Reconciliation is a very difficult thing, especially when it involves familial problems.

I just finished watching a masterpiece of a movie by one G. Subramaniam a.k.a Mani Ratnam, Agni Natchatiram. For a movie that was released in 1988 (yes, I get all the facts from Wikipedia), it was far far ahead of its time. The bigamous father, feuding sons, helpless wives and mothers, a caught-between-her-father-and-her-brothers sister, the quite pointless but nonetheless beautiful starlets, and of course, the smooth talking son-of-a-bitch villain, a beautiful smorgasbord of talent which comes together to make a great movie, which it is.

If there was one thing that I miss from the tamil movies now is that the heroines look slutty rather than beautiful, the hero is still larger than life but c'mon, SJ Surya coupled with superman is not what I paid for, the storyline in most movies still suck, for example, Bheema, jeez, an excuse for a gangster movie, the music, Ilaiyaraaja is God, period, and finally, yes, I want more of meaning and less of masala.

I'm not trying to sound like a stuck-up ass who likes to watch only serious movies. Many people, atleast in the tamil film industry, seem to think that an artistic or a good movie means that it has to have the perennially grieving widow, the ever grumbling m-in-law, and the waiting to get revenge son. Crying and artistic sense are NOT the same. Oram po, another great movie is a perfect example, doubtless it had severe influences of Guy Ritchie, but the sheer audacity and the grip of the movie is simply what is lacking in most tamil movies of today.

As ever, Mani Ratnam is still God (yes, I believe in the multiplicity of God), and am just hoping that Nemichand and Hitesh Jhabak turn out to be as well.