Movies are essentially made on two tables, they say, writing desk and the editing table. Once the arduous task of writing and perfunctory job (according to many a great director) of the principal photography are done, comes the true salivating part of putting it all together in those (what once used to be, dark smoke filled) editing rooms, where the true rhythm and tone of the movie is discovered for the very first time. Legends exist of how editing completely changed (and at times, saved) the movie transforming it into a whole different beast that bears little resemblance to what was originally intended. For all intents, "anTae... sundaraaniki" might have been a surprise discovery for both the director and editor when cutting, collating and colaescing the footage, for the amount of call backs, go-to's and circular references the movie is infused with, that it is scarcely believable this was how the writer imagined the movie on paper in the first place and if he truly did, he can proudly join the ranks of legendary writer/directors like Charlie Kaufman, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh and such, who envision a movie not in terms of causal, linear, uncluttered narrative, but as a sequence of events that are fueled and propelled by unforseen factors furiously working together with a general goal of disruption than to settle on any kind of coherence. "anTae...." is pure delight both in terms of writing and editing, first for the audacity of the writer who kept on piling the conflict count even till the near end of the movie knowing fully well that he could untie all those knots (more like, nooses) with the aplomb and grace of a Houdini a la skilled trickster in the last second, and second the editor, who merrily hitched on to the madcap ride taking on what is otherwise a straightforward movie, cutting it up into bite size pieces and putting the jumble/puzzle back together in ways that could have surely tickled the chaotic side of the director's mind.
"anTae...." is a dramatic comedy that plays out like a thriller and the funny part is the comedy is rooted in nothing but misfortune. It takes the basic precept of comedy being borne out of misery to the extreme, in it, none of the characters, not one, is (or even appears to be) remotely happy for the entire duration of the proceedings and yet the amount of fun that each one alone and in conjuction with the other generates belies the basic laws (or agrees with the contradictory portion) in physics, like opposites attract, time is both meaningless and precise and such. It is purely from the strength and the surety of its writing that it could even a cliche of yester years (like the grandmother strumming the veena strings to express her feelings) and gives it a new age spin ("aem koDukanDee meeeru! inaaLLugaa vinTunnaaru! vaayinchae raagam baTTi aaviDa manasu telusukOlaeru?"). Vivek Aatreya doesn't take the tried route of setup and punchline and instead takes the EVV's way of turning almost every single moment, opportunity and dialogue on his head and comes up with a clever/witty/funny riposte, not to mention, his sensitive side that shines through in the thoughtful moments peppered throughout and more so near the end. Taking those lines forward is the wonderful ensemble assembled from the southern industry, each adding his/her individual flavor to the proceedings. Special mention to both the parents' roles, the way they were written and beautifully portrayed.
Vivek Sagar's background score is a major contributory factor to the rhythm of the movie. In fact, with the editing, the background music is a major reason why the pacing feels more like a thriller. Though the score is pretty much prevalent through the length of movie, underlining all and sundry, the funky combination of jazz, blues and carnatic interspersed with the usual comic cues, keeps the score lock in step with tone of the movie. The other technical departments quite competently complement the mainstays. "anTae..." is an ambitious, bravura piece of film making, expertly careening through genres with the confidence of an expert at the helm.
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