Hey Ram (2000)

An excellently crafted Indian film, the lead actor Kamal Hassan amazes me not only with his histrionics as the lead actor but also as a good writer and director. Technically brilliant, the story has many layers to it. I liked the idea of showing the story in the eyes of a dying old man (good use of prosthetic make-up on Hassan) for whom the past is vivid in memory and the present is bleak. So, the story of the past is in color and the present in Black and White... a novel approach indeed.

It's a look at a fictitious character who could have been Gandhi's assassin. It's a look at the counter-effect of Gandhi's principles and his decisions (or the lack thereof) on the lives of some of the Hindus. It brings to light something Indian history books were embarrassed to talk about!

The story itself covers 50 decades and has characters from every region of India, the hero is a Tamil Brahmin, his first wife a Bengali, his best friend a Muslim pathan, his 'guide', a Maharashtrian, and his target, a Gujarati! Rani Mukharjee and Shah Rukh excel in their small but substantial roles. Atul Kulkarni as Abhyankar and singer Vasundhara Das stand out in their debut performances.

The highlight of the film of course is its background music by Maestro Ilaya Raja. I believe he is the only Asian to have composed a symphony, that too in 30 days flat!!!! There's no composer in India who can match up to this guy. Alas, the Hindi film industry these days encourages only mediocrity and has not recognized this gem from the South! I wish the movie's background music score is made available. Of the songs, there's one which kind of remained in the background for some reason, it is an excellent melody.. 'Har Koyee Samjhe' sung by classical artist, Ajoy Chakraborti.

Cinematography and art-direction too are flawless. All in all a great film. If you are tired of watching candy-floss romances, inane comedies, garish family dramas and weddings... this is THE antidote! Go for it!

Fmovies: Kamal Hasan is a truly great actor and with this film he has cemented his status a talented director. This is an epic film which is extremely thoughtful. It shows how a rationale man can turn into a prujudiced extremist. It shows that hatred for past tragic events will not solve feelings of loss of a loved one. It also shows that compassion and sacrifice are needed in politics rather that populist rabble rousing. This film has been criticized in many quarters for many reasons. People have said that the film focuses on Kamal Hasan too much and that it a self indugent vanity fest. This is unfair considering Mr Kamalji is one of the best actors in India. Also the film is about this person and the imapct on his thinking to tragic surrounding events. The film would not have worked without this intense focus. The film's storyline has been labeled inconsistent. It has been cited that the change to a anti-Islamic Hindu fundamenatlist in Kamal Hasan's character was not explained. If a muslim (who was a loyal servant and friend) had murdered your wife I think most people attitudes to your fellow man would change. The film has a consistent plot. The only critisicm is that perhaps the film was too long but overall a great film which is indeed an experiment with truth.

hey ram is way too complex for the average indian viewer. the movie's complex techniques of flash-trhough, visual & aural associations, extended pauses & the use of the mental imagery of the protagonist to express his thoughts most probably did not connect with the indian audience.

the movie, im sure, is hailed as a classic at film institutes and by connoisseurs but the demanded too much involvement from the audience, for it to have any kind of mass appeal.

the sensitive story and the harsh visuals would have further delineated the audience, but for discerning viewers who like to get involved in the movie, this is a must see.

the way the protagonists thoughts, views & ideals on the issue of patriotism, struggle & Gandhi keeps changing and evolves slowly through his own experiences are extraordinary to watch. makes me want to read more about the Mahatma.

a brilliant movie, will rank among my alltime favourites. a classic 10.

Hey Ram fmovies. its a real good one.!! a reality show telling viewer what makes a human worse than a cruel and mad animal..and then again shows that still humanity is live like always.. and why our world is best place to live...certainly because our goodwill.. A reality show,fully mature and a search for the truth.its a great story telling with even greater acting by all its characters. it may some time make you think that path of gandhiji was not right,but eventually just like the hero knees down you would think that whatever Mr. Gandhi had in his hand he did his best. thanks to Mr. kamal haasan for his i think best Hindi movie and one of my best one too.. and finally i got it worthy enough to give it 9.9 out of 10.

A Real Eye-Opener... and that's what its is. First of all I would like to inform that I haven't yet watched the original version of this movie which claims to be better than this Hindi version.That's the reason I can't compare both movies. This movie has it all,whether its Hard-Core Reality, maturity, direction, special-effects and most of all great acting and true-to-the-core screenplay which provides us with nothing but tough reality which can be bargained for nothing, NOT even for what everybody calls, Religious Tolerance. However one tries to ignore it,one cannot defy the hard truthfulness of the subject of this movie. As far as the plot is concerned it's imaginary but not impossible. The idea that there could have been more than one potential killers of Gandhiji is not impossible.But that is not what the talented Kamal Haasan want to present in front of us.Instead he wants to introduce the ACTUAL circumstances during the times of Indian struggle for freedom. he has truly depicted the life of an average Indian who truly loves his motherland and beautifully depicted the transformations he undergoes from an anti-Muslim, anti-Gandhi to a humanataranian. My personal favourite from the movie though is not Kamal's character but that of Atul Kulkarni's.The way he lives his life as tough as that,his inteligence,his intense love for his motherland which overrides his mind even in the eventuality of facing a physical disorder which he has to suffer and also as a result of which he get bedridden is truly inspirational.And most of all it was TRUE in those days! The visual-effects though not the greatest but are great. This script is what we can call a revolution in (1)typical Indian's thinking standards,(2)expression of hard-core reality. Also as a movie its simply great for its acting,visual effects, direction and most of all its Script. Truly, this movie enjoyed the well deserved nomination from India's part in the category of Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.And it well could have been the winner if only it could have been possible for Kamal Haasan to put much more necessary efforts in that direction. Finally,though not a completely perfect movie still I would give it a 10 out of 10 due to its TRUTHFULNESS. If the Always Talented Kamal Haasan makes a next movie even half good as this one I would like to watch it. Its unarguably the best of all Indian movies including Hindi ones.

It's my personal Rank One among my top ten Indian (though not international)movies. The future would be great if more individuals would watch more mature movies like this. Also this is my first review of its kind so if possible forgive me for any misgivings.

A truly amazing experience.....One cannot explain the kind of feeling that creeps into your heart at the end of this movie...its a hard-hitting mixture of reality with a very interesting element of fiction thrown in.....every aspect of the movie was breath-taking...the music by the Maestro Ilayaraaja..especially the songs...Nee partha, Isayil thodanguthamma and hey ram.....The BGM completely gels with the movie ..... Coming to the acting, I personally feel this is one of the best movies of almost every actor in the movie..Kamal is his usual splendid self....Watch him become the happy lover, the broken human being, the idealist and finally the old man with wrinkles of experience...the idea of having used colour in the past and b/w in the present is definitely a great concept.....Other than Kamal Haasan, Atul Kulkarni and Rani Mukherjee have given mind-blowing performances....Kulkarni is an incredibly talented actor and one can see the emotion in his eyes that speak most of his dialogues in the movie...Rani mukherjee is the perfect fit for her role of a Bengali teacher and has given a wonderful performance......The movie comes as a kind of rebel in the usual masala Indian movies genre and is a must watch for anyone interested in gaining a wholesome experience....Another feather on India cinema's cap.....