StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Sai Sandeep
World class performance of Kamal and Maniratnam PC Sriram Ilayaraja combo's magic makes this movie an emotional,visual and musical masterpiece.This movie is the product of India's finest actor,Director,Cinematographer and Music Director.It is a natural tendency to compare movies of this genre to Godfather as it set the benchmark.I am a huge fan of Godfather trilogy and can proudly say that this movie paralleled and in some cases surpasses godfather in narrative,performance and visuals.I would not like to spoil anything about this movie.Do yourself a favor and watch this to experience the best of those legends. Story 10/10
Direction 10/10
Music 10/10
Performances 10/10
Mohammed Faizer
I would rate this movie as a glowing example of the essence being inspired but the setup, execution and the ultimate product being original. people argue that the look of older Kamal's make-up being similar to that of Marlon Brando, the way Kamal cries when his son is killed is similar to the performance of Marlon Brando etc.. But no one can argue the fact that the scene build up and the way the story was setup was not lifted from the God Father, there are so many movies that are copied scene by scene (as a matter of fact the Hindi film Dayavan was a scene to scene copy of Nayakan but failed miserably!) but here the genius called Mani Ratnam has adopted the basic storyline and Indianized and made a masterpiece around a character (co-incidentally resembled much to the local Dharavi don Varadha Bhai) which was immortalized by Padmashree Dr. Kamal Haasan. A must watch for anyone who has an eye for meaningful entertainers with the best technicians in the industry at rollicking form firing all cylinders from Mani Ratnam, Kamal Haasan to Thotta Tharani, Ilaiyaraja, P.C Sreeram etc.
heramb kirtany
personally crime is my favorite genre and this is undoubtedly there in my list of "best crime films of all time" this realistic, straightforward,and gripping crime drama gives you an extraordinary cinematic experience. well written characters, simple yet excellent screenplay, outstanding performances especially the one of our main protagonist played by Hassan, and out of the world direction make this movie a "cult-classic". way too ahead of its time Nayakan is definitely the most influential crime film in the history of Indian cinema. i do have to mention that it is largely similar to the 1972 classic godfather but which Crime movie isn't? Mani Ratnam adds life the narrative. not to be missed!
Vivekmaru45
I am very privileged to write this review for my hero, actor Kamal Hassan. I have seen most of his well known films: Sadma, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Saagar, Appu Raja, Hindustani, Puspak (a.k.a. The Love Chariot 1988), Chachi 420.I adore all the above films of his. You can collect of the above movies and it will be a good collection to start with.This film written and directed by Mani Ratnan, got rave reviews across India. Kamal Hassan's performance in this film earned him a Best Actor award. Maniratnam earned accolades from all over India and became popular overnight.The film also earned National Award for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.Nayagan (which means 'Hero' or 'Leader') is based on the real-life Bombay underworld don Varada or Varadarajan Mudaliar, and sympathetically depicts the struggle of South Indians living in Bombay (now Mumbai). The lead character is played by Kamal Haasan, and the film also stars Saranya, Karthika, Nassar, Delhi Ganesh and Janagaraj. The soundtrack of the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.The film was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987. In 2005, Time Magazine included Nayagan in its "All-Time 100 Best Films" list.[1] The film was remade in Hindi as Dayavan in 1988, with Vinod Khanna playing the part of Saktivelu and with Feroz Khan and Madhuri Dixit playing the roles of Selvam and Neela. A dubbed version of the film was released as Velu Nayakan in 1999.Plot: Sakthivelu Nayakar (Kamal Hassan), the protagonist, is born to an anti-government union leader. The child, Velu, is tricked by the police into locating his father, and then witnesses his father's death in a police shootout. Then after doing the final rites for his father, he kills the person who was the cause for his father's death. Orphaned, he escapes to Bombay.Stranded and homeless in the big city, he is rescued by a kind-hearted Muslim fisherman who takes him into his home in the sprawling suburban slums of Dharavi. His foster-father is also a small-time smuggler known for his generosity in the slum. Upon his running afoul of a senior crime lord, the corrupt local police officer Inspector Kelkar arrests the fisherman on smuggling charges, and is later murdered. Velu Naiker, now a young man who has come into his own, goes in search of the officer and bludgeons him to death.With this act, he is seen at once a saviour and a man to be feared amongst the slum residents. As their godfather and protector, he flourishes by resuming his dead foster-father's local smuggling activities. He marries a destitute school-girl-turned-prostitute (Saranya) and has two children. Conflicts and power struggles occur in the competitive web of the smuggling world, in which Velu's wife becomes a casualty. Velu's kids are sent away to Chennai as a result and return years later to their father's home, as young adults.The son, Surya (Nizhalgal Ravi), is eager to join his father in his activities, despite his father's reluctance. For his first real test, he is required to eliminate a potential witness against his father; he does this by hiring outside thugs. They succeed in eliminating the witness, but their failure to cover their tracks leads police to him at a petrol bunk and an accident costs him his life. Velu is heartbroken. Velu's daughter (Karthika) is at odds with her father over his form of justice and killings. To this he replies Ellariyum nerutha solu, appuram naan neruthuran. The death of her brother was the last straw for her and she cuts off her relationship with her father and leaves him.A newly appointed Assistant Police Commissioner (Nassar) starts afresh the hunt to bring Velu Nayakar to justice over his alleged activities and manages to secure an arrest warrant. This Commissioner is unknowingly Velu's son-in-law, as his daughter had secretly married him. After continued pursuit resulting in the beatings by police and self-immolation of slum dwellers, Velu surrenders to the police to spare the lives of the residents of his slum. He is tried in court but is released due to the lack of adequate evidence for his alleged nefarious activities. A supportive and emotional crowd gathers at the courthouse, awaiting Velu's release. Velu emerges to greet the tumultuous crowd but unexpectedly gets shot by Inspector Kelkar's retarded son, whom Velu had adopted, after he learns that Velu had killed his father long ago.The film has some very emotional moments: when Velu's wife his shot and he covers his children's eyes with her scarf, which eventually slips from his hands. When Velu visits his daughter's house for the very first time and is not allowed see his grandson. And towards the end when he learns that his daughter has given her son his own name. He wants to give his grandson some money as a gift to him, he reaches into his pocket and finds none. The final scene in the movie shows Velu dead lying on the same street in which he fought for the people and which he grew up on. I broke down crying when I saw that scene.Buy this great film on DVD, and watch it with your family and friends.GOD BLESS KAMAL HASSAN.Write to me Vivekmaru45@yahoo.com if you are a Kamal Hassan fan like me and we can chat about his films.Thanks for reading.
