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The impact of Navarathri

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS: (Top) Sivaji in ‘Navarathri.’ Savitri is in the centre. (Below) Kamal and Asin in ‘Dasavathaaram.’

The Tamil cinema fraternity still considers ‘Navarathri,’ the 1964 Deepavali release, as a significant movie. Sivaji Ganesan, 12 years after his lightning entry into the silver screen, portrayed nine different roles in an amazing fashion in that film.

Though it is seven years since the great man passed away (July 21, 2001), majority of the earlier generation of film-watchers still adores the histrionic talent of this legendary performer. With the arrival of ‘Dasavathaaram,’ most members of the earlier generation show a strong tendency to recall the terrific impact made by ‘Navarathri’ on them. This writer belongs to that category.

By the time ‘Navarathri’ was released, Ganesan had established himself as a very special actor through a unique method that was popularly described as classical style of acting. There were also film-fans who rated Ganesan’s method as an exaggerated style of expression. But in that period they only formed the minority. The majority of that era admired Ganesan’s powerful diction and eloquent body language.

However, when the day of Navarathri’s arrival was nearing, the question on the lips of even the rabid fans of Ganesan was: Will the nine-man army dominate each frame to such an extent that the film itself would be dubbed as an exaggerated style of expression. Thankfully, that was not to be.

Ganesan revealed his extraordinary ability to excel in both styles of acting. Though he had driven home that point in several of his earlier films, ‘Navarathri’ stood out. For, it was an unprecedented challenge for an actor on the silver screen. And Ganesan showed a high degree of enthusiasm that could be understood and enjoyed in each frame of that film.

The honours for the remarkable success of ‘Navarathri’ must go to the formidable trio of Ganesan-Savithri-A.P. Nagarajan. Even some years before the arrival of ‘Navarathri,’ the Ganesan-Savithri pair had walked into the hearts of the majority of Tamil film-fans only to stay there for ever. Thus Nagarajan, the script writer-cum-director of ‘Navarathri,’ must have been in an unenviable position when the idea struck him. Much to the delight of the audience, APN did a marvellous job providing equal scope for the two wonderful actors (Ganesan and Savithri) through a style of narration that could be hailed as uncomplicated and enjoyable.

In ‘Navarathri’ there are episodes that see Ganesan going all out and Savithri playing the second fiddle in a manner born. The episode in which Ganesan narrates the unfortunate tale of his younger brother, Savithri reacts mostly through facial expressions uttering a few words here and there. Similarly, in the mental hospital episode it is Savithri all the way with Ganesan soft-pedalling throughout that episode.

More such examples could be given to underline the aspects that kept the audience interest alive throughout the three-hour entertainer. There is also an episode in which both the artists excel. That is the episode featuring therukkoothu (folk drama) artists. Though both the actors dominate, APN did well to decorate the episode through lesser characters (for example the orchestra team) to make the episode a full-fledged entertainer.

How can we forget Nagesh of this film? The characterisation of the village poojari is a tribute to the magic-touch of APN who himself was a versatile actor.

It will be uncharitable to both Kamal Haasan and APN to compare the two films belonging to different periods. At the most we can say that ‘Navarathri’ had provided a wide scope for wonderful actors through a script that spoke for APN’s fine sense of imagination. And ‘Dasavathaaram’ has lent a huge canvas for the technicians to exhibit their awe-inspiring skills. While ‘Navarathri’ inspired aspiring actors and script writers, ‘Dasavathaaram’ is bound to boost the morale of ambitious technicians and film producers. In the late 1940s, the great S.S. Vasan had done that to technicians and producers through his immortal film ‘Chandralekha.’

Kamal must be feeling the absence of Ganesan at this juncture. After all, Ganesan’s shoulders and lap served as cradle for this child-prodigy. Had he been alive today, Ganesan would have planted a passionate kiss on Kamal’s forehead as he had done whenever Kamal had reached a milestone. That would have certainly filled Kamal’s cup of joy to the brim.

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