This is not a post entirely about the tamil movie, KUMKI. This is an interpretation of the symbolism present in the presentation of the script.
The protagonist, a mahout, has nurtured a baby elephant (Manikkam) since his childhood and is very dear to him. In the earlier few minutes of the movie, we see that the love shown by him towards Manikkam is also mutual. This scene will not be alien to anyone who has nurtured a pet at home. Getting angry with the ones we love and feeling sorry for the entire meaningless quarrel is definitely part and parcel if you have loved, fought and briefly lost someone and have always got them back after a dramatic reunion. But this scenario is also applicable to persons who haven't loved someone in flesh and blood.
I believe that the elephant, in the movie, is the symbol of one's self. I don't want to draw a comparison between the elephant and a man's ego. The self of a person is as old as the person himself. He loves it, fights with it occasionally only to find it to be a companion who comforts him during dire straits. Many individuals, who are fortunately/unfortunately loners, usually have their selfs to accompany them during the greater part of their day. This self is so critical to one's persona that he/she takes its side even it means that the others (the society & family) are against him/her. The fact that this self can be projected by the individual as big as an elephant, and in that sense, bigger than him is, to my opinion, one of the main themes in the movie. We also see the mahout using the elephant for petty jobs like decorating a procession, garlanding the bride of a wedding ceremony. In doing similar tasks, an individual, intentionally or unintentionally, makes his/her self to get used to something which is less intensive. The individual may not find a problem as long as such harmless acts earns him his daily bread.
The little episode where the mahout is angry with the elephant and disowns it, only to feel sorry for the act later, is quite possible with an individual and his "self". An individual is often prone to disown his self due to the impulsive, spontaneous actions committed by the self and, as expected, also acknowledges the innocence of the self in the delicate situation and embraces it with a promise not to turn his back ever on the self or leave the self the alone in unwanted scenarios.
After the initial introduction about the bonding between the Bomman and Manikkam, we see them faced with a situation which comes up as a result of wishing to help an acquaintance. The task of having his Manikkam substitute a Kumki elephant doesn't sound that alarming to the mahout due to his confidence of pulling out this task. Also he's ready to take this up as the impersonation is only for a brief period. He faces the grim reality of what the village elders expect from Manikkam, who is not even close to a kumki elephant terms of courage and attitude. A comparison can definitely be drawn between this and a real time situation where we seem to be a stronger person than we actually are. This may usually happen at work where the expectations on a person may be too high for a person to meet or exceed. We may not wish this image to be imposed on us, but we care less because we could believe that such an impression may not last long enough to cause a harm. The confidence may also be an offshoot of the faith we have on our "selfs".
It is at this stage that the mahout is struck down by the beauty of Alli, the daughter of one of the elders. The possibility of his emotions for the girl being reciprocated from the sylvan beauty makes him stay longer at the village thereby risking the chance that the villagers find out who they really are. This love interest of the mahout is similar to the attraction one may find at work. Usually, this is a heavier take-home-package which could lead to a lifestyle coveted by most people in the society or a lifestyle which is sufficient enough barely meets the minimal requirements for a respectable lifestyle. This could also be a chance one gets to pursue bigger aspirations for moving higher up the professional ladder to enhance his academic background. And similar to the way in which the movie unfolds, the individual could also be willing to take the risk having the attraction in his mind. Although this comparison runs close to the Carrot-and-stick approach, wherein a virtually possible, practically impossible target is set by the work environment , the attraction can, on most occasions, be a very lively achievable destination towards which one's heart is driven without any control.
Though the movie throws less light on the conflict and the bonding between the mahout and the elephant after the entry of the girl, the conflict between an individual and his/her self isn't a difficult one to imagine and create a mind picture. The village elders are strictly against a girl of their clan marrying an outsider. This is where the plot thickens as the mahout is supposed to, somehow, win the girl and elope with her despite two threats out of which one is the Komban elephant which destroys the agricultural fields and the stubborn elders who won't yield to the prospect of having their girl marry an outsider. This is probably one aspect which diverges from the comparison I have been drawing. The situation at work is most likely entertain to one's interests towards the attraction if it is going to be a monetary one, but it can be similar to the one shown in the movie, if it is a realistic achievable destination reaching which can be pretty impossible due to the influences had by the environment on the individual.
It is at this point that the mahout is ready to take the gamble wherein he attempts at training his domestic elephant to encounter the Komban with the belief that he could win the hearts of the villagers by preventing the Komban's interruption and then ask the elders of the villagers so that he may successfully elope with the girl. He is at this point, trying to have the cake and also eat it. In the movie, the risk he's running in doing this act may not be registered as strongly as I preferred. He is ready to risk his life and Manikkam's life to take a chance which, if pulled off, may be the sweetest victory he would ever wish for. This risk is also present in our lives wherein we risk losing our "selfs" in pursuit of the attraction which we find to be too big to live without. The distant possibility that we can have the cake and also eat it makes us hopeful of a fairy-tale ending to this little episode in our lives.
But before the elephant could be successfully trained to become as valiant as a KUMKI elephant, we see that it is starting to show signs of entering MUSTH, a condition in male elephants, which biologically is due to acute secretion of the hormone, testosterone. Most male elephants are reported to behave as though they've gone crazy during this period. This also reflects the longing and helplessness experienced by the mahout whose testosterone levels are also have seen tides and troughs due to the disturbed relationship with Alli. My interpretation is that the elephant kind of mirrored the state-of-mind of the mahout in showing signs which precede erratic and aggressive behaviour. This is what could be categorized as a breakdown of an individual's self which leads him to the mouths of madness due to the prolonged wait when he is making progress towards neither the attraction nor the usual lifestyle when he was happy with his closely knit unit in which the self plays an integral significant part. Most of those who survive this breakdown are lucky enough and smart enough to win the battle of their lives in achieving both the coveted attraction and the enjoyable companionship of their "selfs".
That part, where the gambling table becomes hot due to the events which unfold, forms the gripping climax and a fitting finale to this entertaining movie. The climax may be a little puzzling for most viewers, but if you give it the time to sink in, the reality is as big as the elephant and you can't miss the message it conveys.
