'7aum Arivu'- What went wrong?- A Special Analysis

'7aum Arivu'- What went wrong?- A Special Analysis

7aum Arivu will be one of the best example of what mistakes you should not do when you are attempting to make a classic!

The script of 7aum Arivu is a class apart and had all the potentials to take Tamil cinema and present itself to the world and create a swashbuckling character and execute a franchise. The intention of Mr. AR Murugadoss has to be specially applauded and his execution is also top notch matching international standards with top notch performances from the all involved, however, he compromised or misjudged 2 important aspects while making 7aum Arivu and it clearly shows the difference.

I was analyzing then what went wrong?

All critics unanimously wrote off the movie within the first 3 hours of its release and world over fans ofSuriya and AR Murugadoss were updating statuses that the movie is good and not as bad as it has been reviewed...and trying to save the movie with all their love and support....again I was wondering what went wrong ?...

Finally I managed to watch the movie @ Devi Paradise, Chennai and I must admit that I did enjoy the movie but in parts and was left with some kind of an incompleteness. It was like smelling very tasty food and while eating not feeling the same. Twenty minutes into the movie and I started sensing that the director had lost his chance of crafting a masterpiece. I was mesmerized by the introduction of the character "Bhodi Dharma" and completely fascinated by the informative proceedings, however, I just could not relate to that powerful character "Bhodi Dharma". Why, the musical score simply failed to strike the right chord and take this character to an all new level nor find a place in my mind to sculpture this character as a cult one. The music - BG score just let down the character "Bhodi Dharma" and AR Murugadoss from making a classic.

Background music is the heart of any film and it decides how much it can strike a chord with the audience and this was the biggest stake and deciding factor, from making a movie a normal one or a classic. There are scenes where Ilayaraja simply talks with your mind with his BG Score (Watch Mouna Raagam to Pithamagan or the latest Paa and you will understand what I am saying here). AR Rahman taking your visual experience to an all new level with his BG score in films like Lagaan, Guru, Vinnathandi Varuvaaya, Slumdog Millionaire and Jodha Akhbar is another example. Harris Jayaraj did the same with Kaakha Kaakha and Vaaranam Aayiram, where his BG score simply added more color to the proceedings. Spiderman, Superman, James Bond, Dhoom, Krishh, Don, Sarkar, our own Billa in Tamil can be taken forward to a franchise because of a phenomenal musical connect with the audience. The BG score of these movies start playing in our minds just when you look at a paper poster of these films.

Coming to the second big let down from the movie which I am sure will find many dislikes for their biased views. As the penultimate reels of the movie started to play and just before the final showdown, I for the first time realized the importance of casting and screen presence of the lead actor to pull off a character and take it to an all new level. If "Bodhi Dharma" had to achieve half the silver screen success of Chulbul Pandey then AR Murugadoss should have looked beyond his emotions and comfort zone and chosen a person like Vikram or the legendary Kamal Haasan to make 7aum Arivu a classic. Suriya, for sure is one of the good and upcoming actors in Tamil cinema and you can surely pull off a Vel or Singam where with supersedes Charisma and make Kaakha Kaakha, Vaaranam Aayiram where music and Gautham's execution supersedes charisma. These movies require a director's actor and a person who connects with the audience as a normal person and does not require to set the screen ablaze and take the character to another level for the audience to enjoy and be entertained. Suriya's strength lies in his hard work, dedication and fitting into the director's vision of a character and I am sure anyone in his place would have accepted the challenge to portray 'Bodhidarma' and he still did a good job, however, it is just that certain characters need raw charisma and he should understand that he does not possess one and play to his strengths in future.

Akhbar, Gadar, Chulbul Pandey, Don, Nayakan, Thalapathy, Iron Man, James Bond, Baasha, Virumaandi, Billa, Bheema, Dhool are movies where the hero sets the silver screen ablaze with his raw charisma superseding all other aspects of a film as a package and maybe, Bodhidarma would have featured here if it was pulled off by a Kamal or Vikram, unfortunately, AR Murugadoss's casting compromise or misjudgment let us all miss a masterpiece.

Aamir Khan can never pull off a Dabangg and similarly, Suriya can never pull off a Bodhidarma, and this does not mean they are inferior to any, they should play to their strengths and keep moving forward and deliver good movies and entertain in their own way.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara co-exist in the same format where there are blockbuster entertainers like Sanath Jayasuriya, Virendar Shewag and Shahid Afridi who give you more entertainment for your time on a particular given day but fewer times than the former list.

My intention of this article is not to criticize Mr. AR Murugadoss, Mr. Suriya and Mr. Harris Jayaraj and their fans but to make them all understand that we expect them to entertain us with world class films and do not want to see them falter in future.