Super Deluxe: What’s in this highly acclaimed film?
Super Deluxe — Just Second Feature film of Thiagarajan Kumararaja, that is considered as a Classic by many, and also a crap (yes, I’m not joking) by few people was released in March 2019. I didn’t have the privilege of watching the movie during its theatrical run but witnessed this Out-of-the-box phenomenon on Digital Platform.
Spoiler Alert: I recommend you to watch the film before reading this article.
With so many movie critics applauding this movie to a few audiences walking out mid-way from the theaters to few celebrating this classic, this movie has so much to talk about. Let’s see how good I can write about this film and before moving to the article, I have one question:
What exactly is Super Deluxe?
Is it just the movie (“matter padam’’ in the climax) or is it the Ice Cream cart or is it the LIFE as a whole? Please comment/write to me on what do you think.
It’s just Kumararaja’s world of random events.
Yes, just like Aranya Kaandam, Kumararaja created a world where there are chaos, random events, and immorality. There is no Supreme power to punish and hence, despite committing sins, Shilpa leads a good life & Vaembu gets out of her problem. Berlin dies in the end but why? Random events again! (It can also be seen like connecting dots, as he did in Aranya Kaandam). Even the alien concept, in the end, didn’t convince many, but it’s his world of inclusiveness and randomness that we can respect or ignore!
There are many perspectives of life presented by the characters in this movie. Mugil has got many complaints and he continues using “Fuck” word very often. Be it on CC cameras, elections, discrimination. Alien (Mrinalini Ravi) has got another one which states “We all are part of One Universe like the cells constitute Human Body.” And the Doctor in the porn film interprets life in another way.
In one way, this movie can be seen as Sex at different stages:
1. Vaembu has an extra-marital affair, and she has sex with her lover.
2. Leela is an actress and she acts in Porn films.
3. The young guys are horny and they enjoy watching porn films (with 3D spectacles).
4. Berlin is a pervert and blackmails Vaembu for sexual favors, and in Police Station, he rapes Shilpa.
Coming to the characters, I love Rasukutty — he just wants his dad, and he literally doesn’t care about his gender, appearance. This shows the inclusiveness that can’t be seen in a regular cinema. Even Rasukutty tells his friends who call him test tube baby that it’s her(Shilpa’s) style of wearing a saree and Kutty doesn’t find it odd.
Also, Arputham, played by Mysskin, is another character to be remembered. Arputham starts questioning his belief in God and after the operation of his son, Leela asks him what he would have done if it was a Teddy Bear that saved his life during the tsunami.
Also, the cinematography and production design in every scene in this film stands out. The color grading and framing of each shot are beautifully done. Yuvan Shankar Raja underplays the music and it enhanced the scenes. I agree that the length of the film is a problem for many, but as the director told in an interview recently that “There is no standard length of a film. A film can be as long as it takes!’’
As a whole, the movie is in its own world, highlighting many unnoticed problems, the choices of the characters, and technically sounding. But, there’s one more “thing” that I didn’t get. Why there’s a cat on Gaaji’s shirt? There’s also a cat in Northie Seth’s house, and we can also hear Cat sounds in Idi Ameen’s house but it isn’t shown. The cat is also there in the poster(look at the second image in this article). Is it just random or I didn’t get it?
I strongly feel filmmakers like Kumararaja should be in Telugu Cinema as well, wherein the discussions on the movies can go on and on. Like an author said, “Cinema is alchemy”.
Do you feel something can be added here? Comment below. I’d love to hear from you :)
