@equanimus From compli's blog on Uthama Villain. Pretty much posted a lot of comments and tweets across the board in a lot of places and blogs. Just trying to bring it all in together in a single comment here. Will start with some mind jugglery of meta references from Kamal which don't really make a great film, but nevertheless are a fine place to start with discussing it.

This is so personal a work isn't it? Right from Yamini's letter being written on May 5th (his wedding date with Vani) to the references to the older films, sometimes as explicitly as 'Kadavul Paadhi Mirugam Paadhi' on Narasimhar to Ayyappa taking me to Aboorva Sagodharargal (where Appu kills who else, but Nasser!) on a tiger and Raaja gets caught dressed up like a tigerman for Janaki to exclaim, "Deiva piraviyA nee?" Prof. Gnanasambandan stating "ivar Nammavar", the Sardarji evoked Bheemboy for both @atlasdanced and me. Nagesh at several places (long long ago, so long ago nobody can say how long ago) and as Bala (Karthik) mentioned, the Uthaman story and Uthaman's body language itself is Nagesh internalized. Also, was I the only one who felt a bit of Sivaji too in Kamal's dialogue delivery with the princess inside the dungeon with Prof. Gnanasambandan?

Mdeii was mentioning yesterday about the whole snake bite was a hattip to Rajni. Extending it a bit further, the do-gooder King rescuing a neghbouring Kingdom from a tyrant is a very Rajnikanth-trope. Mdeii also made a point of about how personal a film this would be for insiders. For instance, Pooja's bubbly heroine character looks modeled on Kushboo (intelligent questions to KB and getting the pat of a thinking actress) and the later 'Ya Allah' reference. KB, Oorvasi and K Vishwanath speaking to their real life mirror images on screen. Not just for Kamal, this is a personal film for every actor in the film who's collaborated with him on various levels.

I couldn't help note a hattip to Kalki too at the very end with the artiste becoming the King who became immortal through an impersonation a la Narasimhavarman in Parthiban Kanavu. By the same token, the Vaishnavite-Saivaite tiff on a cliff as Uthaman is saved was a throwback to Azhwarkkadiyan Nambi from Ponniyin Selvan.

The writing was something else here. The 8th century portions behind Manonmani as she sees her biological dad (which moves away, as fleeting as life itself) and the mirror that follows in the sequence between the 2, foreshadowing what is to follow much later, as she discovers her dad's other face as he removes his Theyyam mask. Wow this is the Kamal I was missing for almost 10 years now. Felt like gold dust to me.

This was another point Mdeii made, about how he has subverted Basmasuran's legend in Narasimhan. Come to think of it, Uthaman's portions are a play on Prahlada, who defeated death every time it was presented to him by his father Hiranyan. Only finally, Uthaman takes up Hiranyan himself (the artiste when left to pick from the leftovers, still picks the meatiest role) while the Hiranyan like tyrant Mutharasan, who tried killing Uthaman before taking to him, plays Narayanar, and kills himself like Basmasuran. A lot of thought has actually gone into writing the film. And the caricature of the 8th century seemed very consistent to me.

Climax ellAm kaNla thaNNi, as he killed the 'hero' in the real tale (who is everything for the mainstream) and us superimposing it with Kamal's mortality and his likely immortal legacy. Too much. This is a personal film for us, arguably a lot less than it is for the man himself, comparatively. Only grudge. Raaja here would've meant I would've completely gone for a toss, especially in the scene where he confronts his own son and the son breaks down (like Kid_Glove was observing, a very Thevar Maganish trope from Kamal coming from abroad to be with his father, Sivaji) and the whole climactic portions. alla theruchuruppen with Raaja, though Ghibran was pretty good. The only professional-personal cog from Kamal's personal tale missing here was also Raaja imo.

But what a gratifying film after eons from our man. But like you (Compli) say, innum ooraNum. neraya varum.

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