15 years of ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’

Article posted on 14 February 2017

‘Kannathil Muthamital’ was released on 14 February 2002 which marks the 15th anniversary of the film today. The musical-war drama film directed and produced by the legendary director Mani Rathnam won 6 National awards, won Best Film in 6 International film festivals. The film was screened at the 2002 Toronto International Film festival and also received accolades when screened at the San Francisco International Film festival. The film was critically acclaimed during its release but later on reached great heights and won lots of appreciation from the audience and the film fraternities.

Mani Rathnam roped in Madhavan, Simran, Keerthana, Nandita Das, Pasupathi, Prakash Raj in lead roles. The movie was a huge success and Keerthana’s performance in the movie was highly appreciated and she also won the National Award for Best child artist. AR Rahman composed music for the film and the music was a complete hit among the audience.

On the 15th anniversary of the movie, we would like to rewind the best moments from the film.
• Amudha (Keerthana) eldest among her brothers represented the role of being a naughty kid. Well, kids are always naughty in that age!! Thiruchelvan (Madhavan) loves his daughter as much as his wife Indira (Simran) and his other 2 kids. The song ‘Sundari’ was apt for Amudha’s character in the film.

• Amudha stays happy and naughty until her 9th birthday. With as usual naughtiness playing around her dad in the beach Thiruchelvan controls his emotions and tells Amudha that she was adopted in a refugee camp in Rameshwaram. That moment brings a saddened thought while watching the movie raising several questions in our mind that, Is it necessary to convey it too early? , That too on her birthday? Etc.

• From the next moment in the film, Amudha is disturbed, so are we!! The search to find her parents starts. The point of view changes for us and we also become the kid to find out what happened to her mother.

• After running out of the home along with her cousin in search of her mother, she is not able to find any information from the same Rameshwaram hospital where Amudha was born. That disappointment sulks in for us too.

• Did you know that the song ‘Signore Signore’ which plays in the background while Amudha goes to SriLanka along with her parents in search of her mother was actually written in ‘Sinhalese’ language by B H Ahmed.

• Those innocent words, she hurts her mother while Amudha is in the verge of meeting her biological mother can break any mother’s, heart. Mothers always have possessiveness over their kids however they might be.

• ‘Vidai kodu engal naade’ is the emotional song of the film and it still haunts whoever wants to go back to their country living in different parts of the world. Those lyrics written by Vairamuthu, “Udhatil Punnagai Pudhaithom, Uyirai Udambukul Pudhaithom, Verum Koodugal mattum oorvalam Pogindrom’, ‘Kan thirandha dhesam ange, kan moodum dhesam enge’, ‘Engal sangeetham pillayin azhugayile tholaithom’, ‘Kanneer thirayil pirandha mannai kadaisiyaga paarkindrom’, ‘Thalayil konjam nenjil adhigam, Sumaigal sumandhu pogindrom’ from the song have deep emotional connect with every person with their motherland and the civil war for those who lost their loved ones. The song is crooned by M S Viswanathan, AR Reihana, Balram, Manikka Vinayagam and Febi Mani.

• The moment Indra, even after getting hurt, takes another chance to meet Shama (Nandita Das) and her brother Pasupathy in the park, who promised to bring Shama to meet her daughter. This shows that a mother has no happiness until her kid’s wish becomes true amid the civil war.

• Here comes the most loved and emotional part of the movie. When innocent Amudha asks questions to her mother Shama, who is in a group striving for their freedom, for abandoning her and Amudha shows the pictures album of herself from the time she was a kid. Shama unable to show her love towards her child or run away from her because of the civil war makes everyone emotional. Mani Rathnam is the best in visualizing the emotions. There comes a heavy rain while the kid longs for her mother’s love and affection. Nature is also emotional when there is bonding between her mother and child.

• Shama promises Amudha that she can live along with her once the civil war ends and peace remains in the country. Till then she conveys that her adopted parents will remain as her parents. The film ends with a ‘peck on the cheek’ given by Amudha to her mother Indra with ‘Vellai Pookal’ as the background song sung by A R Rahman.

We would like to watch the movie once again on its 15th anniversary. How about you? Stay tuned to WoodsDeck.