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Varshangalkku Shesham: A Discussion - Friendship and Cinema

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I am not a great fan of cinema on cinema. Primarily because it takes you through different aspects of film making and in the process demystifies the process of filmmaking itself, pretty much the feeling one would get when a magician after a good round of applause explains to the audience how he pulled off the trick.  Varshangalkku Shesham on the other hand brought up much more engagement and entertainment in the ‘process’ of explaining magic (Jigarthanda has achieved this before). The story follows the lives of two friends Venu and Murali who leave a small town in Kerala for the promise of making it big in Kodambakkam, Madras. Spanning over fifty years, it is more about the friendship between two contrasting individuals than the film industry itself.  The evolution of friendship between the two lead characters were established organically. Venu understands the prowess of Murali when the dashing smash-buckling musician saves a dull drama by a village troupe with only the versatility