From the stable of Ramana Communications comes Mudhalvar Mahatma , a new endeavour from the team that produced Kamaraj . And wielding the megaphone once again is A. Balakrishnan. Recently Mudhalvar Mahatma (MM) created quite a stir when Anna Hazare watched the film, his first in 40 years. Earlier, Kamaraj won the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Film, besides a Special Commendation. The subject this time could garner more such honours.
MM opens with slices of the Mahatma's life till his last day, when he was assassinated. Interwoven with a couple of incidents that show his unhappiness at the turn of events post-Independence, the first 15 minutes or so touch upon the Partition and other such significant happenings, and culminate in ‘Hey! Ram!' the last words of the leader. Soon Gandhiji re-enters the world as Mohandas to serve the poor and downtrodden. He still looks the same — the pair of glasses is intact. But instead of the dhoti, it is khaki that he sports.
The avarice of leaders and the led, the money-for-vote scams and corruption at all levels shock him. Ironically, he notices that Gandhiji is remembered in ever so many ways, but the values he stood for aren't.
The meeting between LTTE Supremo Prabhakaran and Mohandas, and their discussion on non-violence is a tightrope walk. Balakrishnan has handled it with caution. But the purpose beats you. The two don't discuss anything concrete. Neither does Mohandas offer any practical advice to Prabhakaran. So the scene ends up looking disjointed and contrived.
MM is more a documentary — at best a feature-linked presentation. And it has its share of gaffes. Yet it goes far beyond the call of the commercial. Its message is strong and the values it imparts are essential in today's world of malice and malpractice in every stratum. So it probably isn't fair to treat or rate MM as you would a regular film.
The narration of MM is from the point of view of a Chief Minister of a Utopian State, who practises the simple life he advocates. His people can never be veered from the path of ethics and righteousness. As a young man, the CM had spent his life serving Mohandas and through him, society as a whole. Only much later does he realise that Mohandas is Gandhiji himself! Ilaiyaraja's RR is an asset of MM .
As far as the premise of Gandhi re-appearing on the Earth goes, MM reminds you of Lage Raho Munnabhai , though Sanjay Dutt's rendezvous with the Father of the Nation was on subliminal lines.
Resemblance to Gandhiji
Anupam Kher plays the part of the Chief Minister. He has little to do, but the soft, serene look becomes him. Kanakaraj is Mohandas. His resemblance to Gandhiji is noticeable, and as an actor he makes a significant contribution. Also, because of the scope the character offers Kanakaraj shines brighter than Munnabhai's Gandhi, Dilip Prabhavalkar.
The title is confounding. Does it mean the CM is being seen as a Mahatma because of his simple life and blemish-less administration? But beyond that Balakrishnan's fantasy is more about stark realities.
At the end of it all, if your surmise is that the dishonesty and the greed of both politicians and the public would disillusion Gandhiji, they don't. Despite a completely flawed system and fraudulence on an epidemic scale, he wishes to stay back and serve the country. The mindset of Balakrishnan's MM remains unfathomable!
