Part 20: Fate’s mocking dance or the cruel governance?

Next day one of my good friend, Mahesh had returned from his five days leave. He had been to Chennai, which is his native. And as usual I asked about his trip. Along with his experience he began to speak about a super hit movie, which he watched. It was none other than Gemini.

He was explaining about the movie and the hero who had literally taken Tamil Nadu by storm. But I told him to speak something else than Gemini, and then he started to explain about its hero Vikram and his previous movies like Sethu and Dhil. Lokesh started to accompany Mahesh. Both of them almost ate my head to watch Gemini. Earlier my elder brother and his friends were also used to appraise Sethu a lot.

In fact I must say that almost 75% of the youth in Mangalore might have watched it long back when it released. It was a huge hit in Mangalore as well. But when my brother and his friends invited me before going to watch it, I was not interested at all. I used to watch only selected movies like Bombay, Padaiyappa ,Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay), Jeans, Kandu konden kandu konden, Kadalan (Hum Se hai muqabla), Mudalvan (Nayak) etc in Tamil. Among them I was disappointed with Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay), especially with the climax. How Kajol can get married to Prabhu deva?

Don’t think that I was a big fan of Arvind Swamy, okay? If so then I wouldn’t have watched Kadalan. I’d liked Prabhu’s dance but much more than that I liked a voice right from the first scene of him where he says, ‘Saamy alla – Mahaa swamy!’ I must say much more than his acting I was an admirer of his voice in the movie! In Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay) again I just loved his voice. I don’t know why I was totally upset with Vennilave (Chanda re) song.

Sorry, not with the song but because of the face expressions of Prabhudeva. I seriously felt that something was missing. What was it? May be, the innocence, which should reflect in hero’s face in that song. Don’t you think so? Till the date I seriously feel that there is one person who can justify by filling that innocence in that song. Don’t come to the conclusion so soon, okay? You are wrong; he doesn’t belong to cine industry. If you are able to find out I must say, ‘Hat’s off!’.

But without any doubt I can say that Minsara Kanavu movie’s climax was a major let down and that’s why it couldn’t become hit in its Hindi version Sapnay. Don’t come to the conclusion that I wanted Kajol to marry Arvind in the movie. I feel Kajol should have opted to become nun. One more thing, it was because of Minsara Kanavu. I started to admire Kajol’s performance. Credit also goes to Manish Malthotra for her looks.

I have also found few similarities between Raju Menon and Arvind Swamy. How many of you know the fact for the lead role in Bombay, Mani Ratnam had once opted Rajeev Menon but he refused to become a hero? It’s true!

Believe it or not, I was so crazy about Minsara Kanavu songs. I would have listened to it at least 10 times in a day except Strawberry Kanne song, as I did not like that particular song.

One more movie was Kadal Desam (Duniya dilwalon ki). I don’t know why, each and everyone had watched it in our college but I didn’t watch. Coming back to Minsara Kanavu, I felt like in fact being a dream combination the movie could not become a dream. Instead it was a dream, which was shattered.

But I was totally unaware of the fact that there was one person connected to all these! Right from Bombay, Kadalan, Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, Kajol, A.R.Rehman, Kadal Desam, Minsara Kanavu to Kandukonden Kandukonden.

Mani Rathnam had tested Rajeev Menon and Arvind Swamy and him for the lead role in Bombay, long back in 1993. Rajeev Menon went on become a director; Arvind Swmy went on become a hero. But he…? He still remained behind the scenes for years! In fact being a senior artiste for them, he was dumped to work as a dubbing artiste!

Yes. There was a prince..
who faced on opportunity’s indigence
and dumped to take desistance
due to the industry’s indifference!
To lead his subsistence
and for his family’s defense,
he forced to lend his voice,
when others did not give the price
for his intelligence!
There was no one to defiance
against this injustice!
Even though his dreams were at the stage of dissidence.
he became another form of sufferance!
Without being a quitter to get the deliverance,
facing the series of incidence,
which was lead to the zenith of despondence,
Still he showed the meaning of patience!
without uttering any dissonance!
And I was totally in ignorance
for his burning instance!
Was it fate’s mocking dance?
or the cruel governance
towards the king of performance?
Or its jubilance
towards my innocence?

He was none other than this same Vikram!

I don’t know why I had become a deaf for the praising words about him and decided to be away by the stream that was praising him.

What was the reason? The strange fact is, there was no particular reason!

***************************