Two bad movies and two lousy messages

I know...every time I write about a movie, I end up bitching about it. I really cannot help it. Trashy masala adi-dhadi movies are one thing. But the really bad ones are the movies that try to convey a "strong social message" but instead end up preaching the entirely wrong things.

I watched two such movies this weekend.

Katradhu Thamizh...

So this is what Thamizh heroes try to do if they want to become the next Kamalhasan or Vikram. They act in a psycho role. Jeeva resorts to this, and his performance has been praised a lot. I thought he was a lot more sincere and touching in his clean shaven scenes though.

Jeeva loves Thamizh, but not for Thamizh's sake. Its only because his mentor/father figure was a Thamizh teacher. He gets pissed off in life later and becomes a psycho/serial killer, not because of his dismay at the state of Thamizh (which by the way seems to be alive and well), but only because he has "vayatherichal" at the other more-fortunate people of this age. He kills a happy couple, because he does not have a girlfriend (or rather, his soulmate hides in various remote corners in India). His character and ideals are portrayed in a very sympathetic way.

Isn't this the last thing that we need? To have totally impressionable audiences brainwashed into believing that its ok to hate people who do better in life than you and even kill them? Sure, there are vast social inequalities in India, fueled by outsourcing. But, are the techie and call center kids to be blamed for that? They have just had the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time. We all have to work together to make a better nation. Why blame the kids with all the disposable income? And Jeeva's character could have done so much with his Thamizh education ...he could have done research, he could have become a college professor, he could have written novels etc etc etc. Katradhu Thamizh is a pointless, cynical movie and the fact that it is well directed is pretty dangerous, because, the movie is actually convincing and watchable.

Laaga Chunari mein Daag

Soul sis has written a pretty good review of this movie. I watched it and was really shocked. I'm not a prude, but I thought the message in the movie was really scary
- that its perfectly fine to take up a demeaning and dangerous profession
- that the only career choice available for high school drop outs in this day and age is to sell oneself
- that its super easy to become an "escort". You just need a cool haircut, a few hours with a stylist and soon you have a swanky apartment in Mumbai, holidaying in Switzerland and hanging out with cool dudes in their stretch limos
- that a really understanding knight in shining armor will show up one day and everyone in your family will magically forget everything

I'm all for disadvantaged women getting a better life, but the message this movie conveys is dangerous and seriously effed up. Chameli and Chandini bar were so much more honest.

I'm going to watch Chak de India to give my brain the equivalent of a good rinse with water and disinfecting soap!