Director: P Virumaandi
Cast: Aishwarya Rajesh, Vijay Sethupathi
Activism lies at the core of P Virumaandi’s debut film Ka Pae Ranasingam that has released on Zee5. The story opens in Ramanathapuram where Ariyanachi (Aishwarya Rajesh) receives news of her husband’s (Ranasingam played by Vijay Sethupathi) passing away in Dubai. This first plot point sets the context for two parallel narratives to unfold. One showcases Ranasingam as the protagonist, as Ariyanachi reminisces about him and the other focuses on Ariyanachi herself in her fiery quest for justice.
Ranasingam’s story begins on a familiar note, especially considering Tamil cinema’s recent trysts with social subjects. Ramanathapuram is parched and water sources have run dry. There is Government lethargy in approving conservation projects. Worse is the lack of unity among villages within the district. Step in the charismatic Ranasingam, who manages to bring his in-fighting comrades together and raise a unified voice. There are more issues. There are companies setting up renewable power projects but not keeping promises made to offer employment. These companies also seem to be on a land acquisition spree, with most cash strapped villagers happy to part with fertile farmland for meagre sums. Ranasingam is happy to take all this on his plate as an activist, but here’s where the film gets interesting. There are two directions a film could take from this point. One is the NGK route, and we could have the protagonist stir up a ‘puratchi’ and jump headlong into politics, while giving us invaluable pointers on organic farming along the way. The other is the lesser traversed one that this film chooses. Ranasingam has a family to feed and also holds impressive academic credentials. With things reaching a point of stalemate, he sees no other option but to quit activism and move abroad to insure his own future. Ka Pae Ranasingam decides to stay.. real!
What’s also very real in this story is the love between Ranasingam and Ariyanachi. They adore each other to the point he has her name tattooed on his arm. And this love is what drives Ariyanachi in her own quest for justice when faced with a predicament. This predicament has to do with claiming Ranasingam’s body and having it transported over to India. There are suggestions of foul play to cover up the cause of Ranasingam’s death by the oil company where he worked. Within our own country, Ariyanachi is wound down by never-ending red tape. There’s not a single Government office she wouldn’t have paid a visit to and the only consistent thread across these places seems to be apathy. The heights of this is one officer answering her disinterestedly, while playing Temple Run on his phone, when she’s literally running pillar to post herself with a kid clinging on to her!
The transformation of Ariyanachi into an activist is gradual and inspiring. We are told her favourite colour is red and the tone is prominent as the film enters its business end. Red is a colour that denotes anger, activism and more notably, communism. The undercurrent in the story against capitalism, represented by the big oil company and the power company cannot be ignored. Ariyanachi even compares herself to Kannagi in one scene, and her fiery side comes across as equally potent.
One criticism I expect this film to attract is around its run-time, a good three hours. But my take is this. Good editing is all about getting the length of a film right and this doesn’t always mean short. A promising recent Hindi film like Class of ’83 didn’t work I thought because its run-time was too short! Here in Ka Pae, this extended run time is necessary to accurately portray how tiring it could be for a common citizen to seek justice in our country, and also to achieve a measured gradation in Ariyanachi’s character graph. Ariyanachi doesn’t jump in front of the defence minister’s convoy or threaten suicide in front of the Prime Minister out of a misplaced sense of activism or adventure. She’s been tipped to this point after all conventional methods including expensive legal recourse failed her. Aishwarya Rajesh plays the part to almost an embarrassing level of perfection, getting the pitch of her character during different stages of its evolution bang on right.
Ka Pae Ranasingam isn’t just some sprawling social drama. There are solid plot points too, and the twist right at the end is brilliant, with the last two shots guaranteed to be etched in memory. I loved the cheeky insertion of real news reels showing the actress Sridevi’s mortal remains being received in India from Dubai within 48 hours (we have a talented new writer/director in town)! The casting of Vijay Sethupathi was a masterstroke too. I cannot imagine another A-list actor agreeing to play a character with the graph of Ranasingam’s, almost an anti-hero sketch, but such is Vijay Sethupathi’s commitment to this vibrant art.
Overall rating: 3/5
