Aramm – A Rare Cinematic High
By Sai Shyam
Analogous to Nayanthara’s dialogue in Aramm “The first person to get inside a borewell must be hailed more than the person who first landed on the moon,” I feel it is very important that we celebrate this film and its director Gopi Nainar, more than how much we celebrate biggies and demigods. For defying all odds. For not compromising. For respecting the audience and their sensibilities. More so for restoring the faith in filmmaking.
Controversial Past
Back in 2014, Gopi Nainar a.k.a. Minjur Gopi took on renowned director AR Murugadoss and claimed that the story of Kaththi belonged to him. He gave a lot of interviews and received a fair bit of support from the media as well. However, he withdrew the case later and was criticized for spreading a false propaganda to gain publicity.
The silent yet powerful comeback
Gopi did not thrive on the publicity that he got from the Kaththi days. But, he chose to make a statement. For a filmmaker, there could not be a more powerful statement than letting his film do the talking. He managed to make Aramm with Nayanthara almost in an invisible mode without much fanfare.
Nayanthara - A Superstar? A brilliant actor? A rare amalgamation of the two extremes!
Although Nayanthara has a huge fan following, it is imperative that the film must be backed by an adept filmmaker who puts his vision and storyline ahead of the star. In the recent past, we have seen how two horror films starring Nayanthara had received completely different set of responses from the audience. Hence, having Nayanthara on board doesn’t guarantee you success. Nayanthara is a powerhouse and she needs scope in any film to showcase her immense talent. Only very few films have managed to gift that scope to her and Aramm is right up there in the list.
After watching the film, one might think that it’d been an easy choice for Nayanthara to do this film. However, trusting a first-time director just on the merit of his story on paper might not have been a cakewalk for the actress, considering that she enjoys superstardom and a wrong move might come under severe criticism. Nayanthara chose to go by her instincts and that has now made all the difference. In a completely deglam and sari-clad role, Nayanthara hasn’t put a foot wrong in the film. She stays calm and composed through adverse situations, making you believe that this is how a proficient and resolute IAS officer would be. She saves her best for the climax and as she breaks down, your heart is sure to melt.
Messages are impactful, not preachy
A film like Aramm could have easily become a preachy affair if not written properly. It must have been a tightrope walk for Gopi to lucidly convey important messages without diluting their impact. Never in the film do the characters spoon-feed the audience with known facts and figures. There are just a handful of lengthy dialogues and more importantly, Nayanthara doesn’t speak any of them. In fact, Nayanthara’s most impactful lines in the film last less than 10 seconds. It is a master stroke from Gopi to connect the dots between the launch of a satellite and the girl’s rescue mission. He again lets the visuals speak and does not rely on lengthy dialogues.
Summing it up, Aramm should be celebrated for being the film that it is. Not for any other reason. It is a rare film that respects our sensibilities and doesn’t take us for granted. It is a rare lesson for other filmmakers to not blame us for their incompetent and underwhelming screenplays. It is a rare cinematic high one must experience at the theatres!