watch. Nirav Shah’s camera (which was brilliant
throughout the movie) added even more charm, especially
in the shots that captured the fading sunlight of
the late evening. The only portion that was not a
montage was when Amy sung the English portion of the
song to herself, but even that was beautifully shot.
In short, a love story neatly folded and presented
within a song. Easily, the best montage of the year.
2.Neela Vaanam – Manmadhan Ambu
One of the most imaginatively displayed songs of the
year for sure; where events were shown in reverse.
Major Mannar’s tragic love story, right from
the horrific accident to the point where he fell in
love with his wife, told elegantly through frames
that take you back through the sequence of events.
What’s so great about that, you might think?
To show reverse footage throughout a song without
making the viewer feeling tired requires skill. And,
you might also notice that the lip sync for the song
is in forward mode, even as the visuals go in reverse.
3.Siva Siva - Thamizh Padam
One of the wackiest montages of the year. Thamizh
Padam was one fun ride and this song was one of the
best parts of it; the song that took a jolly dig at
the decades old 'one song millionaire' syndrome in
Kollywood. Some of the shots were really hilarious,
especially those featuring the various business establishments
of Siva including Siva Beach, Siva Electricity Board,
Siva Mortuary etc.. As funny and irreverent as it
gets.
4. Aaromale – Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya
This song did take time catching on, obviously because
of its drastically different style. But, it told the
story of a frustrated and lovelorn man who was putting
his life back on track after heartbreak. The journey
he undertakes to break free from his past, his decision
to make those troubling memories his inspiration,
the process of scripting during the journey and the
culmination of his efforts as shoots for his first
movie. From Chennai to USA, via Kerala to shoot his
film and by sheer coincidence come face to face with
the girl who started it all. Silambarasan’s
expression of a lingering frustration was almost perfect.
The song had some very interestingly interspersed
talkie portions which took the story forward. Gautham
Menon continues to enhance his reputation at picturising
songs.
5. Iragai Pole – Naan Mahaan Alla
Really, one of the youth anthems of the year; as much
for its well strung montages as for Yuvan’s
composition. A very naturally put together sequence
of shots which shows, without too much loss of originality,
about the romance of a young couple in Chennai. For
those who think that a really romantic song cannot
be shot without getting away from the madding crowd
of the city, this one should act as an antithesis.
The bike rides and the almost constant mobile phone
conversations were the most original parts of the
song. It of course did help that Karthi is getting
better by the day at doing the boy next door kind
of roles.
6. Boom Boom Robot – Enthiran
Shankar is not really known for understated montage
picturisation of songs; he is the one who goes for
unlimited splendor. But, Boom Boom was different.
It was the song that established the relationship
of Chitty with everyone else. Through the song, we
are shown the various tasks that Chitty is capable
of accomplishing and is being asked to do (though
by the time the song appears in the movie we have
already been shown that he is nothing short of a superhero
who can run along, beside and over trains); everyone
is growing fond of the robot, except of course Santhanam
and Karunas. A few comical instances are thrown in
which are enjoyable and Superstar and Aishwarya Rai
also briefly shake a leg.
7. En Kadhal Solla – Paiyaa
One of the most popular songs of the year (Karthi
is as lucky as his elder brother when it comes to
music). Shot with a simplicity that enhanced the appeal
when placed in the context of the movie. The dilemma
over whether to open his heart or not is eating him
up inside while he knows that not much time is left;
also very well complemented by the lyrics. It is difficult
to shoot an entire song within the confines of two
small rooms and still make it interesting enough for
repeated viewing and Lingusaamy pulled it off. However,
a couple of portions which have Karthi dancing could
have been different.
8. Thaakudhe - Baana Kaathadi
A colorful and breezy youthful montage which stood
out with its simplicity. The best thing about the
visualization was that it never tried to get too far
ahead of itself; almost narrating at an easy pace,
the building of a bond between the lead characters.
The antics (slow dance movements) of the protagonist's
friends in the background were a nice little touch
of fantasy added to the song. Easy on the eye and
mind.
|
