The Day of the Critic.

A Review of Unnai-pol Oruvan

First it was god who was declared dead, then the author and then the guru... so finally it is the day of the critic!!!

What do I mean by this? Certainly not that everything depends on The Critic's whims and fancies, rather that films are finally forcing people to look inwards and think ... no ... THINK!!!!

Even as I watched A Wednesday, I was very confused - I was thinking "what does he say? that we all should take guns in our hands and threaten people to do what we think is right???" That never did leave me satisfied, even given the self-righteous declaration on the part of the nameless "terrorist aspirant" middle-class genius.

When I saw the Tamil version, again, some things were changed, an already smooth narrative was made even more enjoyable and smooth and even more acceptable in its candour, yet I wasn't willingto just accept that it carried the simple message that all terrorists must be shot dead to achieve world peace!! And neither could I accept that this was the feeling that expressed the thought of all sectors of peace-loving, law-abiding citizens.. no matter what Kamal's character spoke - " nyayath-tha eduthu solla nan yaara irunda enna? .." And when I say this, I am not denying that the whole reference to the brutal murders and violations in Gujarat were not equally soul destroying for me - for they were.. they are!!!

Okay, when it wasn't clear, I started thinking about what, in the film, made it possible for this intelligent ordinary man to get on and achieve his idea of planting five bombs in a city and getting everyone to do his bidding, not just government servants but private agents, including the media, reporters, and geeks?

It was just the social greed, the love for power and a corruption of the soul engendered by the lack of understanding of the great heights to which the markers of modern civilization, such as Law, Police, Medicine, Science, Politics, and all institutions and personnel who are put in place to keep these systems functioning - starting from Country Presidents, Business Barons, Political Achievers - both overlords and mafiosi and going right down to the rank and file, the nuts and bolts salaried folk.

It is not just charity, but peace, too, that begins at home. Why look for voluntary work? Look within and change yourself, be angry with yourself, for being corrupt, for being lazy, for not being your own great self compassionate and merciful, but also hardworking, proud and self-reliant -

TO get back to film reading, the days when the hero advised his audience and manipulated them are OVER - no more can we role-model heroes.. instead here are movies written by many hands and read by many eyes, each one to form his own story... If yu see the film and only blame someone else, you are still suffering from a delusion, a moral-high masque...