“Happy Master Pongal!” my students wished each other on Thai Pongal day. Since we have online classes they passed their wishes in “Zoom chat”. For a teacher every student is special. However this group is very special as all of them are fans of one Kollywood actor. Even without being a very big fan of Vijay who was a dream prince in cinema for about three decades I was waiting for “Master” movie for two main reasons. I was addicted to one song of the movie which was released before the movie.
“Life is very short dear friend, always be happy
Different problems will come and go, just chill bro”
The second reason was to see the clash of two thunderbolts in South Indian cinema, Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. Vijay Sethupathi, an actor having a different level attraction is the antagonist of the movie. Normally two mighty stars rarely meet on one screen. Any way though I denied being a Vijay fan once, he might have possessed some irresistible attraction. This was the very first time I was waiting for a movie release and went to a theatre to watch a Kollywood movie. Yes! That’s the only important thing that I did just after lock down was lifted in the country! 😉
A movie by a new young director Lokesh Kanagaraj, Master is the best movie I have ever watched. Every scene is finely crafted. There is very less amount of exaggerated scenes, something inherent in Kollywoood cinema. I am spellbound with the movie Master that I met during a period where I really hated even the word Masters. According to my mother I am like an ant fallen to a honey pot. I spent a lot of days unable to interpret the beauty I see inside this charm. I believe that I would be ablw to come out of this magic only by scribbling everything that comes to my mind.
“Master” is a story about a teacher. A teacher as the protagonist is not a rare situation in literature and cinema. We have come across many such roles who have a clear vision and the capacity make students work. Amir Khan’s character in “Thare Zameen Par” and Anusaya’s role in ” Ho Gaana Pokuna”, I see as such applaudable characters as teachers.
J,D enters the story as a suspended professor. Except the founder of the college no one likes to accept him. He leads an easy going life. He is a drunkard and would sleep anywhere behind his shades. Anyway he teaches effortlessly. He is a professor in psychology in the very college where he was once a student. Other professors reject his rebellious ideas. Everybody refuses a college election stating the bad consequences that might occur as a result. But J.D supports the idea of holding an election. The principal then appoints him as the presiding officer and makes him promise that he would leave the college if this election causes any quarrel or damages school property. Saveetha (Gaury Krishnan) from morning college and Bhargav ( Shanthnu) a stubborn student from a rich family were selected as candidates. Even though the girl wins she decides to share chairmanship with the boy. Somehow the boy’s father who is a politician creates a quarrel by sending gangsters inside college. As a result j.D has to leave the school. Without his knowledge but by a request done with his own signature he is sent as a teacher of a juvenile home.
Being a hero centered cinema, Kollywood is an industry with a different aura. A movie where they cast an actor like Vijay who is considered as a Demigod is a celebration of the actor. Apart from that, the director makes sure to maintain the style of the actor. The specialty of “Master” is that the role of Vijay is a normal character. Normally A broken character is not shown as a teacher as a role of a teacher must be a person that can be an example. But J.D is the opposite. However he is not another Devdas or Kabhir singh. His story is different. If you ask him about this story he always has a story. In fact a lot of “kutty” stories (small stories). He takes plots from movies and relates as his own. “When I was in the final year at university a new teacher came. Her name is Malar. I loved her a lot. But she met with an accident and lost her memory. ” J.D’s story taken from famous Malayalam movie “Premam”.
However the story opens with the introduction of the antagonist “Bavani”. A boy around seventeen years old is sent to juvenile home accusing him for a crime he did not do. He is being tortured immensely there. So the boy gradually turns to a tough person. He who adopts the path of crime at very young age turns into a dangerous criminal. He uses children as a shield to his crimes. They are made to accept Bavani’s crimes as their own and go to jail. He secretly distributes drugs to these kids and keeps the juvenile home under his control. these young inmates are monstrous and out of control. No teacher would stay unable to bear their torture. An order is passed to all schools, universities and educational institution in the state to bring a teacher somehow. J.D’s story begins from there. This phenomenon is quite different for a Kolllywood movie were generally the antagonist is an Arch-enemy of the protagonist. Nowhere Bavani and Master meets face to face in the movie until the very end of the movie. I see the significance of this incident in two different ways.
Firstly, this particular opening creates a background necessary for the development of the story. A dangerous common enemy who would harm the society is born first . When the necessity to defeat him arises only a hero is risen. However a teacher is not someone who possesses knives or machetes. Therefore he is sent in front of villain only at the end of a strong long- term formation. Secondly, because the villain character is played by Vijay Sethupathi. As a giant in the industry he does not deserve a weak villain role where he will fall with one punch from hero. By building his role as strong as that of hero’s, Vijay get an antagonist with equal capacity.
The teacher designed by Lokesh Kanagaraj in J.D is non conventional but interesting. Uncombed hair, beard, casual check shirts, ear phone always hanging down from ears, shades, side bag, in my perspective he looks like a final year senior student in university. He is introduced through a narration by students. They say J.D was not at the place where they explain but audience is shown that he has been there. Two boys who were suspended from college after trying to molest a female student but their parents try to send them to another country without producing them before law. J.D catches them when they were on the way to airport. In cinema jargon this fight is a “Mass entry” for our hero. “We are going to kill a teacher here. Those who have courage to watch that can stay and others can leave”. In a society where a teacher is not accepted as a physically strong person J.D starts breaking that very concept. He might have lost his job after this raid. After this incident he who is heavily drunken sleeps on his couch. Students come to fetch him for an Alumni festival which is halted until the arrival of J.D. The efforts they take to wake him up by playing Kuttu” music reminds me of waking up of “Kumbhakarna” in Ramayana. The much needed master within J.D is sleeping. He must come out of his scattered life to do his due task as a teacher. “Vaathi coming” (Teacher is coming) song which marks his entrance to the scenario is symbolical. This song which was released before the movie was a hit. The young Rock Star Anirudh Ravichander is the second magician in the movie. Kanagaraj draws his Master painting on the canvas of background music by Anirudh. Turning points of J.D’s life are marked by songs flavored by Anirudh’s music.
Master in “Master” is not a perfect character. “J.D, you are loosing control on yourself” after the college election incident founder of the university advices him. Not only for the story of the movie but for himself too there is a necessity of a master. he who is an orphan has grown up like wild tree.At college he has met a kind professor who was everything for him then. But he has passed away due to an illness.That has brought this broken life to J.D as mentioned in the movie. The professor mentions here “V.C. Selvam” is a reference to the professor role done by veteran actor Kamal Hassan in “Nammavar” movie.
According to my point of view the teachings of J.D that we hear in the first half of the movie are some important messages that should be transmitted to students by a teacher.
“We are hearing, but not listening. teachers don’t listen to their students, students don’t listen to their teachers, children don’t listen to their parents, parents don’t listen to their children. and finally the government doesn’t listen to their people.” How much this statement has gravity, the word “government” is muted in some You tube videos with this scene.
“Students should know that politics is a service. If students learn about election, canvasing, leadership in college only they will get an awareness about state and central elections. College students are the first time voters. only if they are made to think correctly, new leaders will emerge tomorrow. they will learn how to become a good leader or to select a good leader”
In an era where students politics are limited to road protests, I believe that this idea should reach college students. Both protests for a good cause and government’s proper attention on them are essential. But as I believe they should learn from the experience gain from students politics and join politics if they wish reforms. Shouting for rights as a student and as a grown up social creature does not show that they have learnt something from students politics.
By arriving as the master of the observation home J.D is placed in the path to his aim as written in the destiny. “Staying here is difficult, isn’t that so? three months? He tells to his pet cat. Staying at juvenile home is sort of a punishment for him too, even though he is sent there as a teacher. He thinks that he has nothing to do there. Boys show no interest in learning where as he sleeps on teacher’s table.
” Brother, a lot of illegal things happen here. These boys consume drugs”
“Why do you tell me those stuff? am I police? I am just a teacher”
” They are children, teachers like you can show them correct path”
An employee of the observation home requests J.D. But even before he thinks about the situation two kids are killed and hung inside the juvenile home by Bavani. J.D understands that he is responsible for this unfortunate event when only he sees the letter inside his pocket which was written by the two dead boys asking help.
Charulatha (Malvika Mohanan) is the lead heroine or the girl friend to master. Anyway she cannot actually referred as his girlfriend. Master is a rare case where romance is not a major theme. A lot of critics show that Charu’s character is not given due place. However, master’s duty here is not to save a girl. It is really impressive the way that Kanagaraj has finely handled Vijay, an actor with much charisma towards a different aim. Charu who arrives as young professor to college where J.D was teaching before is the spine of the development of J.D. She is the one who sends him to observation home to rescue those two kids. As a social worker she has tried earlier to take legal actions against the crimes take place there. J.D is the solution she found after seeing him stands for university students. She sees mother of kids who is lamenting over their deaths and speechless J.D. At this she shouts at him. ” You are also responsible for the death of these children”. This marks the highest turning point of J.D’s life.
The only romantic song in the movie “Antha kanna paathaka” is not written for Charu but for Vijay and Master. As I have mentioned earlier a Tamil movie is a narration of a story as well as a celebration of the main actor. This song is very special as it hails a boy not a girl. Sung by Yuvan Shankar in his charming voice, It shows Charu’s feelings towards J.D. “Who will not fall in love by seeing his eyes?” His smile, heart like a flower, young look which is able to pass even a failed heart, these lyrics are extremely beautiful. The stereotype words used to praise a man, strength, courage, ability to protect, are not found here. In the same way a boy sees a beauty of a girl, here girl sees a boy which is natural. “I pity our girls” One of my friends showed me that, that the song shows Charu’s feelings as well as immense love in crores of fans towards Vijay.
The effect of “continuation”, an inherent feature in Kollywood cinema is effectively presented in Master movie.In the same song where Charu is looking at master who is playing carrom with boys is a re creation of a very similar scene in “Kaththi” movie. “Kaththi” is another a must read movie with a strong message. So there Kathir (Vijay) while playing carrom with senior people in the elders’ home, he enjoys looking at Ankitha(Samantha). Here in Master perspectives are changed.
J.D finally understands that his fault is in his pint of beer. He decides to give up alcohol. Then he enters the observation home as a different version of J.D, a well dressed Master. Still students refuse to obey. “There are rules, you cannot touch children here”.one of the employees who do not care about wellbeing of boys states. Master closes the door of the classroom. Instead of students, he starts beating irresponsible employees there. “Sir, please do not beat, see I am wearing a “maala” God is there” . J.D gets really angry.” where was God when all drugs are brought inside the school?” The best attack for a person who avoids the duty. By seeing he beats employees, boys suddenly move and make lines as he ordered. There is a very special inmate among them. We will discuss about him later.
Our Master who entered the college with the song “Vaathi coming” (Teacher is coming) enters the prison with “Vaathi Raid” (Teacher’s raid) song. The scenes are similar to a real raid done by police. He carries out a huge cleaning process inside the observation home. He destroys drugs, alcohol, local cigarettes and mobile phones that he finds during the raid. He cuts over grown hair, shaves boys and cleans all dirty looking boys. He arranges a clinic with the help of one of his friends. Students from college come and renovate the observation home. Here we are shown a beautiful scene, the emerging love between Bhargav and Saveetha which will shock us later in a coming scene.
“Das” (Arjun Das) is the inmate kept by Bavani to have the control over boys. with him who has a young look, there are several other boys above eighteen years old (as revealed by master). Arjun Das a handsome new comer to the industry rocks the movie with his baritone voice. Earlier he has done a remarkable villain role in “Kaithi” (Prissoner) a movie by the same director Kanagaraj. Arjun Das is an actor that gives hopes about the future of Kollywod industry. As in the cinema, in the movie too it is on him that Kanagaraj has kept the hope. The journey of a boy who turned into a criminal under a villainous person and later gives up his behavior once he meets a good teacher. He is the only character that develops from the begining of the movie to very end. He gets together with Bavani at observation home when he was very small. No boy knows Bavani. They know Das. So without his knowledge all crimes are pointed at him by Bavani. He never accepts master. He is the one who creates quarrels inside home. He breaks a hand of a small boy as the boy provided evidence to master. The Kabaddi scene with Das is the most stunning scene in the movie. At the same time this is where we see the effect of “Continuation” at its peak. Master joins the game as an alternative player to the one who was attacked by Das. This is because he is the friend of Undiyal (Poovaiyar) J.D s little friend at juvenile home.
“Master, do you know even the name of this game? This is not cricket or football”
Vijay fans would find this statement ironical as “Ghilli” movie released in 2004 was dedicated to Kabaddi game where Vijay plays the role of an excellent kabaddi player. So the hero returns to field in Master. As a homage Anirudh has used the same background music of Ghilli movie in this scenario just adding some Anirudh flavor to it.
Little friend Undiyal is also another important role in the movie. It is through him Master is able to reveal Bavani’s secrets. A tattoo was given to boys who are in Bavani’s business so that they can show that and get free food and drugs. J.D strategically catches sellers then destroys those places. He finds Bavani’s spot by facts given by Undiyal. He meets Bavani but he was not able to confront him as he does not recognize him. Very thoughtful Kanagaraj has given J.D the only weapon that a teacher could possess, a pen. He places a pen to Bavani’s neck and threatens him asking him to pass a message to Bavani. however this happens to be the second mighty mistake done by J.D. Bavani starts killing J.D’s entourage.
The movie with a duration around three hours is quite long according to critics. Normally a hero would face only one tragedy to mark his phoenix nature. But in Master we come across two tragedies. It seems to be an unnecessary lengthening of the movie. However this second incident challenges J’D’s courage as he believes that he can face anything as he has no one to loose. One of his friends, Vanathi’s husband and Bhargav are killed, some students are injured and the boys at observation home who supported him are taken away in a container by Das.
Vanathi, a teacher of archery, we meets at the beginning of the movie where she asks J.D to take the aim if he is in clear mind. Our J.D comes in style but arrow reaches not the target but roof. Vanathi, much hurt by her husband’s death is the ultimate weapon brought by Master to fight against Das. Kanagaraj has keenly used women characters in the process of creating master. He loses his job twice due to his involvement in Savetha’s matters. This changes his path. Charu gives him a target to achieve. His much needed sensitivity is awaken by seeing crying mother of dead kids. Kanagaraj has shown how women’s roles, mother, daughter, girl friend and friend which are conventionally soft and need to be protected can be catalysts in the transformation of a noramal man to a hero. As mentioned earlier Vanathi joins the fight with bow and arrow. This fight takes place while vehicles are moving fast. unfortunately she falls and J. D takes her place and attacks like a pro. He is sharpened now.
The final fight, the climax in the movie where Master meets Bavani is the most awaited moment in the movie. This takes place in Bavani’s meat cold storage. J.D comes there with the rescued kids. J.D is now a strong enough to confront Bavani. The teacher that Bavani has never met in his child hood has come to him. This is the best fight that I have ever seen in Kollywood cinema. Or the fight that can keep at top of the best fights list. My list has a problem as all those stunning fights are directed by the same stunt master, Master Silva. He has finely crafted this fight by extracting the best out of both giants. This is a fight between a teacher and a butcher. At the same time Das who is sent to be killed is fighting on the other side.
Bavani used to punch the wall hard when he wants get rid of pain he felt due to torturing when he was a young inmate. Strengthened by this Bavani has a strong hand with a ring. His one punch can kill a man. J.D manages to fight escaping from Bavani’s attacks but unfortunately he is hit by bavani’s single punch and is thrown away. Boys get agitated.
” No ! No one should take a knife again. I am fighting for you” With all pains and blood he gives the due advise, the advise that Bavani never received as a child. Then we witness the real battle betweeen Bavani and Master and the clash between two thunderbolts Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. J.D wraps up his shirt around his waist to lessen the pain. Bavani signature punch meets J.D’s clenched fist. At this Bavani seemed shaken. This is because J.D has attacked having his silver bangle to clenched fist. I see this bangle as the “Sudharshana Chakra ” of God Vishnu’s hand. “Sudharshana Chakra” is a spinning disk. It is said that it can destroy evil. Though J.D had had his bangle always in his hand, now only he takes the correct use of that. This indicates that J. D is now a complete Master, a master who can uproot evil that harms a next generation. “I will leave boys. I need to join politics”. master listend to Bavani’s last courageous words. We see no fear in his eyes. A perfect villain I would say. A moment of silence. The very next second Master hangs Bavani in a gambrel hook.
The only character left alive by master is Das. He says that he is ready to take the blame of killing Bavani. ” Each person has to endure the punishment according to their crime” . Master erases the fault that Bavani has been doing for years by a Sartre line. Das does a small mistake here. he asks about J.D’s love story.
“Those days my name was Jack Daniel. we won a ticket. every body goes in buses, but I went in a ship. There I saw her for the first time. Her name was Rose but she was already engaged. And the ship goes and goes”
Das disturbs his story. “And then the ship hits an iceberg on the way?”. No need to explain what is his story this time. For the entire movie this is the first place where we meet extended version of the abbreviation J.D. But then again he tells a name of Whiskey. even Bavani calls him “Vaathi”. We actually do not know who is J.D
Now as a master his duty is done. Kids in the observation home are sent to another juvenile home where as other boys above eighteen years old are sent to jail. Das and friends enter the jail. There we see another inmate with a gang bullies him. We see this guy from behind. He is smoking a local cigarette. For a moment we lose the hope and feel like Das is going to be another Bavani. At the same time we see a seventh person handing over his stuff at jail. He writes his name in prison register “John Durairaj”. Das lifts up his head and look at the inmate who bullies him.
” Smoke well. This is the last cigarettes you smoke. “
“Over acting? haven’t we seen big prisonners (Kaithi)”
“You might have seen big prissoners (Kaithi) but now you are going to see Master”
The prissoner pushes Das a bit and see who is this Master. This poisoner is non other than the director of the movie Lokesh Kanagaraj. He sees the perfect portrait of Master on which he has been working throughout the movie.
A teacher has become a hero yet he is getting punished for the crime he committed. J.D who lost his master somewhere in his life has found a teacher in experience. I am here thinking whether I came out of the Master dream? 🤔 I guess while recalling each and every scene I have fallen to the honey pot again. 😊 I am forever imprisoned in this charm. As I see, Kollywood cinema has its own flavors and is ordinary people’s cinema. I am an ordinary one. I am a teacher. I will meet a battle field to become a hero. I see myself in easygoing J.D and I believe that one day I will turn to Master, John Durairaj!
Sumudu Fernando.
viskotusahakopi 