India has an extensive collection of history, legend, myth and folklore that often provides inspiration for film plots.
When screenwriters draw on ancient stories, they may retell the tale in a more modern setting and to highlight a more realistic interpretation of events.
In the case of the 2012 Tamil period thriller Aravaan ("Snake"), an ancient story is updated to 18th century Tamil Nadu and concludes with a modern day message.
Aravaan is inspired by the award-winning Tamil novel Kaval Kottam by award-winning author Su Venkatesan. The novel details the life and times of people living in and around the ancient city of Madurai, situated on the Vaigai River in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In a Deccan Herald interview, author Su Venkatesan explains:
"This is a novel, a work of historical fiction. It is based on me straddling 600 years of history of Madurai (1310-1910), a people’s history as preserved by memory. It simply bursts forth with agony and pain as people open up their past, about their forefathers, if only you get talking to them."
The ancient story to which Aravaan refers is from the Indian epic Mahabharata. Aravan (Iravan) is the son of Arjuna, the Pandava protagonist, and his second wife, the Naga princess Ulupi (Uloopi), daughter of the king of serpents, Kouravya. In South India folklore, Aravan agrees to be self-sacrificed before the goddess Kali to achieve Pandava victory to reclaim their land from the Kauravas. According to the website TemplePurohit.com, Aravan was the only logical choice:
As per rituals, before a war, they are supposed to do a narabali (human sacrifice). The person to be sacrificed should be someone who has 32 lakshanam (morals/characters). There were only three people who fit into that category – Krishna, Arjuna and Arjuna’s son Aravan.
It was impossible to sacrifice Krishna. Arjuna, on the other hand, is an archery specialist. Sacrificing him would mean losing the war. The only other possibility left was Aravan. Aravan agreed to himself being sacrificed, however, requested that he wanted to die only in battle front. Krishna grants him this request. To ensure that he doesn’t die a virgin, he is also married before he sacrifices himself.
The story explains that no woman is willing to get married for a day - especially knowing she was destined to be a widow for the remainder of her life. Lord Krishna steps forward and takes the female form of Mohini and marries Aravan. This single day marriage is celebrated during the Koovagam Transgender Festival at Koovagam village in Tamil Nadu. Thousands of transgender people congregate at the Koothandavar temple to commemorate the 18 days of the Kurushektra war. For 16 days, participants celebrate with a variety of activities then, according to NewsMinute.com:
On the 17th day, priests tie thaalis or mangalsutras around the necks of transgender people after performing special rituals for Aravaan. Thus, for one night, all of them become the brides of Aravaan following which is a night of celebration. The last day signifies Aravaan’s beheading by Kali. The participants essay the role of widows, mourning the death of their husband and ripping off the thaalis, and taking off the flowers and ornaments.
In updating this story, author Su. Venkatesan and director Vasanthabalan relocate this ancient story to Tamil Nadu just before the British Raj engulfed the nation.
Kombodhi (Pasupathy) is the leader of a Vembur village, a tribe known for surviving by stealthily looting jewels from local towns. When a priceless necklace is stolen from one of these neighboring towns, Vembur is blamed and attacked. However, the events surrounding the theft don't add up to a Vembur job. Kombodhi promises to find the real thief and return the stolen necklace.
As he investigates, he comes across a solitary thief known as Varipuli (Aadhi) who is highly courageous and skilled. Kombodhi captures him, retrieves the necklace, then brings him back to Vembur where he wins over the hearts of the villagers and is inducted in Varipuli's tribe. When Kombodhi is captured during a daring looting of the town of Mathur, Varipuli rescues him.
This event leads to the uncovering of the truth about Varipuli and his past.
Nine years ago he was a likable and important member of his village of Veerampatti, where he was known as Chinna. He was in love with Vannapechi (Dhansika) and they had their whole lives ahead of them.
One night a young man wandered into the village and is found murdered the next morning. The villagers alert the surrounding community, hoping someone can identify the murdered stranger. The victim turns out to be Thogaimayan (Bharath) who belonged to a the neighboring village of Mathur that is constantly at loggerheads with Veerampatti - and the Mathur villagers demand vengeance. The king of the villages decrees that Veerampatti should pick one young man as a human sacrifice to atone for the murder.
Chinna finds himself selected as the sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered as reciprocation for Thogaimayan's death.
But something is rotten in the state of Madras. No one knows who killed the young man or why. Faced with a death sentence for a crime he (and his village) didn't commit, Chinna has 30 days to find the truth of the matter. When he finally uncovers the truth, the evidence is destroyed and Chinna finds himself on the run for ten years until he can return to Veerampatti and be freed from his obligation.
Aravaan offers the right mix of humor and pathos wrapped in powerful storytelling that successfully transports you back to the life and times of the people in 18th century Tamil Nadu.
The music - playback singer Karthik's debut as music director - is inspiring in its complexity using simple instrumentation and harmonies. The songs are an integral part of the story and the music has a regional Indian, old-world flavor which adds to its charm and earthiness. In a BehindWoods.com interview, Karthik explained:
"Since it’s a period film there are not a lot of instruments you can use. So we have avoided a lot of instruments and techniques like electronic sounds, synthesizers, guitars and pianos. We also realized that avoiding the current day music instruments will largely give the music a period feel and that’s how we achieved it."
The film is both entertaining and heartbreaking and deals with issues that today's society may feel it has eliminated a long time ago. But director Vasanthabalan tries to draw a line from Aravaan to modern times by closing with the statement:
"At the end of the 18th century, the British abolished human sacrifice [in India]. Even now human sacrifice exists in 83 countries as the death penalty. Let us abolish corporal punishment."
If you are new to Indian film, Aravaan offers a memorable film experience.
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