Over a few train rides to work and back, I managed to finish watching Nayakan. The biopic is based on the life of Varadarajan Mudaliar or Vardha bhai as he was known as, the renowned don from Matunga – Dharavi area. Kamal Haasan plays the role of Velu Naicker, an orphan who runs away from Thoothukudi after avenging the killing of his father by killing an inspector of the force. His father, a union leader on the run, is ambushed when the cops trail a young Velu who inadvertently leads them to the hideout.
The movie naturally progresses with a haunting soundtrack which plays throughout the film. It captures Velu’s youth and the descent into crime, forced by circumstances. The Godfather overtones are clear as Velu soon becomes the saviour to the poor in the area, refusing to speak even a word of Hindi throughout the movie. With his sharp business acumen, he also grows his smuggling business and takes on the rich and the mighty. In true Scorcese fashion, Velu becomes a veshti clad godfather.
Nayakan was India’s nomination to the Academy Awards but it did not make it to the final list. Or so Wikipedia says. The beauty of Nayakan lies in its real depiction of the city’s inequality. Mani Rathnam’s commentary on the sad state of affairs is subtle. Not over the top or melodramatic. And that is why when Velu takes on the entire system, you cannot help but empathise with him. Even though you are aware that he is on the path of crime and lawlessness.
Everyday city living is tough. It is tougher at the margins. It is easy to be frustrated but at times your patience is tested. Each time you step out at Bandra station east, the sharp contrast between the two sides of Bandra is evident. The thin pipes supplying water to the communities near the station are always leaking. And the main road is always mucky and full of puddles in the mornings. The traffic runs haphazard and the share autowallahs jostle for an additional seat. A few minutes away lies the glitzy Bandra Kurla Complex but try leaving BKC in the evening, and you have to battle with the great migrating herd of humans to Bandra and Kurla station.
Political parties put up hoardings wishing their leaders on their birthdays. The leaders are smiling down upon the voters, with thick gold chains around their necks. The voters suffer in silence. They sigh and move on. Amid all this, it is easy to pray for a saviour, someone who doesn’t worry about their own personal safety and fights for the people.
Maybe that explains the rise of Velu, the humble orphan who became the messiah for the many.
But the question remains, is there a Velu out there? Or it is time for us to be our own Nayakan to ourself and our city.