MY TAKE ON MOUNA RAAGAM
It has been a while since I wrote an in depth analysis of a film. Despite so much negativity around me, the only thing that has kept me going, is my love for movies and cricket. I have been frequently posting blogs about cricket, but I feel today I can write about the three principal characters in the film “Mouna Raagam”(Silent Symphony), and my observation on them.
Divya(Revathi)
I can say that the entire film belongs to her, and that Mouna Raagam is a woman-centric film. The reason of course, is because it starts with her, from the title credits, with her childhood pictures, and even the first character that is introduced, is of hers. You get a heroine introduction song, in the form of “Ohoo Megam Vandhadho”, and even there, Mani Ratnam uses Vaali as a tool to establish her character. Even she conveys her character to Chandrakumar(Mohan), stating that she is a woman with ego, and is never afraid to call a spade a spade. She is never afraid of asking divorce to the man, with whom she is married, after a week. She is shown to be a rebel at the start in the marriage with Chandrakumar, and she also breaks down to him, stating why she wanted divorce, in one of the most beautiful flashbacks. After she breaks down, she is without any pressure, as she gets her divorce as well. In the climax, she is the one who breaks the ice by confessing her feelings to Chandrakumar, a perfect ending to a character arc. What Divya wanted, was someone to whom she can break down, and some time as well, and the time of 1 year was more than enough for her to be her normal self. I personally liked analyzing this character, as she is portrayed as a perfect human: she isn’t perfect. Her character arc is also something I like. Mani Ratnam brings out the human side to her character.
Chandrakumar a.k.a CK(Mohan)
If there could be any award for the “most patient person”, it could be awarded to Chandrakumar, played by Mohan. He, from the start to finish, doesn’t try to force Divya, and does everything to keep her happy. Even his nature is shown in the song “Nilave Vaa”, where he says that he is there for her, even during her tough times, and that is why he signs the divorce papers without any hesitation. Even in the scenes that involve Divya’s parents where he ill-treats them, he does it so because he wanted the fault to be on his side and not hers, when they part ways.
Manohar(Karthik)
I guess one of the writers of Super Deluxe could have watched Mouna Raagam while writing the Samantha and Fahadh Fazil track, and made it their own with wackiest of treatments. I even have a justification for this: if the ex-lover of Samantha is the “key” to their marriage life, here it is Manohar, played by Karthik. He is shown as a rebel from start to finish, and he is never afraid. He can call Divya’s father when she is around him, and can profess his love in the college Public Announcement System, he can park his bike in front of a bus and have a cool chat with Divya. He makes the gloomy Divya come out of her zone with his sprightly behavior.
It isn’t possible to talk about “Mouna Raagam” without mentioning two other persons in the film. The first, of course, is the non pareil Ilaiyaraaja whose wonderful songs stay with you long after the film fades from memory. The second is cinematographer PC Sreeram, who manages to give the house that CK and Divya live in the sense of a space inhabited by both, but never shared, as each misses the moment when the other opens up to the possibility of commonality.
Happy Birthday, Mani Saar and Isaignani..
