Shiva Trilogy – Decoding the myth of the revenge of a Mahadev

Bending forward Shiva kissed Sati Passionately.

He turned around hearing a sound. “This is an open deck. Can’t you both get a room?” asked Veerabhadra as he entered the deck even as Krittika patted his chest in embarrassment.

A smiling Shiva hit his friend playfully on his shoulder.

This was one of the many reasons that kept me engrossed to the Shiva Trilogy, the thought of the God we fear the most, is depicted as one among us. A chillum smoking barbarian with a haunted past carefully chosen to be a Mahadev, not only of gift, but also of reason. Then why did the trilogy that made us worship Shiva not as a God but as a hero, ended up as just another revenge novel? May be this first time author panicked at the wake of such enormous pressure or he wanted to shock us in the end and make a sensation of it. Well, for what it’s worth, he made us talk about it alright, but not in the right way. The feeling was more of betrayal on the part of the author than of a shock in awe.

The series had all the ingredients of a blockbuster commercial movie. A reluctant hero who takes up his chosen task in the wake of disturbing events, a leading lady put under enormous hardships only to be rescued by the hero, a two faced father of the lady & her weak mother, an angry young man with a heart of gold who is out for answers, a gifted son, an honest lieutenant, a mastermind who stays in the background, friends of the hero ready to die for him, sounds like Bollywood isn’t it?

The series unfolded swiftly with a bit of twist here and there (Sati’s predicament, the identity of the hooded naga, the secret of the nagas being a person & the unveiling of true evil) ready for an enthralling finish only to falter at the final hurdle. But that will not take away the amazing journey that we took along with Shiva along the vast expanses of India, relishing in her rich history and deep philosophy.

Mr. Amish Tripati has treaded a careful path while dealing with four very delicate matters, Religion, History, Philosophy and Politics. We all know the history and been told about the mythological characters right from our childhood. One slip and it would have been a never ending fall. Philosophy had profound meanings and history, although twisted at times (Sangamtamil? Lord Manu a Pandya King? Please!), was still good enough for the plot. But the point where it captures the viewers was the humanization of the gods we revered. To me, Karthik mouthing bad words was like “wow!” rather than “eew!”

Then why this supposedly modern take on the Shivapuranam, end like a B-Centre commercial movie? Having discovered the true identity of evil and set on course to destroy it, why did Shiva, hell bent on revenge, did the unthinkable? His anger, which his uncle had repeatedly asked him to control, took the better of him. When he had to let Parvateshwar go, despite protests from everyone he let him go and said that it’s important to win the battle the right way. If he had that vision, then why did he destroy an entire city because of Sati’s fate? It contradicted with the claims of him being a Mahadev. And the whole villainy was so weak. I expected more from Bhirgu’s character and was so looking forward to his confrontation with Shiva. Puff! So disappointed!

Imagine this! After Sati had met with her fate, it should have come down to the use of Somras to rescue her (Remember, they had healing powers that saved Sati after she was stuck with a fire arrow). Shiva now has to decide whether to use it on his beloved wife or stand by his belief that the Somras is evil and let Sati die. That would have been a grandstand finish. Instead what transcribed is an incompetent climax that left everyone shell shocked, mind you not in the right way. In a brief 10 minute conversation with Amish when I met him at the (belated) book launch in Chennai, I put forward the same scenario. He thought about it for a moment and replied “That would have been difficult to finish!” First time author blues maybe! But he also said that he wanted to align Sati’s fate with that of the puranas in which she dies. And in the climax where Shiva uses the Pasupathiastra, he said he wanted to portray Shiva as a human and also justified it by the fact that Shiva had asked anyone not involved in the manufacture of Somras to leave. Still not convinced I must admit. It may be down to our denial to see our gods anything other than gods, even in a human form. Remember even Ram wanted Sita to testify and Krishna used a number of questionable tactics to get the victory in Kurukshetra. But even otherwise, the climax left a lot to be desired.

On an overall scale, yes it’s been an incredible journey, one that we all made, screaming Har Har Mahadev in our hearts during the first battle (Illayaraja’s Sanskrit song “Har Har Mahadev” that gives me goose bumps every time I hear it, was in my ears at that time & how perfect it was!). We felt sorry for Sati’s fate both when she was a vikarma & in the end, hoping against hope that Daksha would be a stronger person. We got bored of Parvateshwar’s style of life (We are all Chandravanshis aren’t we!). We were first so intrigued on who the hooded naga was, believing him to be the ultimate bad guy only to be shell shocked, this in the right way, with his true identity. We frowned at Karthik’s over confidence but admired when he did the right thing in the end. We loved Bhadra treating Shiva as a friend even if he was a Mahadev. So it had its moments, a lot of it. But ultimately fell through when it mattered most. It was like a world champion racer, leading from the start, only to crash in the final lap of the race. That’s how it felt in the end. But it was a refreshing read, a trend setter. What it did was to bring out the child in us. Reading the book was like listening to our grandma’s stories, full of imagination. And for that, I salute Amish Tripati. Hoping that with his take on the Mahabharatha, (Shiva’s permission or not, he will write on the mother of all storytellers I can guarantee that) he will take the chequered flag.

“Har Har Mahadev”

Vengayin Mainthan (வேங்கையின் மைந்தன்) – The Movie

It’s quite surprising that when we think about making a Tamil historical movie, we can’t think beyond Shivaji Ganesan. He was at his best in historical roles, be it Thiruvarutselvar, Appar, Raja Raja Cholan, Veerabagu or his multiple roles in Thiruvilayadal. It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen good serious Tamil historical movie. Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi came as a surprise but that was a comedy. Even when someone thinks about making a historical movie, it’s quite difficult to think of a good star cast. Let’s take the case of Vengayin Mainthan.

The title character Rajendra Cholan carries with itself, respect and dignity. Kamal Hassan, Prakash Raj, Sathyaraj or Parthiban can carry the role.

Elango’s character is quite difficult to cast. But I think Eeram Aathi (with a toned up body and mesmerizing voice) could pull it off. Prithviraj can be a choice but his Malayalam accent lets him down.

Arulmozhi’s character, a stubborn princess who lets her eyes speak more than her mouth, could only be done by Sneha.

Rohini’s character is the most difficult one to cast. I thought about it but could not come up with a convincing answer. My thinking is a new comer with stunning looks and acting skills. But the only person who has the looks is the girl who compeers for Super Singer Junior in Vijay TV, Divya. She has the looks, especially with such expressive eyes but can’t say anything on acting.
Vallavarayar Vanthiyathevar is another difficult one to think of. More than the age, the mere mention of his name would bring memories of Ponniyin Selvan, so that makes the casting difficult than it actually is.

Kodumbalar Periya Velalar, Elango’s father and a fierce lieutenant of Rajendra Cholan could be enacted by Nasser.

Suggestions are welcome for the characters Veeramallan, King of Rohanam Mahindar, Mahindar’s Minister Keerthi and others. Suggestions are also welcome for my choice of actors given above.

Vengayin Mainthan (வேங்கையின் மைந்தன்) – A Review

One of my biggest regrets till date was that I knew very little about Tamil history. Four magnificent rulers in Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava claimed stronger hand in South India at various periods. They built such marvelous structures like the Brahadeesvarar Temple in Tanjavur, Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, The Shore Temples of Mahabalipuram to name a few. Tamil language and culture attained its peak at their time through times like the Tamil Sangam. Yet I had very little knowledge about them compared to what I knew about the Mughals or the British. It prompted me to start reading Tamil historical novels. Though essentially they are a work of fiction, the facts in them are taken from history books which add to their credibility. Ponniyin Selvan was the choice of so many people. I have heard so much about the book. But I settled down with Akilan’s Vengayin Mainthan. Generally this is read after Ponniyin Selvan but I kind of zeroed in on this.

The title character is Rajendra Cholan, son of Raja Raja Cholan. In his time Tamil Culture attained its peak when he conquered land up to the Ganges in the north to distant islands like Indonesia. He also built a new city, Gangai Konda Chola Puram to celebrate his victories. The novel’s central character however is not Rajendra Cholan, but one of his lieutenants, Elangovel. Elango, as he is called belongs to a small country under the Chola dynasty, Kodumbalur. His family has matrimonial exchange with the Cholas. Chola princess, Arulmozhi is in love with Elango, though she never shows it out. The novel starts with Rajendra Cholan’s quest to recapture Tamil Crown belongings from southern Ceylon, known as Rohanam. The novel revolves around the explosive love affair between Elango and Rohanam’s princess, Rohini. Each gives up secrets about their country in different circumstances which becomes both good and bad for Elango and Cholas. On the good side he is able to retrieve the lost property, able to know enemy’s plan and traps beforehand. On the other side, he almost leads his enemy destroy their new city and burn his Kodumbalur fort. How Elango thwarts their plan and marries both the beautiful ladies forms the climax.

The novel is expertly written with loads of history facts and imaginary characters which make us believe each and every part of it. The constant on off love affair between Elango and Rohini is the backbone of the novel. Rohini, though she belongs to the enemy camp, cannot ignore Elango because of her love. She is caught between her own loyalty towards her county & brother and saving her love, so many times in the novel. Elango is caught between his love and his duty, though for him, duty always comes first. The emotions that love can cause in a short period of time are beautifully imagined. On the other hand Arulmozhi’s character was scripted as an opposite of Rohini. Arulmozhi is very quiet woman, who hides her mind from others despite being in love with Elango, while Rohini is very expressive about her feelings.

Apart from the love triangle, what I loved the most in the novel is the way Akilan describes Tamil culture. Rajendra Cholan shows his broader side when he wants to make friends with his enemy kings, though he is never afraid of wars. In fact all his wars end in victories for him. Such was his army’s force and his command. Though his liberal policies were seen as a weakness, he has enough power and intelligence to overcome his enemies’ plan to use it. His and Vallavarayar Vanthiyathevar’s plan to allow Elango romance Rohini proves to be master strategy. The Tamil spirit prevails throughout the movie. Sundara Pandiyan who was defeated by Rajendra Cholan even goes as far to compliment his rival’s bravery and policies.

Vanthiyathevar, the hero of Ponniyin Selvan and arguably the most beloved Tamil fictional character, plays a smaller but significant character. He plays an elderly minister who is by the king’s side most of the times and takes care of Elango whenever Elango slips emotionally. Akilan created Elango’s character complimentary to Vanthiyathevar’s character in Ponniyin Selvan.

On the flip side, Rohini double sided loyalty baffled me at times. She repeatedly asks Elango for forgiveness after she had done things against him. It was understandable in the beginning, but in the later stages it bores the reader a bit. Also, the number of times a conversation was overheard by another person was a bit too much. I mean, coincidence doesn’t happen every day. Elango’s friend Veeramallan’s constant double crossing is also not so convincing.

But overall, a very enjoyable read. It was a valuable insight on the life of our great ancestors. It was a celebration of Tamil culture which arguably attained its peak during the reign of Rajendra Cholan.