong Kongu accent true to Coimbatore but again speaks that Telugu-Tamil (idhula Tamil with the Kovai accent. Too-3-4-5 much!) with his wife in the dark as Kamal comes to apologize. As natural as me switching from English to Tamil as I type this.

Also, how mainstream is the film at numerous places?! Virumaandi the hero is introduced heroically with all the build ups but it is NOT out-of-place and he heroically tames a bull. He then breaks into an introduction song. Fucking commercial mainstream. Kamal offbeat naa naakka veLila pudungi kiLLipuduvEn. He operates in the mainstream, just in his own way :-) Attention to detail. Annalatchumi when she's lying on the floor kicked by Kothaala Thevar... door is opened. Before her chithi (KT's wife) and mom, her dog comes running to her. She is close to her animals (bull, dog). What a place to underline it. Even if he didn't, we wouldn't give a fuck. But he did. Also, that misplaced sense of pride in appathaa when she tells KT's family that she will make her grandson do farming. She taught his dad. She'll teach him. Without realizing she is old and is past her prime and fighting a losing battle with a good but ill tempered, uneducated brute of a grandson who's going to fall into bad ways soon. And dies. Sivaji in Thevar Magan came to mind. Misplaced pride not realizing he's an old lion who's dying. That pride :-) More details in KT's kid shouting "maapla" at Virumaandi every time, be it in the court or at the home even as his dad hangs him upside down threatening to kill him. ("maapla! engappana konnudu!") Pani vizhum nilavu's charanam's 1 line going on in Chennai as Virumaandi tries contacting Nallama Naicker. Precisely the songs that'd play in FMs and radio stations in tea shops in any place in TN :D Also, the poosaari lying in the court. Annalatchumi made her wedding vow with gold (ring) saying "ponnayE kudukkarEn." Even as the poosaari brags he presided over Viruman's parents' wedding and named Virumaandi, he takes THAT ring out of his finger and puts it in his angavasthram precisely as he lies to assuage his guilt. That makes the lie all the more cold. Kamal knows how to place the knife inside a viewer. That depth. Only Kamal fossible imho. Sivaji reference right at the beginning, invoking Veerapandiya Kattabomman as Nallamma Naicker's bull is let out. VK had a bull taming scene too which Sivaji's lieutenant Gemini tames and Naicker's bull here is named Veerapandiyan and Prof Gnanasambandan invokes VK quite blatantly :-)

ellAthukkum mEla Raaja's music and background score. No words. Karbagraham Vittu Saamy VeLiyErudhu gius goosebumps and the BGM that often themes for the violence and tragedy in the film. Inexplicably awesome.

Finally, as Vaidhyanatha Iyer says "eeswaro ratchathi" in the court and KothaaLa Thevan says "dharmam vellum" to Angela, what is Dharmam? Very amorphous :-)

PS: The film was dubbed in Telugu as Potharaju. Potharaju are a caste in Andhra who survive by self-flagellation, i.e. whipping themselves, like how Janakaraj does in Kizhakku Vaasal. Such a tribe sadly exists even today in pockets of TN and interior Andhra. What is Virumaandi's character? It is its own cause of doom. An implied self-flagellation! idhuvum Plum solli dhAn theriyin.

PPS: One more lengthy essay is there on the most important scene: http://dagalti.blogspot.in/2011/01/why-should-i-talk.html

I once compared it with a sequence from Navarathri where the characters flesh each other out. But Navarathri's writing is even more subtle than Virumaandi. But that's maybe for another day :-)

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