Cast: Vasanth Ravi, Bharathiraaja, Raveena Ravi, Rohini
Music: Darbuka Siva
Direction: Arun Matheswaran
A couple of years back when Rocky’s trailer got released, I was intrigued by it. The trailer had a poetry narrated as a voiceover with edit synchronizing to that. The style reminded me of Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s trailers- both Aaranya Kaandam and Super Deluxe. His trailers had a story narrated instead of a poetry. Arun Matheswaran, the director of Rocky is in fact Kumararaja’s assistant. No wonder the trailer was exquisite.
There is a pleasure in watching a film made by a debut director and getting engrossing in his unique voice. It’s like finding a precious gem. I missed experiencing it back in 2010 when Aaranya Kaandam released (Kumararaja’s debut), as I saw the film much later reading enough about the film. Now thanks to Rocky, I was able to experience it.
Rocky’s story is simple and a familiar one. If the same story was directed by Atlee or Hari or Siva, I would’ve written a verdict saying, “An old wine in a new bottle”. The revenge story is all about how Rocky (terrific portrayal by Vasanth Ravi) avenges Manimaran (Bharathiraaja) for the murders of his mother and sister. Arun’s film language is what elevates this simple story. It re-confirms that cinema is more than just story-telling.
The film is split into four chapters with a prologue and epilogue. The title of each chapter is quite interesting. The prologue’s title is ‘Aadhi muran puthir’ (God’s paradox). The chapter’s opening frame has a writing in Tamil which translates to ‘Can the God create a stone that he cannot bear?’ It’s such a powerful line and conveys Rocky’s state of mind at one point of time in the film. He thinks he has created a difficult situation for himself. The first chapter’s title ‘Un amma unna yen petha theriyuma?’ (Do you know why your mom birthed you?) is a smartly written title that brings laughter. Another title that will leave you in splits in the one of epilogue.
Initially when Rocky comes out from the prison, we see him walk through the landscapes. There is one gorgeous tracking shot when he walks along a long wall. In some way, these shots helps us gets into the mood of the film. Rocky’s character is brilliantly explored using dreameaque sequences. When he is out of prison, we see a sequence where everything is reversed with a voice over of poetry on time. Later, after his sister’s death we see him running in search of his sister. These sequences induce anxiety and explores the character’s mind.
With such depth in character, the film’s raw, brutal and gory violence only adds to the emotional depth. The wide angle shots keeps reminding the world Arun has built for these characters. Shreyaas Krishna (cinematographer) compliments Arun’s vision with amazing visuals. I loved how they paid homage to the Korean film Oldboy’s hallway fight scene (Interestingly, both these film have a few similarities). The gratifying visuals is complemented by Darbuka Siva’s music and great sound design. Arun’s lines, especially the two poetries, makes this film unique. The poetry on Iraivan- Arakan (God- Demon) with the scenes was pure gossebumps. The other poetry, ‘Kaalam oru dhrogi’ (Time is a betrayer) not only reflects Rocky’s feeling but also audiences’, who had to wait for 2 years for this film. Kaalam oru dhrogi. I only hope we see Arun’s next feature ‘Saani Kaayidham’ soon. Only time will tell.
Verdict: Rocky is an example how form, style can elevate a basic story to an exquisite film experience
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