Okay 'Ten on ten' is an exaggeration but definitely one of the best movies in recent times. What captivates you is the ease and aplomb with which Kamal Hassan tries the ten characters in the film. The storyline is a bit patchy with loopholes here and there, but the underlying concept behind the movie is something that I found interesting.
The story is based on a philosophy called the Chaos theory. This theory says that every event/occurance in the world is related to every other event in some way or the other. In other words, whatever you do results in a change - major or minor - in someones life who is totally unrelated to you opr to your action. The idea is that whatever you do has a ripple effect which gets carried to lives of very distant and unrealted people. None of our acts go without a result.
In the movie, we see how events in one person's life (Dr. Govind) change the lives of many other people. Also how events in other people's lives change that persons' life.
- Because the Vishnu idol is drowned in the 1st century, it disturbs the tectonic plates under the seabed and causes a tsunami thousands of years later swallowing the bio-weapon.
- Without the sardarji collapsing in the airport, Fletcher and Govind wouldnt have escaped in the airport.
- Without Vincent(Dalit leader), Govind wouldnt have escaped from the auditorium.
- Without Shingen(The japanese character), Govind wouldnt have been alive and Fletcher wouldnt have killed himself and drowned himself in the sea.
- And many more if you observe the story minutely.
Another philosophy the film deals with beatifully is the theory of Karma. Theory of Karma says that everything in the world is balanced. An action of yours will result in another action equal and opposite to yours and you will experience it immediately, in the future or in your next birth.
Let us say you are driving back from work at 12 O'clock in your car. At a remote place on the road you see a person lifting his had and asking you to give him a lift. Do you stop and let him in? Its more probable that you wont. You might think, "Why take the risk? Who knows, there might be his men behind those bushes waiting for my car to stop and to pounce on me? Someone else might give him a lift.". And you move on.
A few days later you are driving back on the same road and your car sputters to a stop at the same spot. You realise you are empty on fuel. Your cellphone is dead and there is now way you can call someone to come pick you up. You wait for some vehicle to pass and motion with your thumb asking them for a lift. I am sure this situation or a similar one would have been experienced by most of us. It could be coincidence. It could also be the result of your actions. his is Karma. Both the situations are the same except that you are on opposite ends in each.
In the film, Nambi dies opposing the kings tirade against Vaishnavism and Vishnu. He is reborn as an atheist(Govind). Balance of Karma. Asin as Nambi's wife is ready to give up her belief in Lord Vishnu, but reborn later, she is someone who is ready to risk her life for the idol.
The movie on the whole is well made except for some logical errors. Sometimes it seems a bit illogical that Fletcher keeps appearing out of nowhere, going around in Tamil Nadu as if he was born and brought up there. However we need to recognize the effort that would have gone into making the script. Weaving a script so complex and being able to connect all the characters is undoubtedly difficult. Kudos to the genius of the story writer for attempting something like this. Kamal Hassan playing so many roles made the broth appear too concentrated with Kamal Hassan appearing in almost every frame in one role or the other. But the effort and patience that might have gone into the project is worth appreciating. What with Kamal having to sit through all those torturous make-up sessions for so many days. Kamal Hassan I'm sure will have started hating the sight of the make-up van.
Another aspect of the movie, thats worth the money spent is the graphics and special effects. Especially the first few scenes (Nambi's story) were beautifully made, which made me wish that story lasted a few minutes more. Also the last few scenes showing a tsunami were also well made. Some very realistic effects capturing the manganimity and the destructive force of the tsunami. Though not upto the level of a good Hollywood movie, but definitely one of the best special effects of any Indian movie. Winds of change are here for computer graphics in Indian movies.
The movie would be just any avergae movie if we dont notice the intricacies and the the undercurrents of the philosophies that the filmaker tried to project. The beauty of the movie lies as much in the underlying philosophy as it does in its special effects and the versatility of one of the greatest actors of our times. Worth watching twice. Infact it seems more meaningful when watched twice.
