Manly Frame

Mohanlal's Anandan calls on Nasser's Anna Durai at the latter's residence when he is down with fever.

Anandan inquires about Anna's condition, and they exchange pleasantries. Prakash Raj's Tamizhchelvan can now be seen in the frame.



Anna politely rejects Anandan's monetary token to the party at this stage.

"The party doesn't need your money; Reach the common man. Votes will pile up automatically."

Apart from the conceptual brilliance giving us a peep into the characters' psyche, so what if evil and grey, what stands out is the beauty in the framing. Now it is strange that I talk of beauty in a frame where there is not a sight of a single woman. But the beauty that comes out of the mesmerizing whites, the unshakeable blacks, the rich contrasts is beyond words. Particularly in the last frame, filled with nondescript faces of nondescript men barring Lal, the orientation and placement of all the men whether intentional or not is truly outstanding.

When was the last time a picture (full of raw looking men) looked so ethereal almost making mockery of an entire battery of breathtaking women present otherwise in the film; Revathy Menon, Gautami Tadimalla, Madhoo Ranganathan, Aishwarya Rai, and Tabu?

:)


Iruvar (1997)


film grab courtesy: madras talkies