Traversing the middle path -- Kurukshetram.
ON AN ALLEGORICAL TRIP: Kurukshetram.
Kurukshetram
Genre: Family drama
Director: Jayabharathy
Cast: Satyaraj, Roja, Rajendra
Storyline: An allegory where a family of three suffers because of a hostile neighbour.
Bottomline: Elevated thoughts in a confusing set-up.
How much of the allegory and symbolism in Rajendra Movies' `Kurukshetram' will be understood by the layman in the cinemas is anybody's guess. After `Nanba ... Nanba ... ' writer-director Jayabharathy returns to try and gain some commercial footage in `Kurukshetram.' Only that it hasn't worked out that way.
Bharat (Satyaraj) and Vaishnavi (Roja) lose their daughter in terrorist strikes in the West. Vaishnavi insists on returning to the native land, but here their life takes a menacing turn. Jack (Rajendra), a onetime friend of Bharat, has not forgiven him for winning Vaishnavi's hand. As Jack's love goes unrequited, he vows to get Vaishnavi, however long it might take. If the heroine stands for Kashmir, the hero is India, and Jack, the inimical neighbour. `Thalaivaasal' Vijay represents the self-centred Westerner. Even the place where Bharat and Vaishnavi live is called JK (Jammu Kashmir?)
Into this serious story is woven Vadivel's comedy track that doesn't even make you smile, leave alone laugh! And there's a crass item number to boot. Obviously added as an afterthought, they stick out like a sore thumb!
Commendable, natural underplay by Satyaraj is a positive aspect of `Kurukshetram.' The dialogue at certain points is profound and thought provoking. Isaac Thomas Kottukapalli's re-recording blends well with the mood of the narration.
It's time `Bharathi' Mani' brought more life into his dialogue delivery. `Thalaivaasal' Vijay with a put-on accent appeals little. It could also be because most of the time his action is more an aberration that confounds viewers. Roja fits the role of a troubled mother and worried wife and Master Sachin is at home in the role of Satyaraj's son. Abruptly ending sequences are a bane. So are the ones that hang in balance, like the disjointed scene that showcases a war widow.
Shrouded in mystery for the most part, `Kurukshetram lacks the tempo needed to make it interesting.
In an effort to appease the masses and the miniscule class that craves for meaningful cinema, Jayabharathy's film ends up being neither here nor there.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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