"இந்த வாழ்க்கைப் பயணம் போற போக்குல உணர்வுகளையும், உறவுகளையும் குழி தோண்டி பொதச்சுட்டு அப்டி எத தேடிகிட்டு போறோம்?"
"Leaving behind our feelings and our relatives/friends, where are we proceeding in this journey of life?"
Pazhaya Padam (non-native speakers of Tamil, read as ‘Palaya Padam’) is a short film made by the MGR Film Institute, Chennai, India. By short, I mean it’s really short – just about fifteen minutes. There are two reasons why I write about this film. One, the story they try telling us is so close to my heart; I have had the same feelings as shown in the movie, which is because I’m sentimental. Second, the music was scored by my very good friend Justin Prabhakaran, my undergrad classmate.
We live in an era, where sentiments have taken a backseat. In our race to succeed, and survive, we take every stride possible, not knowing what we lose behind. The film portrays an old man, living alone in a village, waiting for his grandson to come and see him. And when it happens, the loving grandson could not keep his grandfather with him for long, given his economical situation, and his parents wish to stay away. The film makes its point clear: What is it that makes a person happy, especially if you are old, weak, and lonely? It is the love of your children. Making up for lost time will never happen.
Coming back to the film’s music, we cannot expect any variety in a short film, that too one with such an emotional script. But with the limited scope, the music composer has done a great job, mixing a more subtle Indian tone throughout. Of course, there are clichéd music pieces like the sunrise scene which has “Kowsalya supraja ramapoorva” keerthanai in its background. I cannot count how many movies I have seen with such a scene, and with the same background music. But it is apt for such a film, as it takes the message across quickly. Now that he is with Harris Jeyaraj, we’ll hope he learns a few more tricks in the trade and comes back to the focus light, probably as a music director for a feature film.
The film’s music, as for any short film, is a 'method' score, with some tear-jerking violin pieces and pleasant humming. But for a first-timer (and when it is just his project), this is a very good attempt. I’m tempted to add a personal comment here: This guy won the best singer award in the whole of Madurai district in a competition ‘College Kondattam’ conducted by Jaya TV. We also won the prize for best group performance for a song composed and written by him. To me, he just seems to improve with every song he composes (sorry that I talk about something you have not heard)…
The film’s title, literally meaning ‘An Old Portrait’ brings out the theme beautifully. We always think we can get back to our old times, our native town, and our childhood play grounds after finishing our job, and get to enjoy them the same way we did years ago. The same applies to spending time with your family. But we do not realize that time goes on, and doesn’t bother to wait for our return. So when we do return, all we see is just an old portrait of the times we missed.
"எப்பவாவது இந்த உறவுகல பத்தி நினைவுகள் வரும்போது எல்லாமே பழைய படமா மாறிப் போயிருக்கும்..."
For the short movie: Pazhaya Padam - Part I
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