‘Meiyazhagan’ Revisited

Nostalgia is one form of memory that is highly commercialized, especially in movies. “Meiyazhagan” is the second movie by C. Prem Kumar (‘96) which explore themes like family roots, home and identity. Interestingly he has worked in another movie as a cinematographer “Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom” which also revolves around memory or rather the loss of it. The lead character (played by Vijay Sethupathi) in this movie suffers from anterograde amnesia or short-term memory loss. ‘Meiyazhagan’ which started streaming on Netflix last month is about the influence of nostalgic past on the present life of the main character Arulmozhi "Arul" Varman played by Arvind Swamy. As he travels back to his place of birth (in time) to attend a wedding, he (and the audience) are reminded of the simpler times in life. The movie portrays his childhood, teenage life and how his father had to bequeath the ancestral house to the relatives and migrate to Chennai. 

 

The movie reminded of the lines from Milan Kundera’s book “Ignorance”. The lengthy description about nostalgia which appears at the very beginning of the novel which goes like this -  “the Greek word for "return" is nostos. Algos means "suffering." So, nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return”. I could trace a similarity between “Ignorance” and “Meiyazhagan”  They both examine the concept of homecoming and the concept of home. Kundera was forced to move to France from Czechoslovakia in 1975 and his novels dealt with themes of emigration and exile. Arulmozhi’s father even while residing in the city is connected to his home. In one of the over-sentimental scenes in the movie, he engages in a telephone conversation with his uncle and is shown as a heart broken man. Sadly, the scene could have better with some more histrionics thrown in. Indian films are yet to learn the art of sensitively portraying poignant scenes. 

 

‘Meiyazhagan’ explores the concept of home. The movie is set in an idyllic village near Tanjore, a city in Tamil Nadu known for its rich culture, art, architecture, and literature. Arulmozhi’s journey like that of Victor in Sherman Alexie’s short story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix” is a wake-up call to reclaim both the family and historical roots. There are many symbols used by the director, C. Prem Kumar to invoke these roots – the temple elephant Kutti, the bicycle with the faded sticker of Undertaker (even after 20 years), Dhoni, the Jallikattu bull, school photographs, the sacred snake etc. Pierre Nora in her essay “Between Memory and History”: Les Lieux de Mémoire (1989) introduces the concept of lieux de mémoire (sites of memory) and examines how physical spaces, including homes, serve as anchors for collective memory. Home can also be sites of traumatic memories, spaces for difficult or painful memories.

Poet Manu Joseph shared his thoughts about the movie after watching it on the streaming platform. 

 

Ace film maker Karthik Subbaraj wrote -  "What a Beautiful Beautiful Film #Meiyazhagan is.... Felt like getting a long warm hug from a close friend... Walked out of the theatre with Such a Heartwarming feeling ... Super awesome performances from @Karthi_Offl Sir @thearvindswami Sir and whole cast #PremKumar Sir... U r a master at bringing out human emotions on screen with such beauty... Hat's off Great job by #Govindvasantha, #MahendiranJayaraju & whole crew ", 

 

They were critical reviews about the scene shot on the wedding stage where Arulmozhi’s gifts were opened by the bride. Some movie fans felt that the scene really tested the patience of the audience. Music of Govind Vasanta was a dumb squib when compared to his earlier outing with C. Premkumar ‘96.