Chinna Gounder : Small In Name, Big In Value

I’m listening to Muthu Mani Maalai ( Illayaraja) from Chinna Gounder (1991) . This song was sung by S.P.B and Susheela. It has a soothing melody, beautiful lyrics and needless to say, S.P.B goes all out in conveying the emotion behind the song. The lyrics are a perfect fit with the movie.
However, I am not fascinated with the song on an individual level but rather by the way it reminds me of the movie.

Chinna Gounder is one of my favorite village movies. I saw it last year for probably the third or fourth time and enjoyed it as much as I have previously.

I enjoy these movies because they help me understand different cultures within Tamil Nadu. The emotions, drama, and traditions of different communities are vividly described in Tamizh cinema. Movies like Virumandi shows us the fierce pride that is characteristic of the Thevar community, Kadhal shows us how a typical Madurai community would react to their daughter running away with her lover. Bharathiraja has used the Thevars as his primary focus in many of his movies : Vedham Puthiyathu, Pasumpon, Kizhakku Chimayiley etc.

I enjoy noticing the variations in accents, voice modulation and choice of words in movies like this. It takes a special kind of directon for a director to showcase a village movie that will hold the attention of a hardcore Chennai metro movie fan. Suryavamsam is yet another favorite.

The people of the Gounder community are known for their humble, gentle and polite dispositions. Vijaykanth plays the role of Chinna Gounder and he falls in love with Sukhanya who herds goats for a living. I love the way the relationship between them blossoms. There is a song Suthi Suthi where Vijaykanth and a group of young boys tease her mercilessly.

There are some great scenes too; the luncheon she has to collect money, Vijaykanth placing a thali under the banana leaf as a token of his affection, the way he threatens to spin a top on her belly-button, Manorama’s amazing perfomance as his mother. I did not feel like laughing at Vijaykanth during any part of the movie. He fits the character to perfection. I genuinely liked him in the movie, one of his finest perfomances alongside intelligent movies like Ramana. The director Udayakumar did a real good job with this movie.

Going back to the song, Sukhanya’s dead mother has only left behind a pearl necklace for her daughter, the only real wealth she has. Her financial troubles force her to pledge the necklace. Vijaykanth manages to retrieve it for her on their wedding night. The song’s lyrics aptly tease a bride on her wedding night but also manage to convey the myriad reasonsVijaykanth
loves her, for her pride, her honor and her beauty. She also conveys her love and gratitude to him through this song. It is virtually unheard of in conservative communities for a village chief to legally marry a goatherd.

Sukanya’s role is superb. I love movies where you make an instant connection with the heroine. You laugh when they laugh and feel sad when they get hurt. You actually smile when they get with the hero. Most recenty, the only movie where the heroine made an impact on me was Asin in Ghajini. I loved her character but the topic of striking female characters is enough fodder for a whole new post.

Tamil lyricists do not cease to amaze me. The analogies, deeper meanings and connotations in every song are amazing. Half my fascination for tamil music is attributed to the beautiful lyrics.

Muthu Mani Maalai is beautiful.