Death Penalty and Dostoyevsky and The Idiot

P Muraleedharan

The customary debate on death penalty is at its peak as India sits uneasy after executing Yakub Memon, accused in the Mumbai blasts in 1993 which killed 257 persons and injured over 700. The shouting match between the votaries of justice for the victims on one side and humanists/NGOs on the other at times descend to unseemly levels as nationalism, religion and vote bank politics infiltrate various perspectives and finally dies down as the combatants themselves lose interest in the issue. Those who stand for repeal of capital punishment are accused of being soft on terror while the others are dubbed insensitive. But, as long as death penalty is in the Indian Penal Code, judges are free to sentence the accused in the raresr of rare cases to the gallows. In this context, it would be interesting to know what great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a person who escaped death by the firing squad after securing Tsar's pardon in the last minute, wrote in his classic 'The Idiot'. (Incidentally, the novel's protagonist Prince Myshkin, a holy man in an unholy world, is vaguely modeled on Jesus Christ. It also has arguably one of the most complex woman characters in world literature in Natalia Philippovna.) In the novel, Dostoyevsky discusses in detail all aspects of death penalty and proves why it is more heinous than the most heinous of crimes. While finishing the novel, the brilliant author wrote: “Compassion is the most important and possibly the only law for the whole of human life.” It was to convey this message that he created Prince Myshkin, the 'title' character in 'The Idiot'. In the novel, he says, “To kill for murder is a punishment incomparably worse than the crime itself. Murder by legal sentence is immeasurably more terrible than murder by brigands. Anyone murdered by brigands, whose throat is cut at night in a wood, or something of that sort, must surely hope to escape till the very last minute. There have been instances when a man has still hoped for escape, running or begging for mercy after his throat was cut. But in the other case all that last hope, which makes dying ten times as easy, is taken away for certain. There is the sentence, and the whole awful torture lies in the fact that there is certainly no escape, and there is no torture in the world more terrible.” (In March this year, Pope Francis quoted Dostoyevsky to urge countries of the world to abolish the death penalty and condemned sates still using capital punishment in a letter to the president of the International Commission against the Death Penalty.) In the first part of the novel, Myshkin speaks of an experience he had while on a trip to Lyons in France, where he witnessed a public execution. It goes like this: “In France, they always cut their heads off…It’s done in an instant. They lie the man down, and this broad knife falls through a machine they call the guillotine – very powerfully and heavily – the head flies off before you can blink an eye. The preparations are horrible. When they read the death sentence, dress him and prepare him, tie him up and drag him onto the scaffold – all that is dreadful. People crowd in, even women – they don’t like women to look on though.” Here he shows why a death sentence is more brutal than any other punishment: “…Think! When there is torture there is pain and wounds, physical agony, and all this distracts the mind from mental suffering, so that one is tormented only by the wounds until the moment of death. But the most terrible agony many not be in the wounds themselves but in knowing for certain that within an hour, then within ten minutes, then within half a minute, now at this very instant – your soul will leave your body and you will no longer be a person, and that is certain; the worst thing is that it is certain.” There is a section in the novel on what goes within the brain of a convict being taken to the city centre to be executed publicly. Only a person who had gone through the nightmarish trauma can provide such subtle details! Just read this: “Then three or four hours were spent on usual things: the priest, the breakfast, at which he was given wine, coffee and beef. (Isn’t that mockery? You think how cruel it is, and yet, by heaven, those innocent people do this out of the kindness of their hearts and are convinced they are being humane.) …Finally he is taken through the town to the scaffold. I think as he is being driven there he feels he has still an eternity to live…All around is crowd, noise, ten thousand faces, ten thousand eyes…” And, he dares to conjecture what goes on in the mind of a convict in that split second, when the blade of the machine severs his head. He wonders what would the severed head would be thinking if, for a second, if it is conscious of what has happened! Well, isn't it time for us to think of better ways, other than capital punishment, to deal with people who commit great crimes against humanity? For, there may come a time when the Grand Inquisitor fever dream in 'The Brothers Karamazov' materialize, where 'Jesus Christ' is tried for heresy and lead away for 'punishment'! https://www.facebook.com/mathrubhumienglish/photos/a.332526576789876.72683.329668260409041/967346266641234/?type=3

Indian Cricket c Aussies b BCCI!

P Muraleedharan

What the Indian team lacked Down Under was motivation and fighting spirit; the BCCI, Srikkanth and Dhoni must come up with answers for the terrible debacle

“There's nobody on the house-tops now--
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles' Gate--or, better yet,
By the very scaffold's foot, I trow.”
‘The Patriot’
Robert Browning

Well, obituaries of the Indian team are being written at a furious pace all over the cricketing world. The men in blue, the toast of the nation just half-a-year ago, have become the butt of jokes and ridicule now post their abject surrender to the Kangaroos in the Gavaskar-Border Trophy test series. They have turned into what most of their 'illustrious' predecessors (The same guys who pontificate from their commentary pulpits) were: flat track bullies who fail to get their act together when confronted with pitches with a hint of grass. The batting titans, comprising Sachin, Dravid, Laxman and Sehwag, who had scripted the most glorious era in Indian cricket, have been brutally cut to size and calls for the heads of some of them are getting louder by the day.
Before coming to the merits of this savage attack, I would like to ask this question: Is there such a huge chasm that separates the India team from teams like Australia, England and South Africa? If you go just by statistics, it may seem so. For, the Indians have been white washed in England and Australia. But, if one is willing to look beyond the statistics, he would find that the Indian team was as good as its rivals when the tours began. The main difference between them was in fighting spirit and mental strength; the obvious lack of these attributes led to an all pervasive decline in standards as the tours progressed. There was no captain worth his position or coach at hand to lift the sagging morale of the team and get it out of the woods.
Take the England tour, for instance. In the first test at Lords, the hosts were six for 107 in the second innings when Matt Prior and Stuart Broad joined together for an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 162 runs. If India could have bowled them out for a total less than 200, India stood a real chance of winning the test. Zaheer Khan's injury, who could bowl only 13.3 overs in the first innings, might have blunted the visitors' bowling attack. Anyway, India lost by 196 runs.
In the second test, things were slightly different. India took a healthy first innings lead of 68 and then allowed England to pile up a huge second innings total of 544. When the third test arrived, it looked as if India had accepted defeat even before the first ball was bowled. And it was soon all over. India got whitewashed 4-0.
In Australia, the pattern repeated. In the first test at Melbourne, both teams were even in the beginning and it looked as though Indians were bolstered by the return of Sachin and Zaheer. India restricted the Aussies to 333 in the first innings and was cantering to a huge lead at three for 214 when Tendulkar fell for 73. What followed was shocking as the Indians left the crease in a hurry to end the innings at 282. A commendable bowling performance led by Zaheer and Umesh Yadav got the Aussies the second time out for 240 and all the Indians needed to post a lead in the series was to score 292 runs on a friendly pitch. But that was not to be. The famed batting line up caved in under pressure and India lost by 122 runs. (That was the lowest margin of defeat in the entire series!) From the second test onwards, Indians lost the plot completely and accepted defeat as their natural destiny.
Some say, the obsession with Sachin’s 100th century played a part in diverting the focus of Team India. But, the fact remains that Sachin was the only batsman who was at home at the crease and he was the top run-getter for the country. Dravid’s wall has been breached and it seems there is a huge gap between his bat and front pad. Laxman, who turned around the test fortunes of India with astounding performances against the Aussies, seems like a magician who lost his art in the middle of an act. As for Sehwag and Gambhir, it is almost two years since they could come up with a match winning opening partnership. The top three run getters in the team are--Sachin, Virat Kohli (The bristling young man came up with a fighting century in the series) and, you may not believe this, R Ashwin! Well, that sums up the horrible Indian outing at the Australian crease this winter.
India could have reversed the tables in England and Australia if it had shown greater resilience and fortitude in times of crisis. However hard one may try, there are times when things don't come one's way. But one has to keep trying hard and think positively. What we have been seeing was precisely a lack of this attitude. At times, it seemed that this team even did not want to make a try. Indian teams were known for their ability to bounce back after losing the first tests. The teams led by Ganguly and Kumble had done that. But this team lost four straight tests in Australia, something India had not done for the past one decade.
And, that is where skipper Dhoni and Coach Fletcher have been found wanting. They just went through the motions and mouthed inanities when some tough questions were hurled at them. Of course, Dhoni does not deserve to be in the national team if his cricketing skills alone are counted. Neither his batting nor keeping would ensure his place in the eleven. He is in the test team because he is the skipper. He is a very useful and successful captain in one-dayers and Twenty20. But, surely, not for tests. As for Fletcher, the less said is better. This is his 11th test defeat (out of 12!) Down Under as a coach. He is not a patch on his predecessor Gary Kirsten and has been a spectator when the team was lurching from one defeat to the other. Remember, the team Kirsten handed over to him was the World Champions!
The selectors, led by 'admirable' Srikkanth, also failed to come up with sensible answers for the horrifying debacle. Why was this super talented team so under motivated? Did the proliferation of international matches, especially the IPL, dulled the fighting spirit of the team? And, last but not the least, the question arises as to whether the Fabulous Four has become a dead weight on the shoulder of the Indian team. There are no single word answers, indeed. Surely, there were visible symptoms of the malaise setting in months ago. India's lacklustre performance in the Caribbean was a case in point. The team had seemed lethargic and spiritless even then. But, our selectors had much more important things to dwell on than these silly diversions then.
Now is the time for answers. If the BCCI, selectors and team management cannot come up with credible answers and a plan to rejuvenate the team, it would not be long before the Indian cricket would gasp for breath and survival. But, the richest sports body in the world would put all the blame at the door of the players and go on as nothing had happened. That was what they did after India came back after losing to England 4-0. This time, things would not be that easy. So, they would like to axe some senior pros like Laxman and Dravid from the team. But, they don’t have the guts to bell the cat. So, they plant stories in the media saying that the two players would retire from cricket at the end of the tour. Then, they would replace Dhoni with Sehwag, may induct youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Cheteswar Pujara and Suresh Raina in the team. Sadly, these quick fix solutions won’t work even for the short term!
Back to senior players. Not many cricketers had served Indian cricketers as the Fabulous Four has done in the last one decade. They had been exemplary ambassadors of India on and off the pitch. The present crisis in Indian cricket is not a result of what they had done and they are being pilloried for the wrongs committed by the selection committee and the BCCI. They should be allowed to retire from the game with dignity; it would be painful to see them walking back with their heads down.

Gopi Krishnan, the unsung hero!

As the 2-G Spectrum scam gained momentum over the past few days, I never suspected that it was a Malayali journalist, with whom I had worked in the past, who had unearthed this gargantuan scoop involving an amount close to Rs 2 lakh crore. To tell the truth, I am pleasantly surprised to see that J Gopikrishnan, a colleague when I was with Jaihind TV, has felled Spectrum Raja with his relentless investigative reports.

The titans who lie bleeding from his arrows include Karunanidhi, Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata and Ravi Ruia. Of course, there are bigger fish waiting to be speared, if one goes by the CAG reports and SC comments. (The SC has made an adverse comment on the delay PMO had shown while responding to some letters which detailed specific anomalies in the allotment of 2G licences.) Not only that, his reports made it impossible for Raja to give away licences at his whim and fancy while auctioning the 3-G spectrum. It was done by an EGom, through which the government neted a cool Rs 1 lakh crore.

Back to Gopikrishnan. As his editor Chandan Mitra said, I found him to be a dogged journalist, who was ready to go to any lengths to unravel a story he was after. He had contacts in the right places and knew the news angle perfectly. But the way he talked and reacted (a little bit of swagger and one-upmanship, his detractors might say) made a section of the people talking behind his back, who even used to say that he was too much of a cynic.

But, Gopi Krishnan has made his detractors eat their words. By breaking the biggest scam story in the history of India, he has shown that a committed, persevering journalist can do wonders even in a world where money matters more than anything.

As the electronic media are busy fighting for the credit for exposing the Spectrum Gate, Gopi's heroic efforts in unraveling the murky deals might not get the recognition it deserves. But, he would remain a true champion of fearless journalism for all time to come.

Bravo Gopi! Our nation is indebted to you!

Independence Vs 'Aazadi'

A review of 'Aazadi' by S Mahadevan Thampi

by P Muraleedharan

Till the late '70s, before the eruption of extremist violence in the valley, the name Kashmir evoked a sense of warm happiness and divine beauty in the mind of an average Indian, typified by the Bollywood images of colourful youngwomen selling flowers, sitting on their pretty shikaras floating on the Dal lake. As Persian poet Sheikh Sadie is believed to have said, “If there is any heaven on earth, it is here in Kashmir, in Kashmir in Kashmir only.”

But, all that sense of wellbeing was to be shattered like a sacrificial coconut on a stone slab very soon. What the new generation identifies with Kashmir and its people are religious extremism, hatred and horrible bloodshed as though there never existed peace in the valley post the Indian Independence. (Of course, the valley is changing for the better and it seems, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. But, that feeling would take a little longer to take roots in the minds of people in India in general and in Kashmir in particular.)

It is in this context that S Mahadevan Thampi's novel assumes importance. The fast paced narrative (It couldn't be otherwise!) unfolds through the eyes of PP Menon, a high ranking Malayali civil servant who served the British before Independence and later the Indian government, in Jammu and Kashmir. The nonagenarian gets a call from Baithullah, who wants to meet Menon and his grandson before he breathes his last. Baithullah was an eminent Gandhian and freedom fighter in Kashmir who fought against the British and later, against the extremists from across the border.

Menon could not refuse Baithullah, his intimate friend, his last wish. So, he embarks on a journey from Ottappalam in Kerala to Sona in Kashmir, despite his failing health. He is accompanied by his grandson Hari, who is a DIG in the Special Task Force. This journey can be read at different levels--a journey through the emotional landscape called India, a journey of the country from being a British colony into a Republic, a journey from idealism and high hopes to frustration and despair brought on by our own leaders' narrow-mindedness and helped on by "friends" from across the border.

In Kashmir, Menon is visited by memories from his past at every turn. He fondly recollects his enduring love affair with his wife Parvathy, his secret association with the freedom fighters while working for the British (he was called 'the fighter within' by the Congress leaders) and the way the Indian government's suspicion of Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah sowed the seeds of discontent in Kashmir valley. These were later exploited by Pakistan to fight a proxy war against India, as everybody knows. Thampi provides a captivating account of how things underwent a sea change all of a sudden.

Thampi deftly juxtaposes the Kashmir of yesterday with that of today, with the non-violent struggle for Independence and the horrible, violent war for "aazadi". He asks the all-important question through PP Menon, who believes that they have already won the freedom for the country. He asks indignantly: What freedom? From whom do you want to be free? To do what you want that freedom for? For whom do you want the freedom? He makes it clear that the majority of the people of Kashmir do not want this "aazadi" (freedom). Those who demand it are Pak secessionists who masquerade as Kashmiris. Of course, there are some misguided youths who fall for their heady ideological mix of politics, religious extremism and hatred for India. The novelist is hopeful that they would realize their folly and the nefarious designs of Pakistan much sooner.

Anyway, Menon reaches Kashmir and meets Baithullah in the end. But, no, that is not the end of the novel. A stunningly beautiful climax, which shows the real "Kashmiriat" inspired by Sufi syncretism, awaits us in the end.

A transparent, beautiful prose, which turns lyrical, descriptive, matter of fact or even brutally insensitive as per the situational demand, makes for compelling reading. His descriptions of places and events in Kashmir are so real and picturesque that reading the novel is almost like watching a cinema on Kashmir. The characters are convincing, especially those of the old generation like Deen Dayal and Abu Hamza. The illustrations by Artist Namboodiri heightens the visual feel of the narrative.

In these times, when human rights activists bat for the rights of terrorists who are out to destroy the fabric of peace in societies, it is not at all fashionable to support the State in its efforts to battle extremism. It is here that Mahadevan Thampi deserves praise. A major pitfall of the novel also stems from this: At places, he seems to go overboard in his zeal to justify the deeds of Indian Jawans.

'Aazadi' belongs to a rare genre in Malayalam. The author marries fact with fiction and past with the present to make a beautiful novel.

(Published in the New Indian Express in June 2010)

‘Pazhassi Raja’: MT's Pulp Prince!

By P.Muraleedharan

Pazhassi Raja’s exemplary courage and leadership skills in fighting the might of East India Company from the hills of Wayanad have been a source of pride for every Keralite. Naturally, it was very exciting to hear that a biopic on the legendary ruler, who waged a “war of independence” against the East India Company 50 years before Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, was being made by the inimitable trio, comprising MT Vasudevan Nair, Hariharan and Mammootty. Oscar winner Resul Pookkutty joining late in the day to capture the sounds of the period movie added to the thrill.

But, what we get to see onscreen is a pathetic translation of history into cinema. Artistic licence notwithstanding, the film has history turned into a soap opera. The script penned by MT Vasudevan Nair is horrible and at times, revolting, to say the least. He has managed to make Pazhassi Raja, the Lion of Kerala, who had inflicted more casualties on the British Empire than some of the biggest armies in India then, into a sentimental idiot walking into the English guns trained on him in a bid to save his people (or, himself)! And the “heroic” last battle he wages before falling to a hail of bullets from assistant collector Thomas Baber’s army is worth some hearty laughs!

In ‘Vadakkan Veera Gadha’, an alternate interpretation of the “traitor Chandu” ballad, there were a number of memorable dialogues at least. In ‘Pazhassi Raja’, we are deprived of even that consolation. May be, MT was not able to identify himself with the hero, as the valiant prince was not brooding over a jilted love affair! Pazhassi’s last years, after having been cut off from his army of Nairs, wandering about in the jungles accompanied by his family members and attendants, finds little mention in the film. But, we are not talking about a film on history, but an entertainer that tries to mint money by masquerading as history!

Pazhassi Raja, played by Mammootty, looks majestic, but lacks the energy and charisma that would have motivated and unified peoples as different from each other as tribals, Nairs and Moplas into an army capable of taking on the mighty war machine led by Lord Wellesley. And pray, from where did the horses descend into the thick evergreen forests and hills of Wayanad? The scene (in slow-motion, of course!) in which Pazhassi’s mount crosses the river to reach his master is one of the funniest in the movie.

Sarath Kumar in the role of Edachena Kunkan and Manoj K Jayan as Thalackal Chandu do justice to the roles they play; at places, they steal the show from Mammootty’s confused character. Kunkan has been made to look like a character drawn straight from the epics, especially in the way in which he takes his own life. When the Hollywood films such as ‘Troy’ and ‘Alexander’ make epic characters such as Achilles and Alexander look every inch human, our “history film”, intended to take Pazhassi’s glorious history to the world, makes people who lived just 200 years ago look unreal and comic.

Though horses are aplenty in the jungles and hills of Wayanad, Kurichya girls are hard to find in the movie. Englishmen seem to be infected by malaria or some kind of typhoid typical of Wayanad; for, most of them are raving and ranting all the time! Poor fellows!

The only thing we remember once we get out of the theatre after an ordeal lasting more than three hours is the Resul Pookkutty effect. He brings the guerilla war in the jungles as close to the viewer as possible. Ramanath Shetty’s cameramanship captures the forests in all their pristine glory.

There is nothing much to say about Hariharan’s contribution as director of the film. It seems, as in ‘Veeragadha’, he has confined himself to the circle drawn by the writer. Who knows, whether he has it in him to go beyond that? (No sarcasm intended!)

The film has been reviewed with kid gloves by most critics and some of them have waxed eloquently over MT and some other over Mammootty’s royal looks. The debate seems to be on who looked better, Prince Pazhassi or Mammooty.

Post-script: The film has been granted tax exemption by the Government of Kerala. If a commercial potboiler film can be given tax exemption, why not extend the same to pulp fiction (derogatively referred to as “painkili” in Malayalam)?

Bundelkhand, Casterbridge and wife-selling

P. Muraleedharan

"It is our ardent desire that not even a single citizen of India should ever go hungry."

Dr Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister of India

August 15, 2009

It was in the late Eighties that I read 'The Mayor of Casterbridge', written by that master storyteller Thomas Hardy. The Wessex novel shocked me to no end and I shed copious tears over the tragic fate of Michael Henchard, who in a bout of inebriated insanity, auctioned off his wife and daughter to lead a life of repentance later.

Though the novel, set in the Nineteenth century England, touched a raw nerve in my heart, I was consoled by the fact that Hardy was hard-pressed to write a gripping emotional drama with enough twists and turns in every episode to keep the reader hooked and that the incidents in the book were products of Hardy's brilliant imagination.

But, some reports that came out early this month punctured that false sense of security and well being I had had. They said in elaborate detail about farmers in drought-stricken Bundelkhand selling off their wives for small amounts. Just think of the gravity of the crisis the farmers are in! Men who consider selling off even their cattle as a crime! They were not selling their wives because they were drunk; the desperate farmers upto their necks deep in debt, did the horrible crime knowingly. Because, they had no other option left!

Raja Bundelar, president of the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha, said: “This has been going on for years in the drought-affected and neglected region. Debt-ridden poor people are forced to mortgage their wives or daughters to private moneylenders. If a man is not been able to repay his debt, then he has to give the mortgaged woman to a moneylender.” Beautiful women fetch more money from the money lenders. Once the buyers are "bored" of the women, they sell them again at lower prices, say reports.

Some of the farmers know that they are selling their wives to prostitution rackets, says Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research in New Delhi. But, "they do it out of absolute desperation. They have absolutely no other alternative before them".

Yes, it is happening in India, the wannabe superpower of the new millenium! Bundelkahnd, a vast arid region that spans the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, has been experiencing drought for the consecutive fifth year and the rainfall in the region has been on a downward spiral. More than half of the population of the area has migrated to the cities in search of work; more than 500 farmer suicides have already occurred in the area. Even the much lauded NREGA was not able to make a tangible difference in the lives of the poor in the area.

Everybody with a little common sense would have known it was coming. It was not yesterday that Bundelkhand was hit by drought. What did our democratically elected rulers do? They sat on the files, twiddled their thumbs and watched the crisis growing into gigantic proportions. In between, they spent their energy on scoring political brownie points against one another. Some of them spewed venom on chief minister Mayawati for spending crores of rupees on statues and neglecting human lives and Mayawati retorted saying that it was a crisis made by her predecessors.

Recently, Rahul Gandhi visited Bundelkhand and later met the PM demanding relief measures and a Bundelkhand Authority for the development of the region. Petty politics or otherwise, the Prime Minister's Office came half way to meet Rahul Gandhi's demands. It has approved a special development plan worth Rs 30,000 crore for Bundelkhand, though no decision on Authority has been taken yet. One sincerely hopes that this time around, things will be different: no man would have to face the ignominy of selling his wife or daughter away to escape rural Shylocks!

Hardy had subtitled his work as 'The Life and Death of a Man of Character'. What would he have written if he was alive today? I am doubtful whether he could even attempt to type a line!

When Kamal and Mohanlal lock horns!

Review of 'Unnai Pol Oruvan'

By P. Muraleedharan

I have been really cross with Kamal Haasan since seeing his prosthetic disaster in 'Dasavatharam'. An artiste of the calibre of Kamal does not need the crutches of make up gimmickry to impress his audience and make new converts, for sure. The film showed his lack of respect for his own talents ( A local wit said, the film shows Kamal's deep self knowledge that he needs some kind of extra props to ensure the success of his films!) and, for his audience.

But, now 'Ulaga Nayagan' has made amends for his follies with 'Unnai Pol Oruvan'. The Chakri Toleti film is a slicker version of its Hindi original 'A Wednesday'. Kamal has shown the courage to rope in Mohanlal, an actor capable of giving him tough competition, in a high voltage role which naturally would call for comparisons with Kamal's performance. The film has turned out to be a winner on all counts: The much anticipated "battle" between the top actors are just unforgettable, to say the least. And both actors have come out with brighter reputations.

Kamal's role of a common man armed with a laptop and bomb-making knowledge gleaned from Internet is quite subdued and convincing. It is only towards the climax that he breaks into an impassioned speech. But, it is Mohanlal who walks away with all the applause. As the super cool cop, he lives onscreen and shows a good actor don't need to raise the decibel levels or resort to mimicry to communicate. Veteran actress Lakshmi gives an energetic performance as the beleaugured chief secretary of the state who unwilllingly entrusts the police commissioner (Mohanlal) the responsibility of dealing with the crisis. The easiness with which the commissioner handles pressure from all sides--his bosses, the terrorist, the pestering media, handling his officers--is a treat to watch. He conveys a sense of calm alertness and commitment in the face of a grave challenge, but that strain of uneasiness is there underneath all the same.

For Ganesh Venkataraman, who gives a powerful performance as a cop, this film may turn out to be the big break he has been waiting for. Anuja Iyer turns in a cool performance as a TV reporter.

It is heartening to see that director Chakri has not resorted to preachiness when dealing with such a sensitive theme. There are no songs in the movie and the background score by Kamal's daughter Shruthi Haasan in no way hampers the flow of events in the movie. The visuals, canned by Manoj using RED technology (for the first time in India), are just awesome.

The film has its failings, of course. The basic premise of the film would need some real support to stand on its own legs. Is it possible to root out terrorism by dispensing summary justice? Not at all is the answer, if we examine some of the recent anti-terror operations. (Just look at Guantanamo Bay and see what happened there.)

The film will be remembered for the towering performances of Kamal and Mohanlal for long.