This is the second film that I have seen in recent times (the other being Ikiru) that has the power to change the course of the life of its viewer, for the better. Haasan is breathtakingly brilliant in Anbe Sivam (Love is God), even more so in my opinion than his turn in the Godfather-inspired Nayakan. He traverses the entire gamut of emotions and is especially brilliant in the comic scenes. He is master thinker, too, which is evident from the screenplay that he has written. While the script prima facie seems to be a rip off of the classic "Planes, trains and automobiles" ("Due Date" was another recent spin on the same story), the depth that Haasan offers because of the inherent conflict that he introduces in the exchanges between Sivam, who is a communist, a "comrade" and Anbarasu, the quintessential child of free market, gives the happenings a rare gravitas, inspite of the comic incidences. And although the love story that plays in flashback runs in a predictable fashion and takes away some of the sheen, it ends in a spectacularly jaw dropping climax that stunned me. Hindi movie audience has been truly unfortunate as we have seen so little of Kamal Haasan. There has been the odd Appu Raja, wherein he blew away with his double act. Then there was the abhorrent "Abhay", which could have put an insomniac to sleep. Watching this is a penance that Hindi movie watchers who have berated Kamal Haasan as an overrated actor should perform, at least once. This is available, with English subtitles, on Amazon Prime.
Review of Anbe Sivam
