An occasion to recall an evergreen movie

Amaran: A tale of heroism and martyrdom, past and present, with Sivakarthikeyan in the lead, set for a Deepavali release. The name may, however, make some recall the Karthik-starrer from 1992.

As Amaran gears up for a Deepavali release on October 31, the film’s title may register another memory note for those who lived in the Madras of the 1990s. The latest version features Sivakarthikeyan donning a rugged veneer while replicating Major Mukund Varadarajan’s heroics and subsequent martyrdom in Kashmir. This is a stirring real life story finding posthumous vindication through reel, with Kamal Haasan bankrolling the project. However, for those clued into the Amaran, the 1992 flick touted as Karthik’s foray into super-stardom, they will surely remember that this particular celluloid yarn was cut from a different cloth. A tentpole film, be it in the 1990s or the latest feature arriving on Fridays, is often centred around this steely cop brooking no resistance or the gangster with a heart of gold. These two convenient tropes are seen as assuring instant recall and the star becomes an enduring brand.

Directed by K. Rajeshwar, the original Amaran aimed at presenting Karthik in a different light. Until then cast as the uber cool urban lad or the warm villager with impish humour and inherent pathos, this was Karthik’s foray into the underworld genre and the movie had a certain buzz. By then an actor with a huge draw, especially within the college crowd, this was his intended step up into the stratosphere.

Like it has always been in Tamil cinema, Karthik was part of a duopoly: Karthik-Prabhu, like Rajini-Kamal, Vijayakanth-Sathyaraj, or Arjun-Sarath Kumar. Obviously, it was also time to carve a niche, and the platform looked solid. The songs were already a hit, especially vethile potta sokkile, belted out by Karthik himself, and chandirare suriyare. The ingredients seemingly blended well as an action flick with an instantly connecting musical track and to make it special, Karthik was seen as lending a unique vibe.

Released during the Pongal break, Amaran started well and just when it seemed the bullet had found its mark, it turned out to be a damp feather gradually seeking terra-firma. Expected to be a blockbuster, the old Amaran settled for an average run, but the songs have endured to this day. The title has a resonance and it also suits the latest Amaran, dealing with a soldier living on as a rousing memory. It was apt that during promotional events Sivakarthikeyan thanked Karthik for allowing the nomenclature to be used again. Hopefully, the latest film will give a positive spin to a filmy name that till now has had a bitter-sweet taste.