Uttama Villain: Athi Uttamam

The average film goer does not get an opportunity very often to see a multi layered film of this kind. The length notwithstanding, the film has many things going in its favour and could well be perceived as an important watershed in our cinema.

Full credit to Kamal Haasan for giving the viewer a kind of film that offers more than just action and theatrics. The aging matinee idol may well be past his prime in navigating the role of a young film actor but he throws in his talent with his story and screenplay. The multi layered story not only offers some great cinematic moments and takes you into a real world of make believe but also gets veterans like K Balachander and K Vishwanath to portray very credible roles with consummate ease and poise. The filmmaker Ramesh Aravind also gives a bird’s eye view of two culture forms: Theyyam (a Kerala dance form) and Villu Paatu (a Tamil Nadu form of storytelling). The latter had the celebrated Kothamangalam Subbu who decades ago told the story of the great Mahatma in this form.

Manoranjan (Kamal) is a matinee idol who is basking in the glory of his success. His wife Varalakshmi( Urvasi) is unmindful of his little private secrets and has the advantage of the backing of her father filmmaker Poornachander Rao ( K Vishwanath). Even in the midst of the success of his latest film made by Rao, Manoranjan is smooching his lady doctor Aparna (Andrea- very elegant presence and under played performance). Two disturbing pieces of news disturb the actor. Jacob Zacharia (Jayaram) comes to reveal that Manoranjan has a daughter unknown and hidden away from public glare and also that he has a brain tumour that can prove fatal. The past catches up and the future bleak.

This humbling moment takes the matinee idol back to the filmmaker who made him the star, Margadarsi (K Balachander). He initially refuses to make peace but later on coming to know of the impending tragedy decides to direct his final film. How the swan song pans out is what ‘Uttama Villain’ all about.

Margadarsi goes to tell a story of an evil king Muthurasan (Nasser) who kills his own brother-in- law and imprisons his daughter Karpagavalli (Pooja Kumar). The evil king then summons Uttaman (Kamal) who he believes is immortal and can help him wade away the impending doom to his kingdom. This story is narrated in the making of the film using the two art forms of Theyyam and Villu Paatu. This part of the script is also laced with a sense of humour that is very different from what the Telugu audience is used to and brings in a degree of novelty.

The 172 minute narration meanders and brings in one too many elements and tries hard to tie the loose ends and thereby misses the punch. We have the uninspiring attempt of the father making peace with his insensitive family members, with his daughter who is initially unforgiving. The parallel stories of the film in the making and the unfurling tragedy in the life of Uttaman who is playing the role of an immortal person even as he is fighting death is too convoluted to be effective.

The film is, however, filled with moments to endear and recall. Kamal while dealing with the life of a filmmaker and a star is not a Guru Dutt, so the poignancy of a ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ is conspicuously absent. It is akin in grandeur to the Raj Kapoor’s tale of a man in the world of entertainment who unfortunately is not lucky in love in ‘Mera Naam Joker’ but nowhere to the grandeur of that film. Yet it must be said to the credit of the filmmaker – Ramesh Aravind that he surely tries to infuse many interesting and intriguing factors to the story. Some of the support cast give the film some very rich moments. MS Bhaksar, K Vishwanath, the legendary K Balachander, Nasser, Urvashi and Parvathi Menon embellish the tale with their sincere and heart warming performances. You cannot miss the fact that Balachander and Vishwanath with whom Kamal has made some fine films are pitched against each other in a cinematic duel.

One lingering doubt and a question raised in the film the crux of which is obviously lost on the filmmaker: Will there be listeners to an endless story.