Kamal Hasan's
much awaited "Hey Ram" is certainly a remarkable achievement by the multi
faceted artist. With this film, he has attempted to attract a large segment of film
audience abroad. The rich production values and the technical excellence that has gone
into its making matches the best of foreign films. As an actor Kamal Hassan has excelled.
But still the film disappoints for various reasons. The first and foremost being that it
fails to convey the reasons for the duplicity and dichotemy of the film"s protagonist
Saket Ram, who behaves differently in many sequences. His inconsistency and the trauma
could have been still better projected.
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There is too much of bed room
sequences in the film, and both the heroines are used more as lust objects. Ofcourse, the
main drawback is the yawning narration which does not suit such ventures. Compared to
"Hey Ram" , Attenborough"s "Gandhi" had mores sentiments. It was
very difficult for any one to be without a trace of emotion after watching
"Gandhi". But "Hey Ram" is neither fast paced nor moving.
The Positive aspects of the film is the way the film has been shot. The film's art
director Sabu Siril needs kudos for recreating the atmosphere of the late forties. Kamal
Hassan has given more prominence to details like marriage customs, creating cars, coffee
cups, and cycles of that period. Kamal Hassan is once again brilliant as an actor. In some
sequences, his portrayal of dilemma is excellent. The period is well researched, but Kamal
should have given priority to projecting the emotional trauma of the period. Shah Rukh
Khan"s screen presence is marvellous and whenever he is there the film brims with
excitement. All the others are adequate. Vasundhara Das looks like she is not doing her
first film.
The Music of the film was composed after the film was shot. It was certainly an
achievement. But Ilayaraja"s music as a whole is not a plus point to the film.
"Hey Ram " is worth a watch for any film goer, but after coming out of the
theatre, he would say to himself 'yeh dil maange more'.
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