Swayamvaram (One’s Own Choice)

Since the time, I started watching Malyalam movies and did some research on great directors of our times, I have been trying to get my hands on Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s movies. And it’s as hard as it can get. While University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the United States has started a Adoor Gopalakrishnan Film Archive and Research Center, to get subtitled restored DVDs of his work in India is no mean feat.

I was ecstatic when I discovered the subtitled version of his first directorial debut Swayamvaram on YouTube. It’s a dream come true.

I sometimes rue the fact that it is so easy for us to get Kurosava or Fellini or Bergman in India but if we have to find restored and subtitled works of Adoor Gopalakrishnan or Ghatak or Padmarajan or K Balachander, its next to impossible.

Modern interpretation of Sita’s life and choice from Ramayana,

Swayamvaram is the story of a newlywed couple Vishwam and Sita who have eloped from their home town. The opening sequence is an almost five-minute sequence of a bus ride. Five minutes to convey the excitement of the love-struck couple, the hope for the future, to start the life together – nothing can come in their way, not a bother in the world. It will make all the those who have lived this moment at least once in their lifetime sigh. And all this is conveyed through mere expressions, ‘cause the only sounds you hear are the sounds of the bus.

The couple start their life in an upscale hotel. There is another almost eight-minute sequence with no dialogue, only the sounds of the sea as Vishwam and Sita lose themselves on the beach or the sounds of the train from a nearby track.

For a moment, it reminded me of Kurosava. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any detailed critique of the movie on the internet. There are moments in this sequence which for me set the tone of the movie and which stay with you throughout the movie. It’s not just a couple strolling on a beach. This movie is as much about the craft making films as it is about the story, probably even more. For me, the ominous burden of the choice these two make in their lives start from here, especially for Sita.

Very soon the realities of life hit Vishwam and Sita and they move to an ordinary hotel. Vishwam is a struggling writer and has written a novel “Ecstasy”. He tries to get it serialized in a local daily, but is rejected. The dilapidated and shady condition of the hotel, makes the two move to a small house, almost a hut with an old widow and a prostitute as neighbours.

Vishwam after a few days of joblessness gets a job in a private tutorial college as a Zoology lecturer.

Life seems to get better but not for long. The owner of the tutorial is a fraud and very soon Vishwam finds himself again without work. You see Sita all this while settled, happy with her life, in love with her man supporting him through it all. She tries to find a job as a sales girl but is unable to as she cannot afford the Rs.1000 deposit they demand. Vishwam then gets a job as clerk in the nearby factory. His struggle for a job in shown with the lovely backdrop of the class struggle and communist undertones which probably made the political scene of Kerala at that time.

For those who read the reviews I write, compare this with the trivialised Bangladesh liberation struggle which partly forms the backdrop of Aparna Sen’s Goynar Baksho. There its almost forced to be part of the story, it has no place in while in Swayamvaram it forms an unobtrusive backdrop, merely a reflection of the times the story is set in.

Sita is soon pregnant and life seems to go on predictably for a while. Sita has a dream while sleeping one of the nights. (the subtitles were basic, so not sure if my interpretation is correct) Someone is trying to pull her down a pond when she bends down to pick some flowers. She thinks it’s her father. She tries to look for Vishwam but is unable to find her anywhere. For me this again grounds the viewer to the fact that all is not well and somewhere Sita already feels the burden of her choice.

Sita and Vishwam have a baby girl. Sita as a pregnant lady is one of the most realistic rendition I have seen on screen. In fact, it was applauded by many master filmmakers. The way she sits and pick up the pot after filling it with water, her gait when she walks, it’s as if she is living the character not just playing it on screen.

Unfortunately, Vishwam falls critically ill. By the time, Sita could call a doctor he dies. Everyone around her tells her to go to her parents, an old colleague of Vishwam invites her to come and live with his family. Sita steadfastly refuses. In the closing sequence, we see Sita looking at the picture of proverbial Sita from Ramayana and a closed door, resolute in the choices she made.

This movie also reminds me of Deepti Naval’s Ankahee (a must watch) where the last dialogue in the movie summarizes it all – Zindagi har kadam par aadmi ka apna chunaav hai…

There is a thing about great film makers, they make you live the movie not just watch in onscreen. Every frame tells the story. Swayamvaram hardly has any dialogues, it’s the sounds that carry the movie forward. This technique was used for the first time in Malayalam cinema where ambient sounds formed the leitmotif for the life of Vishwam and Sita.

Madhu (Vishwam) and Sharada (Sita) have done a stupendous job in bringing Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s characters to life. For me, Sharad as Sita especially stands out. You can see she literally lived the character. She hardly has any dialogues, but then she doesn’t need any. Her expressions and eyed and body language convey it all. Sharada is a delight to watch as Sita.

I know this movie is not everyone’s cup of tea. But for those who love the craft of filmmaking should watch this for the sheer perfection the movie is.

Must watch.

Koodevide (Where is your nest?)

After watching Padmarajan’s Kariyilakkattu Pole, I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on the rest of his movies. Then my friend reminded me that he had given me a whole lot of them (with subtitles) earlier. So, I am in movie heaven 😊

I love such real life paced movies. Koodevide is set in Ooty, where Alice (Suhasini) teaches in a boarding school. She lives with her brother who is in the army along with Captain Thomas (Mammootty). Alice and Captain Thomas like each other.

A local MP’s son gets transferred to the school where Alice teaches mid-term. He had been shunted across various schools and was taken in by the Principal only because of the MP’s pressure. Ravi (Rahman) is a troublemaker from the word go. He gets caught in Alice’s class and is sent to the Principal’s office for a warning. Principal instructs Alice to be strict with him and not give him any leeway. Infact he can’t wait to throw Ravi out of the school. Alice feels sorry for the boy. In a heartfelt moment, she notes – what is the hope for the boy when the entire world is waiting for him to become a criminal.

From then on, Alice starts paying special attention to him, giving him responsibility and encouraging him. She also learns that his mother died at a young age. In her own way, she tries to be the motherly figure for Ravi. Soon we see remarkable progress in Ravi.

Meanwhile, in an unfortunate training accident Alice’s brother dies. Bereft, she decides to focus more on her work. She and Capt. Thomas also come close and decide to tie the knot soon.

One of the evenings Ravi comes to Alice’s house to give her something when Captain is also there. He does not like Ravi at all and suspects his intentions. Alice ends up seeing a very angry and jealous Thomas. Till now, with her brother, he had always been jolly and easy-going, albeit prone to too much drinking. Alice is a little surprised to see this side of Thomas and tries to reason with him.

Soon after this, Thomas starts objecting to Alice meeting Ravi and throws violent fits of anger whenever he sees them together. He ends up drunk at her house at midnight and creates a storm.

Alice starts revisiting her decision to marry Thomas which further enrages him.

In an inebriated state, Thomas comes looking for Alice, and not finding her goes to various places she is likely to be found. He bumps into Ravi and starts abusing and hitting him. A fight ensues and Ravi is accidentally killed.

Repentant, Thomas surrenders to the army police.

This is one of those reviews where the summary will not do justice to the movie. It is next to impossible to capture various nuances in the movie.

The scenes from the boarding school and the teenage love of Ravi for a fellow student will instantly take you back to your school days. And we all have that one teacher who guided and mentored us.

For me the movie belonged to Mammootty. His transformation from a brother’s friend into a jealous and irrational lover and gradual and riveting. From periods of sanity and regret to violently laying his claim on “his woman” – Mammootty is par excellence.

This is the kind of movie I wish, the international film festivals for critically acclaimed cinema saw. At par with Fellini and Bergman. Human emotions in their most complex form shown ever so subtly.

Rahman has done a good job as a teenage boy embroiled in situations outside his comprehension.

Padmarajan is a director par excellence. His kind of movies is the reason I started this blog. In my own small way to make people aware of the great cinema that India has.

Must watch.

Sairat (Wild)

So, I am adding another language to my Woods 😊

Though I have seen some Marathi and a lot of Bengali movies, but never got down to writing their reviews. So here I am kicking off my Marathi cinema review with Sairat.

Essentially a love story, Sairat is an experience not easily defined within the confines of a traditional love story. Apart from the Shakespearean classics and our very own Laila Majnu and the likes, there are very few modern-day movies which are a love story end-to-end.

Set in a small Maharashtrian village, Sairat is a story of a Dalit boy and an upper caste girl. It begins with Parshya and his two friends – Pradeep and Sallya who are going on about their lives, playing cricket, helping their parents, swimming in the local bawdi and stealing stolen glances at their crushes. Sallya is the most practical of the three, Prdaeep who limps a bit has a crush on the local kirana store’s daughter and Parshya is besotted with Archana or Archi, the local upper caste politician’s daughter.

The innocence and headiness of a teenage romance, exchanging notes, shared jokes, dreams and longing. Now, most of the movies we see dealing with this border on inane or flippant. Even the good ones. While others which are set in the backdrop of caste struggle become gruesome or dark. Not Sairat though. Even while I say the movie is a love story through and through – it deals with subtle yet powerful undercurrents. First and most obvious of which is the class difference – in the hesitance with which Parshya’s mother gives Archi water to drink, or how the politician’s son “Prince” slaps the professor who dares question him. The second and less obvious is the gender stereotype – here we have a girl with the power and privilege normally accorded to men of her class. She drives around in a bullet, commands the boys around her, protests for the menace that her brother is, takes the lead in declaring her love for the Parshya. Even stands up for Pradeep, who is ridiculed by all his friends for limping.  

The third undercurrent was almost Nietzsche-esque acceptance of fate – in the way Parshya’s father disowns him in front of the village, or how Pradeep lets go of his love after a few days or how Sallya states the obvious when he warns Parshya of the class difference, even in the way Prince and his goons boss around and beat up Parshya and his friends. I firmly believe that the way director Nagraj Manjule has captured the inanity of day-today life is what gives this movie its mass appeal and makes it stay with you long after you have watched it.

The brilliance of Nagraj Manjule also shines in how he steals little moments from the movie and

gives them a life of their own. I especially liked the bit where Pradeep thinks his girl has passed him a love note and kicks the crumpled piece of paper out of view till he can open it in solitude. It’s like one of those one-minute movie. Complete on its own. Or how Parshya manages to get his first love letter to Archi after many rejections. It’s poetic.

The music is also noteworthy and the songs take the movie forward in a unique way. From giving both Parshya and Archi, their singles while they accept their love to giving them a duet once its acknowledged. I also liked how once the movie takes a dark turn, there’s no song and hardly any background music.

Once Parshya and Archi are caught by their parents, they have no alternative but to run away. They end up in Hyderabad (I think, or some city in AP or Telangana) completely lost and bereft. With the help of a woman, who came to the city in similar circumstances they find a place to live and jobs.

Here we see the various layers of the character of Archi played by the brilliant Rinku Rajguru (It’s hard to believe that this is her first movie). Unlike Parshya, she comes from a wealthy family and has never lived in such wanting circumstances. From the dust, the stench of sewage, dirty public bathrooms, to inability to cook or clean or to do anything that help you survive. From a boisterous, confident young woman we see her become a quite lonely girl in the slum. When striped of the power which comes with wealth and caste, she doesn’t quite know how to find her voice.

Then she gets a job in the bottling plant, learns Telgu, makes friends with the local girl, finds her feet and in the process, herself. Rinku Rajguru plays the character as if it was written for her, or better still as if it’s her own life. Even better than Highway’s Alia.

Akash Thosar as Parshya lacks depth but together they make it work. Tanaji Balgunde as Pradeep or langdya also deserves a special mention.

All this build up, the pace, the story leading to the eventual heart wrenching end. The second half is as realistic as it can get, almost like a documentary. You see why this movie had to be made.

While I will try to get my hands on a subtitled version of Fandry, I can’t wait to see Nagraj Manjule’s next.

Brilliant direction, script and performances.

Must Watch.

Naan Ee (Tamil) / Eega (Telugu)

Literally meaning " I am a fly", Naan Ee or Eega is nothing you would have seen ever before.

Sudeep, a wealthy businessman who is also a womanizer, has his eyes set on a girl who came to him for donation for her charity. Bindu is a simple girl who runs a school and does micro-art, i.e. carving rice, pencil tips etc. Nani is the boy next door who is completely in love with her for two years now. Bindu while playing hard to get also likes him.

When Sudeep realizes that Bindu is completely oblivious to his advances because of Nani, he kills Nani. Now comes the most exciting part. In a Harry Potter-esque turn of events, Nani's soul latches onto the living object in sight, which happens to be fly eggs. And Nani is reborn as a fly...

He ends up with Sudeep and instantly recognizes him as the killer. Rest of the story is his revenge against Sudeep and his bid to protect Bindu from his amorous advances.

I would say its a feat for Indian cinema for the absolutely fantastic execution of this fantasy drama. The animation is superb. The way it's woven with the rest of the story is remarkable. There are literally no loose ends and after the first twenty minutes the movie is very fast past paced. Compared to other recent sci-fi / fantasy stories like Ra.One, 7th Aum Arivu etc.  Eega is ahead by miles both in story, creativity and execution.

Sudeep (Sudeep) and Samantha (Bindu) have both done a good job. Sudeep especially plays the villain tormented by a fly without much melodrama. though the true hero of the story, needless to say is the "Eega" ;)

I saw the movie without subtitles and really enjoyed.

Must Watch.

Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek)

After watching Raavanan I had to see an actual Mani Ratnam movie to remind myself how great his movies are. And I decided to watch Kannathil Muthamittal.

It’s a story of a young girl, Amudha (P.S. Keerthana) who on her ninth birthday learns that she is an adopted daughter. She was adopted by a popular Tamil writer Thiruchelvan (R. Madhavan) and Indira (Simran). For a child that shatters her entire sense of security, her identity and her world view. She feels herself alienated from the family and tries to run away from home to try and find her birth mother. Finally her father promises that he will help her find her birth mother.

Amudha was born to Shyama (Nandita Das) and Dileepan. While pregnant, due to the strife torn state of Sri Lanka, Shyama came to Rameshwaram to give birth to Amudha. After the baby is born Shyama however chose to go back. Thiruchelvan writes a story fictionalizing the inner turmoil of Shyama who left her new born to go back to a devastated homeland. While writing the story he sees the baby and wants to adopt her. However the law does not permit a single man to adopt and he asks his neighbor, Indira who also likes him to marry him and adopt Amudha.

Meanwhile Amudha runs away to Rameshwaram where she learns that that her mother was from Sri Lanka. Keeping his promise, her parents take her to Sri Lanka where Dr. Herold Vikramsinghe (Prakash Raj) helps them. Throughout this while Amudha refuses to listen to Indira, dreaming about her real mother. Mani Ratnam has beautifully depicted the chaos and pathos of the war torn Sri Lanka. The rest of the story moves with Amudha and her parent trying to get to the Tamil heartland to find Shyama.

A beautiful and poignant story exploring various facets of human relationships against the backdrop of war and strife… All aspects of the film are very sensitively handled. A child’s dilemma and resulting stubbornness, a mother’s helplessness and love, a father willing to go to any length for his child, a writer trying to make sense out of the world around him…the movie takes you on a journey and you identify in one way or the other with each character. The best thing about the movie is the way Mani Ratnam builds up the character so much so that the act of Thiru taking his wife and daughter to a place where war can erupt any minute seems natural. You know that this is his philosophy of life; to do what he believes is right. The honesty with which all characters are portrayed is what makes this movie a treat.

As far as performances go, every one of them is outstanding. Amudha tugs at your heart every time she comes on screen. You cry with Indira and her love for her child is palpable. Madhavan has outdone himself in his portrayal of the father and the writer. I loved the songs and the music especially the title track. Ravi Chandran’s cinematography is breathtaking and the editing of the movie is very crisp yet the movie flows.

(Must Watch)

Bharatham

A story which will resonate in bits and pieces with every family, Bharatham is a movie par excellence. A story of two brothers, both exceptional singers and what can be called a version of sibling rivalry; or a story about rise and fall in life; or story of finding the escape from the burden of your own fears; or more importantly a story depicting the circle of life.


Nedumudi Venu is a well known Carnatic singer who with age takes to drinking. Soon it interferes with his singing to the extent he collapses on stage mid-performance. Mohanlal, the younger brother and apprentice takes the stage and soon wins over the audience for his powerful, soulful and creative singing. Nedumudi Venu unable to accept the backseat falls apart. What follows is a poignant tale of how he reconciles with his destiny. But that’s not all; there is a twist in the tale that tells you that while you may be mortal, life is eternal and times it’s not about choosing one over the other but simply that you must pass on what you got.

The movie is not just a story of two brothers but a moving tribute to art. The elder brother must pass on his art and blessing to the younger brother for the tradition to continue, but there is always personal ambition to account for and the film delicately delves on the dichotomy between the two. On the part of the prodigy, he must carry forward what he learnt but in the process he owes it to the teacher a debt which can never be repaid.



Mohanlal and Nedumudi Venu have given stellar performances and it will be easily one of the best roles of their lives. Very down to earth, no frills performance. It actually reminded me of a few Ingmar Bergman movies I have seen, similar to Vaanaprastham in its treatment. I will simply not have the right words to justify Mohanlal's performance. His dedication, his talent, his burden, his anguish and dilemmas stay with you. It’s as if he is a musician.

I definitely cannot end the review without mentioning the music. Though I do not really understand classical Carnatic music but I can tell you that the music stays with you.

Beautiful script, superb direction, stellar performances, brilliant music.

(Must Watch)

Manichitrathazhu (The Ornate Lock)

A poignant story of how our mind can trick us into believing anything and how our lives our shaped by the baggage of the past we carry. Dealt with subtlety, carefully etched out characters and realistic humor make the movie a must see.

For me this movie is one of the finest examples of what cinema is all about – engrossing two hours of complete entertainment.

A young couple (Suresh Gopi and Shobhana) move into their ancestral home and are plagued by small inexplicable accidents. Not attributing it to blind superstition and suspecting potential mental illness of one of his cousins (Vinaya Prrasad), Nakulan (Suresh Gopi) calls on his friend (Mohanlal as Dr. Sunny Joseph)who is a famous psychiatrist in America currently travelling in India. Mohanlal makes his appearance close to the interval and from then on movie takes the form of this thrilling psychodrama with brilliant twist in the tale.

The plot revolves around Dr. Sunny uncovering the source of the strange happenings at the mansion and helping the protagonist recover from her affliction. Mohanlal plays the character of slightly eccentric shrink with ridiculous histrionics which leaves you in splits. Though central to the movie the character is subdued and nowhere overshadows the movie.


This movie definitely belongs to Shobhana who plays the protagonist, for the portrayal of innocent, loving and simple Ganga and the fierce, passionate and revengeful Nagavalli. There is actually a scene in which she transforms from one character to another in front of Dr. Sunny which leaves you completely spellbound. Beautiful haunting music which will echo in your ears much after you are done watching the movie.

Fazil must be applauded on his superb direction, though there are one or two scenes which are on the verge of melodrama.

The success of the movie led it to be remade in almost all major the “woods” of Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and finally Hindi. The DVD is available with subtitles at the leading stores.

(Must Watch)