Trying to get inside Mysskin's head.

DECODING PISAASU:

If you haven't watched the movie, please don't read this article. Heavy spoilers below. Now first, the basics. Each colour has it's own distinct meanings. Let us take a look.

RED: Aggression, blood, anger, danger, violence, passion, love, passionate and sincerity.

GREEN: Good, quietness, friendship, healthy,  fertility, cleanliness, envy, reproduction, misfortune, good luck and sympathy.

BLACK: Death, evil, fear, sadness, anger, remorse, mystery, power and sexuality.

WHITE: Purity, cleanliness, truth, good,  peace, birth, simplicity and reverence.

BLUE: Water, peace, tranquility, cold, harmony, trust, loyalty, depression, confidence, cleanliness and calm.

YELLOW: Betrayal, dishonesty, deceit, satisfaction, cowardice, hope, fear, uncertainty, and imagination.

1) 01:01 - Extreme close up on Bhavani's face. BLUE bindi. Initial representation of Bhavani's character; trust, truth, water, and cleanliness. And also note that, Mysskin sir starts the movie exactly after one minute. Precision.

2) 01:06 to 01:13 - Left earning and right earning is blue. Her chudi has blue mixed with white.

And she smiling even at the brink of DEATH is a clear notion that she won't be an EVIL spirit after she dies.

3) 01:14 - The auto driver running towards Bhavani. The auto's colour, YELLOW. The guy who objects Siddharth and his friends when they ask him for answers. UNSURE of himself, and SCARED.

4) 01:15 - Siddharth's costume in entirely BLACK. DEATH. This is the basic hint that Siddharth was the cause of Bhavani's death. His car, the one that hit her. RED colour. BLOOD & DANGER. His car was his weapon. Weapon of DEATH.  DEATH (Siddharth) driving the car.

So, the Director has given all the character's character sketch in just 30 seconds after the movie started, and also he gave the answer to the riddle," who was the cause of the accident that killed Bhavani?"

5) 01:32 - "Oruthan pacha (GREEN) car'la idichitu poitan sir," is the line delivered by the auto driver. The woman (Saras) and driver(Sambath) in the car, having a stolen baby (HEALTHY,  FERTILITY, and REPRODUCTION) with them. Saras was wearing a RED (it also signifies intense things. ex., stealing) blouse. It itched my thought, "how can a good colour cause the accident?" I got my answer at the end.

6) 01:40 - We can't just ignore Bhavani now, can we? WHITE Vespa. PURITY, CLEANLINESS, GOOD and PEACE. BLACK car for Siddharth and WHITE scooter for Bhavani.

7) 02:11 to 02:14 - The traffic signal. All the established vehicles ( RED CAR, YELLOW AUTO  AND GREEN CAR) are shown together in these seconds. GREEN LIGHT, YELLOW LIGHT and finally the RED LIGHT. The shot could've been kept like, RED light gets turned ON from YELLOW, but it didn't. All the three colours were shown.

8) 02:26 to 02:29 - We, or some would be focused on the shouting at the auto driver, we didn't watch where the auto driver was looking. His defect's hint. The first diversion.

9) 06: 29 - Siddharth inside WATER. At the end, we find Bhavani inside ICE.

10) 08:00 - The child in the subway is given BLUE to wear. CALM, PEACE, TRUTH & HARMONY.

11) 11:10 - The IT professional who hits an old man, rides a bike which is also BLACK colour, and when this scene starts, it comprises Siddharth's RED car in the foreground, YELLOW auto in the mid ground and the BLACK bike in the background. A painting isn't it? A reoccurrence from the first scene. Also it has a BLACK car in the mid-ground.

12) 14:36 - Magesh not looking at Siddharth instead he looks at camera where Bhavani is standing. Again we, or some would be focused on Magesh's mother instead on Magesh. The second diversion.

13) After Siddharth takes a shower, he wears WHITE T-shirt and has a WHITE towel with him. It can be referred that he and Bhavani are in the same place. Thus, given the WHITE colour to Siddharth. Even his iphone is WHITE.

14) 18:50 - Morning. Siddharth is lying under a BLUE sheet. Bhavani changed it from WHITE to BLUE. The colour of the dress which Bhavani wore last was BLUE, and we can also say BLUE is her favourite colour. Wall clock is BLUE.

15) 23:04 - The beer bottle which a local punk takes out of a dust bin is GREEN colour. GOOD LUCK is also GREEN's meaning. And as it is a colour which is referred entirely on positivity in this movie, I found that the punk will not cause any pain to Siddharth. Something will happen to save Siddharth, and it did. The dustbin is BLUE.

16) 24:15 - When Siddharth turns to see with whom Magesh is playing the corridor light gets switched OFF and back ON. A sign that Mysskin gives in his way that Bhavani was there or she moved away from that place.

17) 25:54 - Siddharth's bed spread and pillow are in RED colour.

18) 30:20 - The exorcist enters, wearing a BLACK dress & glass and a RED turban. RED colour is a hint that she is going to get beaten.  P.S.: Mostly every horror and supernatural movies have one dummy saamiyar. :-P

19) 32:29 - The first shot and scene which is solely focussed on WATER. This is also the first scene where Bhavani's ghost form is shown (36:42) for the first time.

20) 36:50 - This is where I noticed even her cut shoes were BLACK. Mysskin sir didn't leave anything turned BLACK where it mattered. RED on the wall.

21) The beads chain which she has tied around her wrist , her hand bag, and the book she has are BLACK. The pencil she uses to scribble is RED. Exorcists prefer BLACK and it also deals with DEATH. The Director was true to the facts which represent the reality.

22) 43:53 - The pipes and Alto car are in DYNASTIC RED colour.

23) 52:14 - That curly haired jerk with two losers also has RED in his T shirt, and also him wearing the same T shirt always tells us that he is a non- productive person. Even his slippers are RED. With just the one costume he wears, Mysskin sir gives his entire character away. His back story is ours to think.

24) 54:58 - The RED apples in the photographs hanging in the kitchen.

25) 57:44 - The bike which Siddharth and his friends arrive to question the auto driver regarding the accident  is also BLACK.  Notice that vehicles related to accidents are always BLACK.  A RED colour bike in the background.

26) 58:05 to 59.00 - The auto driver lies, dishonest and doesn't accept the truth (YELLOW). But he also says that ,"namaku 500 podhum oru nalaiki." He is SATISFIED with what he earns. At last he he tells what he knows, giving HOPE to Siddharth, his friends and the audience to find what really happened.

27) 1:01:41 to 1:02:21 - The Muslim priests are in GREEN. Hindu & Christian priests are in WHITE. They both are POSITIVE colours. By now you guys should know what these two colours mean.

28) 1:07:47 - Bhavani confronts the curly haired guy. Beats him and causes pain. Note that the people getting beaten by Bhavani have RED on them or around them. The arrogant husband's wife was wearing MAROON with RED colour saree when he got beaten.

29) 1:17:51 - "Avana indha katthiyala kuthi kola panidrama," as soon as Bhavani's father tells this dialogue she leaves him and goes back in to the chimney. I first thought that as she is a good ghost, she never liked violence, but when I came to know who was actually the reason for death, I was blown. It was Siddharth. She can't let her father kill Siddharth. She loves him. That's why she goes back inside the chimney. Oru pisasuku emotion kuduthadha pathen. Viyandhu ponen. _/\_

30) 1:20:49 - The camera stays on few plants, entirely GREEN. Then it moves on to the cop exiting the Police Station. They question the cop about the person who drove the car, and they get the answer, which also leads them to the GREEN coloured car.

"Sir andha car yaaru otnanganu therinja," as soon as Siddharth tells this line, the old lady sitting in the background gets up, and comes and stands in front Siddharth. The big red bindi on her forehead tells us that she is a god devoted person, something like that. She saw, or felt what really happened. That's why she kept staring at Siddharth the whole time. She knew it was Siddharth. This was the second hint given to us, that Siddharth was the person who drove the car that hit Bhavani.

31) 1:25:11 - The saloon scene. The pillow on the customer bench and the sheet on Sambath is RED.

32) 1:25:51 - The mirror starts to crack. Bhavani wants Siddharth to stop what he is doing as she knows Sambath didn't drive the car, and if Siddharth slits his throat, he will become a murderer, which obviously Bhavani doesn't want.

33) 1:26:06 - Siddharth's face's reflection on the mirror tells that it was him who drove the car that hit Bhavani, or we can see it in this way, like Bhavani is showing him that it was he who drove the car that hit her, not that innocent guy.

34) 1:27:05 - This is the highlight. Saraswathi aka Saras, Sambath's relation, wears a BLACK coloured blouse, RED coloured dhavani, has a GREEN colour drum on her hip, Hibiscus flower (RED) on her head. She is the one who saw everything. She says everything. So, as she says the entire thing what happened, the colours which were shown separately in the first scene (check points 4 & 5) were all put together on one person together. RED dhavani is RED car here. BLACK blouse is Siddharth in BLACK costume. GREEN drum is the GREEN car used to escape. This scene is a hidden masterpiece.  Saras is the beacon of TRUTH.

35) 1:27:08 - WATER leaking from the drum. The second shot solely on WATER. The truth is going to take Siddharth where Bhavani is. Refer point 40 (not now).

36) 1:29:06 - Wind blows. Bhavani wants to stop the auto driver from telling the colour of the apples.  If he tells, Siddharth will know it was he who drove the car that hit Bhavani. She knows that if he comes to know that he was the reason for her death, he won't handle it well, and will be heartbroken. That's why she wanted to stop the auto driver from telling the colour of the apples.

37) Another thing what we or some missed was, 31) 1:20:49, from this scene Siddharth wears the same costume which he was wearing during Bhavani's DEATH in the first scene. As Siddharth gets closer to answer, he is made to wear the same BLACK shirt and pant.

38) 1:30:28 - Wind stops blowing. Bhavani's measures ends up in vain. Siddharth uncovers the truth. He knows, it was he who killed Bhavani.

39) 1:32:34 - Siddharth vs. Bhavani. BLACK vs. WHITE. DARKNESS vs. LIGHT. DEATH vs. LIFE. But the irony here is that, the person who represents DEATH is alive and Bhavani, who represents LIFE & LIGHT is dead. Irony at it's peak. Colour can give irony. _/\_

40) 1:39:08 - Bhavani inside an ICE block. ICE --> WATER--> ICE.  Look at the points 19 & 35. The scene referring to point 19 is where Bhavani's physical appearance was shown for the first time. 35 is the scene where the truth about Bhavani's DEATH is told. All these are the reflections from the fact that she is inside an ICE cube. SYMBOLISM. _/\_ to Mysskin sir.

 41) 1:42:45 - At last she cremates herself inside the very car that killed her. The circle. Is complete. 

AFTER DOING A SECOND STUDY:

42) 21:09 & 45:25 - Siddharth and his mother wear BLUE colour costume before being attacked.

Notice that whenever BLUE is attacked, there is always GREEN around. GREEN is a GOOD LUCK charm for Siddharth and his mother. GREEN is a MISFORTUNE for the attackers. GREEN beer bottle, T-shirt and carry bag.

43) 46:40 - The one wearing GREEN is the one who makes the arrogant husband come upstairs to get beaten.

GREEN bottle is used against the punks and let go of Siddharth.

GREEN is BLUE's saviour.

44) 01:14 & 45:39 - In both places, YELLOW comes to rescue the ones in BLUE. Auto driver - Bhavani. Magesh's mother - Siddharth's mother.

45) 08:01 - The little girl and Siddharth are shown together in BLUE. BLUE also denotes HARMONY. She sings, he plays. They are in HARMONY.

46) 14:22 - The arrogant husband and the innocent wife. Look at his lungi closely. It has the colour of his wife's saree. RED also features in the background.

 47) Siddharth after resuming back to his life, the kid in the subway and Siddharth's mother, all are made to wear BLUE in their introduction.

48) 14:08, 45:24 & 45.39 - I don't know exactly whether the Director thought this one like this, or whether I'm crossing my line in decoding, but this one fits.

"Men at work. Please use the staircase."

 Arrogant husband is at WORK (beating).

 Magesh's mother uses the STAIRCASE wearing YELLOW.

The warning board is in YELLOW. This may be the reason for going CLOSE on the warning board.  All these are in the same building.  This scene fits the words in the warning board.

AFTER THE THIRD STUDY:

49) People who drop coins are in WHITE and BLUE.

50) The poor and the homeless in the song "Pogum padhai dhooram illai" will have BLUE on them or with them. TRANQUILITY.  It means state of peace and free from disturbances. Even though they are poor, they live a peaceful life, not a stressful life like us. They don't run behind money, pleasure and luxury.

51) He is a professional violinist. But for the commuters he is a blind man, playing for money. He could've made to stand alone, or next to someone else, but he was not. Just like him there is an another person, sitting on the floor with an instrument and wearing a black glass. He is blended to become a homeless guy.  Another reason why Siddharth stands next to these blind people is, he doesn't want to be stared at. We people don't respect and don't mind the challenged, poor and homeless people. So, he stands with them, plays his tune, and goes home without being noticed as a normal person. He gets what he wants, PEACE in playing. A win-win situation.

52) This shot delivers the meaning of the song "Pogum padhai dhooram illai."

If children are not abandoned by their parents, those children would walk with their mother holding their hand, instead of begging in the streets. BLUE & GREEN in this shot too.

53) 27:39 - Bhavani gets possessive on Siddharth. She doesn't like his friend sleeping next to him. That's her place next to him. That is why she pushes his friend. It was never meant to torment or scare them. She is in LOVE.

 54) The apple reference. One RED apple in the GREEN bucket. One RED apple with many GREEN apples.

The above two shots also have one person in it wearing BLACK dress and BLACK footwear.

55) 58:20 & 1:22:46 - Auto driver, and the mechanic with YELLOW in the scene, are evasive. They LIE. They FEAR for their safety.

56) 1.23.29 to 1.23.32 - We know now that the GREEN colour car was used to commit a huge crime. So it is abandoned by Sambath and Saras as soon as they steal the baby. After the first scene, the car is hidden in the mechanic shed for many days, untouched and unmoved.

That's why the centipedes started to settle on the car.

 The centipedes also have RED colour on them.

There isn't a single scene where the colours RED & GREEN are missed out. These are the few mise en scène I noticed which constitute RED & GREEN colour. Fence, T shirt, pants, leaves, trees, boards, lights, grass, bike, chairs, nurse uniform, fire extinguisher, direction board, walking stick, flowers, balloons, Bisleri bottle cover, bricks, car, beer bottle, caution & stop tape, Magesh's specs frame, money plant box, the photographs hanging on the wall with red cups, Siddharth car's rear mirror, blue bucket, green saree, coconuts, clay horse, shutter, and hosepipe. Do watch closely.

I might have missed something, or if I'm wrong anywhere, do comment that below. I don't know whether Mysskin sir really thought what I thought, but I know I was at least an inch near his thoughts on colours.

Anyone can shoot a scene with a camera, but there is a reason why Cinema is called ART. Life, colours, meaning(open & hidden), context, emotion, the list goes on. For a two hours movie, a man who has done this much thinking, should be respected, and followed.

MYSSKIN sir is one clear, and a differentiated breed.  Cinematography was used as per the script. Not one unnecessary shot was used. Music of this film did reach the emotional peak. ARROL CORELLI is one heavy find. RADHA RAVI sir is the unsung hero. This movie is one clear reminder to us, not to forget the previous era's artists and their potential. This man stirred the fatherly emotion.  RESPECT TO TRUE ARTISTS. _/\_

- Nirmal S. Sudarsana