Kamal Haasan's 'Indian' turns 25: An unforgettable vigilante drama

'Indian' was a commercial vigilante drama with a strong message

Actor Kamal Haasan's movie Indian, which marked his first collaboration with the ace filmmaker S Shankar, hit the screens on this day 25 years ago and emerged as a big hit at the box office.

The vigilante drama revolved around the journey of an aged freedom fighter who decides to reform society by eliminating the corrupt. The basic storyline was quite simple and had shades of the director's debut movie Gentleman, a film that again revolved around the one man's fight against the system. Indian was also superficially similar to the Telugu classic Bobbili Puli as both films featured patriots who became 'outlaws' because of society. Its tried and tested yet effective plot reached its potential due to the stellar screenplay.

Also Read | ‘Bobbili Puli’ retro review: This Sr NTR starrer is a classic actioner

The characters were fleshed out quite well, which made it easy for the viewer to relate with the action. The writers did a good job of establishing the principled 'Senathipathy' as a foil to his son 'Chandru'--who did not attach importance to morals-- through casual yet meaningful exchanges.

Indian had all the necessary commercial elements-- right from romantic songs to action scenes-- to satisfy the masses, something that has become the trademark of Shankar movies over the years. It was, however, the flashback portions that proved to be the highlight of the film and gave it a distinct patriotic flavour. A sequence in which 'Senathipathy' addressed the audience/public too was quite compelling and brought out the core message of the film. Similar scenes were also part of Shankar's 2005 release Anniyan.

The action-packed climax delivered the goods, keeping the door open for a sequel.

Kamal was the backbone of Indian and played two distinct characters with ease. His body language as the aged freedom fighter was convincing while the makeup was ahead of the times. 'Ulaga Nayagan' managed to channel the shrewdness needed to play Chandru, a character quite different from the naive ones he had played in Sadma/Moondram Pirai and Saagar. Kamal would go on to illustrate his versatility as a performer with the 2008 classic Dasavathaaram, which featured him in 10 roles.

Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar did justice to their scenes even though they were not the focus of the film. Sukanya's scenes with Kamal added emotional depth to the film. Kasthuri essayed a character that brought out a different side of Senapathy''s character. The rest of the cast served its purpose.

A R Rahman's music was a bit of a mixed bag. While Telephone did not gel too well well with the narrative, Pachai Kiligal/Pyaare Panchhi struck a chord with the meaningful lyrics, which are relevant even today. Most of the songs were shot exceptionally well with Maya Machindra being the best.

The other technical aspects were pretty good for the 90s