A Scene From Gautham Menon’s Yennai Arindhaal

Sometimes certain scenes from a movie stands out and stands higher than the movie itself. Such scenes or shots give the rest of the film so much weight.

Unforgettable Movie Moments

Movies often hinge on unforgettable moments—those that linger long after the credits. ‘The Usual Suspects’ and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ at the Ladies Garden Club are defined by such impactful scenes. Personally, I revisit the concluding railway station scene of Moondram Pirai/Sadma more than the entire movie. Scenes like ‘Rudrum’ in The Shining or the ‘fat prisoner’s’ poignant conclusion in The Shawshank Redemption leave lasting impressions. One standout favorite is the club scene in ‘Babel,’ featuring a deaf girl attempting to dance to unheard music. These indelible moments transcend the ordinary, propelling films to greater heights.

Remember: In Elia Kazan’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ when Harold reveals whatever he knows about her to Blanche DuBois, and keeps her face under the wall-light to see her face!. How can we forget the last memory sequences in ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ or the restaurant scene with the two leads eating in ‘In the Mood for Love’.

Among the movies released recently one scene from Pa. Ranjith’s Madras and one scene from Gautham Menon’s Yennai Arindhaal impressed me too much. If the interval block of ‘Madras’ was memorable for the tension it created, ‘Yennai Arindhaal‘ scene touched me emotionally.

A Gautham Vasudev Menon Film

I felt to write about this since the day I saw ‘Yennai Arindhaal‘. The movie satisfied me as an Ajith film and not as a Gautham Vasudev Menon product. Anyway there are couple of scenes which stand out. Gautham Menon is one director who is an expert in romantic and emotional scenes. Right from his Minnale to Yennai Arindhaal. This particular scene (screenshots attached) touched me a lot.

Scene: Sathyadev (Ajith) is in his vehicle – Tension, he must find his daughter in no time -> A phone call from the villain -> Tension shifts to anger -> Villain reveals about Hemanika -> Anger shifts to silence and with no reaction Sathyadev (Ajith) walks out of the vehicle – bgm – immediately comes the voice over of him -> Tears.

The way Gautham Menon presented this scene is top class. Especially the silence to voice over. The classy shot continues till Sathyadev (Ajith) asks for forgivness (to Hemanika). Pure genius. Perfect. This scene left me speechless.

A Glimpse Into a Life-Altering Moment in Chennai

Back in 2005, during my time in Chennai working at a call center near Ambattur, a chilling incident unfolded one Friday night around 8 o’clock. I found myself in a share auto when a tragic accident occurred involving a couple on a bike and a bus. Witnessing the aftermath mere moments after the collision, the image of the lady (around 23-25 years old) lying near the massive back tire with a disordered appearance is forever etched in my memory. Though I didn’t see any blood, the sheer horror on her face was haunting. The auto driver somberly remarked, ‘She is gone.’ What lingers most vividly in my recollection is the reaction of the man who accompanied her. Standing there with his hands on his head, he bore the weight of unimaginable pain—no tears, no shouting, just a profound expression of grief. In those few seconds, a man’s life was irrevocably altered, leaving an indelible mark on my consciousness.