Talk about Mani Ratnam and a magnum-opus like Nayagan shimmers into view or a tent-pole big film like Ponniyin Selvan gains prominence, but the master director has many aces up his filmography. In the 1980s, 1988 to be specific, he delivered an outstanding movie called Agni Natchathiram.
Hat-tips to good old Madras
This urban flick had many hat-tips to good old Madras and it was one that juxtaposed sibling-rivalry as evident through the feuding step-brothers played by Prabhu and Karthik. The movie, to quote an ecstatic cliche these days, was a ‘vibe’. It was coolth multiplied by infinity and like all Mani Ratnam films, had strong women played by Amala and Nirosha, besides an ensemble cast that aptly fitted the script.
April 15 marked the film’s 36th anniversary, and there was a wave of nostalgia fizzing through social media. For those in the 1980s when Madras in the movies was restricted to aerial shots of the LIC building and Central station, Agni Natchathiram offered a more lived-in experience.
Characters took the suburban train, there were references to the race-course, and Egmore station, often lost in the shadows of Central, had its limelight bonanza as Karthik and a young Prabhu Deva jived to the song ‘Raja Rajadhi Raja indha Raja’, a banger of a song composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while the lyrics perhaps had a meta reference to the maestro himself.
Outstanding songs
Angst in the subways, romance by the sea while the waves tangoed, Amala having a quick puff of a stolen cigarette and Nirosha proposing to Karthik were all vignettes that were fresh to a Tamil-film consuming audience often fed a first night staple of a bee buzzing at a flower. There was a relatability to the film and the songs were outstanding and in many homes, cassettes belted out the languid Ninnukori varanam. Mani Ratnam, often known to cast against type, portrayed Anand theatre owner G. Umapathy as the cold villain. There was a reference to the hospital scene in Godfather too as Prabhu and Karthik save their father from assailants. This was peak cinema, absolutely whistle-worthy and despite its massy elements, seemed real. The dialogues, often minimalistic as in many Mani Ratnam films, had punch and zest, and some were mimicked in colleges across Tamil Nadu.
Comedy track
Add to it the comedy track revolving around V.K. Ramaswamy and Janagaraj and some episodes were an absolute riot with tremendous recall value. The movie was a cult hit and pitchforked Amala into the top-league. Want a sense of the Madras of the 1980s? Dig into Agni Natchathiram, a movie that remains an emotion and has aged well.
