Was eating at Meenakshi Bhavan, GN Chetty road, when I noticed the manager there, Somu, reading Kaviriyin mainthan.
Was curious and enquired about his views. He was full of praise about two things: 1. KM maintaining the style of kalki 2. the importance given to kandhamaran's character
Overall, he felt happy about the book, and said that he started reading it with ponniyin selvan as the standard, and wasnt disappointed. He was full of praise.
One more accolade from a common man. Venkatesh, may your good work continue!
Like Bharathiraja, who could make Sappani and Parattai also as heros and Mayilu as heroine (in whose characters Kamal, Rajni and Sridevi got into) for a Mega hit, Venkat has made a common personality as his hero..
Makkal Kaviyam .. We all expect more, dear Venkat.
> 2. the importance given to kandhamaran's character > >
Hi while I have received plenty of reviews on KM ranging from bad to good i realised me satisfying a wide readership is next to impossible. I accept with great humility the accolades and the criticsm.
But one thing that puzzled me was the wide range of views on kanda maran as a hero and i think i should clarify my position on it.
I read ponniyin selvan very recently when compared to many in the group. I have the habit of marking the date I bought a book and I know for sure it was in 2001 that I read it.
in almost the last paragraph of the book kalki writes about kandamaran. "kandamaran builds a palace in the northwest of the palar.and does great deeds in service of the chola empire. after him the sambuvaraayars race attains great glory" I always had the feeling the last thoughts of kalki when he finished the book were on kanda maran.perhaps he thought he had given kandamaran a raw deal. its just a subconcious gut feeling and surely not defendable in a debate. perhaps a time period in which vandiyathevan was yet unmarried was also ideal for a sequel but then a simple reason - i did not want a already married hero.
I was seeing Paarthiban Kanavu for the nth time 3 days back.
I should admit the unsurpassed beauty of vaijayanthimala and the innocence with which she has portrayed the character bought kundavi right before my eyes.
A tip: Choose Ground Shipping if you are living in India (outside chennai maanagaram). This is cheaper and sufficient; courier costs three times ground shipping. I spoke to the helpline and they confirmed that ground shipping is sufficient.