There are films that you really like, but forget over the course of time due to the multitude of movies you watch after that. But there are some great movies, that stay with you, that have such a deep impact on your heart & soul that it never leaves you. Aaiyrathil Oruvan (2010) is one of such movies for me.
Deeply rooted in an era that marked the origin of Tamil civilization, tackling genres like history, adventure, drama & action, Aayirathil Oruvan was a monumental project by writer-director Selvaraghavan & his team, done on a budget of Rs. 32 crores ($7m, yes you read that right), with 2000 junior artists involved in makeup, costume design & VFX, lot of effort spent on building & erecting the sets, music composer pouring his heart & soul into his songs. But guess what, audiences back in 2010 didn't like it. People complained it was too violent, too disturbing or gory, not understandable, difficult to follow & so on. But now, 10 years later, people praise this movie left, right & centre, regarding it as one of the underrated masterpieces of Tamil cinema.
This is a movie that shows the origin of Tamils (a loose adaptation), a movie about Tamils, and should have been a moment of pride for Tamil cinema. We start with a falling Chola dynasty in 1279 AD, given an interesting backstory. Flash forward to 2008, where the Indian Govt. organises a search expedition led by the cruel, arrogant officer Anitha (Reema Sen), accompanied by a group of archaeologists & porters to crack the mystery of the missing archaeologist, who seemed to have stumbled upon the secret pathway to discover the existence of the lost Chola group who fled their kingdom.
What I just said above my friends, is the icing on the cake. The movie takes you on an extremely entertaining journey from start to finish, starting with an epic action-adventure during the 1st half, with our group passing through a variety of dangerous obstacles, each having it's own unique aesthetics, thanks to some breathtaking cinematography by Ramji, great VFX for a budget of hardly $10 million, costume work & production values all throughout. There are countless historic adventure movies out there (like Indiana Jones & National Treasure), but the movie borrows from none of them, and crafts it's own unique storytelling. The obstacles are exciting & well-thought-out, each having immense cultural & mythological significance that furthers the plot & serve as clues toward the destination. The danger feels real, thankfully due to the absence of any unnecessary heroism by our characters. We also learn more about our lead characters, but their true motives masterfully kept unclear until later in the film.
The 2nd half of this film, wow! Just wow. The true essence, the real "art" of the film lies here. A complete shift in tone, extraordinary use of makeup, props, sets & dialogue, coupled with goddamn amazing acting by our lead characters (with Parthiban now an addition), superb use of visual imagery & direction overall. I just love it when a movie randomly shifts genres, but does it in such an elegant way! Mind you, the use of minimal dialogues in the 2nd half is not something you normally see. They speak a dialect of Tamil which was said to have been spoken centuries ago, hence not being understandable even for those who currently speak the local language! Also, the makeup is no ordinary makeup & costume/props work. Humongous effort has been put in to create that look & feel of "that place", the vast number of extras, designing the swords & shields used during older times etc.
Karthi, Reema Sen, Andrea & Parthiban give some of their career best performances. While their acting in the 1st half was good, the 2nd half is where you get to see their full acting potential - the mannerisms, expressions & body language undergoes crazy levels of change both as the character & as the actor compared to the 1st, which I was thoroughly impressed by. I'm happy Reema Sen took up this serious, nuanced & multi-layered role, as she was commonly known for portraying the "hot chick", the hero's 1st (or 2nd) love interest so to say.
Kudos to composer GV Prakash for his music, what can only be described as exemplary beyond imagination. The music he composes here signifies multitude of emotions, be it rage, anger, depression, mystery, tragedy or hope. The man reached his peak in this album. I heard he even researched on the sounds played by olden days' musical instruments to fit the themes! The score that plays during the final moments, epic! Epic as epic can be, as it is praiseworthy & goosebump-y on it's own merit! Gives me the chills everytime I listen to it!
Be warned, this movie is not for everyone. There are some moments which are extremely tragic & depressing, especially the final 20 minutes. Clocking in at 181 minutes runtime, the only minor negative I could think of is that maybe 5-10 minutes could've been trimmed, but considering the great censor board cut 40 FRIGGING MINUTES from the theatrical cut😒, I am letting that minor -ve slide.
It is deeply saddening to know that this movie got absolutely love back in 2010 when it released. No one was ready to experience visual storytelling & display of history of such grandeur like this ever before. I wish I could go back to 2010 & write this review, to inform all on what a masterpiece this is. I really really hope everyone of you reading this review watches the movie. As a Tamizhan, and as someone who wishes that Tamil cinema, nay, Indian cinema reaches the heights of Hollywood & goes beyond, this movie deserves the appreciation it never got, and is without a doubt, 10/10.
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