Readers Write In #726: Vaazhai – A peek into the unjust world through the eyes of childhood innocence!
By Bharath Vijayakumar
There goes the saying, ‘To bear the fruit of one’s labour’. Well, in a way, Mari Selvaraj’s Vaazhai is built around this saying or proverb. And he isn’t validating this saying. He is rather showcasing the inverse of it. The title could be read in many ways, or it could just simply mean a Banana. But through Vaazhai, Mari Selvaraj depicts the lives of people, who cannot afford to taste a banana, without repercussions, after having toiled all day on the fields, growing the very same. Having read this brief, you probably are already assuming Vaazhai to be a heavy film. It is in a way, but it is also so much of innocence, warmth and a lot of smiles.
The film opens with a boy screaming out loud and calling out for someone (or something). We get back to this scene towards the interval. The boy is Sivanaindhan, an 8th standard student and Vaazhai is a peek into a portion of this boy’s life. Or rather a peek into the social, economic and political conditions of the lives of a section of people through the innocence of this boy.
The biggest problem for Sivanaindhan is that he needs to work on the weekends (along with his mother and sister), on the fields, carrying loads of Banana on his young and fragile shoulders. He coils himself under the bed on these days hoping that he miraculously gets to escape this arduous routine. The first time we see this scenario, an elderly person has passed away in the neighbourhood and this means Sivanaindhan gets an escape. He dances merrily at the funeral along with his best friend Sekar. The bonding between Sivanaindhan and Sekar is one of the best things about Vaazhai. They keep pulling each other’s leg but also have each other’s back. When star references in films are used as mere gimmicks to garner few whistles in the auditorium, the Rajini – Kamal equation between Sivanaindhan and Sekar is very much a part of their childhood and results in some terrific scenes. One particular scene is sure to have you in splits. While Vaazhai remains rooted and life like it also ensures to remain mainstream. The visuals keep you arrested, and the humour is nicely done. Santosh Narayanan’s score might be a little overpowering at times, but it definitely lends itself nicely at places. Vaazhai is a mainstream film and there are no second thoughts about it. But Mari Selvaraj keeps making sure that the scale remains optimal. Take the teacher character played by Nikhila Vimal for instance. She is teaching dance to the students and there is a peppy Tamil film song playing in the background. But ‘Nikhila’ dances like someone from the neighbourhood and not like an ‘an actress in a film’. It isn’t a stark difference but there definitely is a difference.
Mari Selvaraj paints a poetry, the vivid colours of which captures the innocence of childhood and has us beaming with a smile for the most part. But the takeaway from the poetry/painting in itself is about the inequalities and injustices of the adult world through the lens of a child!
