Birthday Special: S. Shankar, vigilantism, and grandeur

S. Shankar Picture Courtesy: AFP

S. Shankar is often referred to as a visionary filmmaker. Every filmmaker has a vision without which his or her cinema won't exist. Shankar's vision is comparably grander in its canvas. The power of the imagination is unprecedented and the budget at the disposal is enormous and enviable. His 2018's juggernaut ‘2.0' is the most expensive film in Indian history, made at the historic cost of over Rs 534 crore.

Blending realism and fiction with a dash of some spectacular visual effects, Shankar's brand of cinema is both an eye-opener and an entertainer. His stories are you wish were true, for their themes and their towering characters and canvas. For all the personal consumption of his films, what has stayed constant is the relentless rooting for the central character. He has to be wronged by the system, let down by society, and a vigilante is born out of challenging circumstances.

In 1996's ‘Hindustani', ‘Indian' in Tamil, starring Kamal Haasan in a double role, the filmmaker gave the Universal Hero two roles poles apart in personalities. The father was a freedom fighter and driven by uprightness and justice. The son is crafty and manipulative, giving his greed the excuse for practicality. It's a solid clash of ideology and generation, not before the father and the fighter has eliminated some corrupt officials rotting the country. The finale could be reminiscent of ‘Shakti' or even ‘Mother India', Shankar's version is the first step towards his obsession with reforming the nation, only through stories as a storyteller.

In Anil Kapoor's 'Nayak: The Real Hero' that has a cult following now, and was unfairly and unknowingly ignored in 2001, the hero (named Shivaji Rao) was a common man, a cameraman who chances upon an opportunity to interview the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This 14-minute interview has more memes than the Hera Pheri franchise combined. The reluctance to take on burning and crucial questions, the discomforting silence that follows, the glass of water, it all came back again in real. When the interviewee becomes the CM for one day' ‘Nayak' explodes in its narrative.

The climax is debatable, a common man who becomes a politician who becomes a vigilante becomes a politician again, only distraught and disgusted at the transformation. He's pacified by his secretary, which establishes that the means may have been wrong, it was all for the reformation of the state. Shivaji Rao was truly The Real Hero.

One of Shankar's most successful films in cinemas and on television is Vikram's ‘Anniyan,' dubbed as ‘Aparachit- The Stranger' in Hindi. The filmmaker's route towards vigilantism gets longer and bolder with this action thriller. Vikram is Ambi, a meek lawyer with an OCD for perfection. He hates indiscipline and despises anyone who breaks the law. Everyone knows what happens when injustice prevails before his eyes. His distress over unlawfulness leads to a split personality that creates a monster called Anniyan. Remo is birthed out of a heartbreak.

Vikram carries three roles in one body and one film, all with perfection and precision, just like how Ambi would want. Shankar's cinema proves a pen may not be mightier than the sword always. At times, a sword would be the only way out.

It's hard not to talk about ‘Robot' and ‘2.0' together since the filmmaker created a franchise out of a fascinating character. In the first film, a machine falls in love with its creator's girlfriend, giving us a unique love triangle, brimming with audacity and imaginative effects. The action in the climax should thank its lucky stars it could see the reactions on the big screen. Sitting at home amid the pandemic, consuming this adventure drama on mobiles and televisions would mar its juiciness and enormity.

In the sequel, the machine returned to team up with its master to battle a monster who was again a vigilante wronged by society and let down by the system. Shankar used mobile phones to shoot morbid deaths that only create fear and panic for what we cannot imagine to stay without. Akshay Kumar's body is comprised of multiple cell phones continuously displaying pictures and videos of birds that died due to radiations from cell phone towers. ‘2.0' wasn't as engrossing and shamelessly entertaining as its prequel, the filmmaker showed his vision knew no bounds.

He's now coming up with ‘Indian 2' and the remake of ‘Anniyan' with Ranveer Singh and Kiara Advani. Which film are you more excited about? And how many times did you read the word vigilante in this article?

Also Read: Watch behind-the-scenes footage of Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar's '2.0'