Cast:
Vijay, Srikanth, Jiiva, Satyaraj, Illeyana, Music: Harris Jeyaraj, Direction: Shankar
Nanban is a faithful,
fame-by-frame remake of 3 Idiots. And that is its strength; because how else do
you improve something that has already reached perfection? Shankar, skilful and
abundantly talented, has also exhibited ample humility, a rare commodity in
Indian film industry. In his vision for Nanban, Shankar has apparently had a simple
requirement: appropriate casting. With just one exception – you know who – the film’s
cast works perfectly. There’s much needed bonding between the three male leads.
From the millimetre boy to the college principle you could not think of any
other artist more suitable to play the roles already made immensely memorable
by the 3 Idiots cast. Kudos to Shankar for having had the clarity to stick to the requirement.
It is produced with such a clockwork precision that the duration is almost the same as the
original. 3 Idiots – 170 mins, Nanban – 168 mins. How did Shankar manage this
with one extra song plugged in is a wonder!
Talking about
the clarity and humility, another example comes to mind. Vasoolraja MBBS, a
remake of Munnabhai MBBS was a botched up, over-confident remake that, with a
juvenile flourish, vandalised the Mona Lisa by drawing a moustache and a beard.
Kamal Hasan’s haughty presence and indulgent sermons completely ruined the
experience perfected by Sanjay Dutt’s simple, rustic and innocent charm. Sanjay
Dutt is no Kamal Hasan, but Kamal fell miles short of the expectation because,
obviously, he thought he could do much better job than Sanjay.
Vijay is no Amir
Khan. Thankfully he knows it and he also knows his stock of limited emotions. Therefore
he makes good use of them in attempting to portray this bubbly, goofy and quirky
student. Understandably, Shankar’s presence too must have helped in toning and
polishing the performance. But the very fact that we’re not able to imagine another
Tamil actor for this role is, it must be admitted albeit grudgingly, a victory
for Vijay.
Back to the
director: Shankar can’t live without his five set piece songs. To include them in
the films, he doesn’t offer the standard excuse that other directors give: that
the audience like the songs and dances. Shankar includes them because he himself loves
them: he enjoys planning, shooting and producing these songs. He must have felt
a bit disappointed because the remake of 3 Idiots did not provide him the
option for his set piece songs. So what does he do? He turns Zoobi Dhoobi song on
its head to ‘Shankarise’ it and capture all his five songs in one. To make it
clear to the viewer of his intentions, he captures each stanza from the
shooting spot with the clap-board introducing the type of each song! That is the
extent of originality the script allows and he makes the best use of it.
Ingenious!
Nanban is a faithful,
fame-by-frame remake of 3 Idiots. And that is its strength; because how else do
you improve something that has already reached perfection? Shankar, skilful and
abundantly talented, has also exhibited ample humility, a rare commodity in
Indian film industry. In his vision for Nanban, Shankar has apparently had a simple
requirement: appropriate casting. With just one exception – you know who – the film’s
cast works perfectly. There’s much needed bonding between the three male leads.
From the millimetre boy to the college principle you could not think of any
other artist more suitable to play the roles already made immensely memorable
by the 3 Idiots cast. Kudos to Shankar for having had the clarity to stick to the requirement.
It is produced with such a clockwork precision that the duration is almost the same as the
original. 3 Idiots – 170 mins, Nanban – 168 mins. How did Shankar manage this
with one extra song plugged in is a wonder!