It’s a lazy winter evening. The
climate is incredibly lethargic thanks to a light drizzle in the morning. Rains
in winter! Now I know why the movie
‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’ was titled so. All I want to do is go on hibernation. I
share the plan with my wife who yawns and nods in agreement. And as if in
response, I too yawn like a whale gulping shoals of fish.
But good sense prevails and we
decide to catch a movie instead. It had been a while since we saw a good film.
Flooded by the likes of Krish 3s, Dhoom 3s, Rajkumars, and similar crap, my eyes
thirst for sensible cinema. The last movie my wife and I saw was Shahid, almost
2 months ago.
I would have watched Krish had Vivek Oberoi not
given this iconic interview.
With that smug look on his face, don't tell me that he doesn't deserve a public flogging.
And while people might make fun
of his size or his poor Hindi, the fact remains that this guy can single-handedly kick the combined asses of Amitabh Bachchhan, Naseeruddin Shah, Om
Puri, Aamir Khan, and any actor considered to be a good one, with his acting
skills. And that isn’t an understatement.
Anyway, the movie in question,
Drishyam opened to rave reviews in Kerala earlier this month. And I would have probably missed
watching it if it hadn’t been for the kind multiplexes of Ahmedabad who ensure
to screen regional films on a regular basis.
The movie begins like any other
feel good family drama associated with Malayalam cinema. Georgekutty (Mohanlal)
is a cable TV owner in the small village of Rajakaat. He is passionate about
cinema and spends most of his time holed up in his office watching all kinds of
cinema. He has a beautiful wife (played by actress Meena) and two lovely
daughters. How the elder daughter’s school trip threatens to destroy the peaceful
life of Georgekutty’s family forms the crux of this nerve wracking thriller.
Some of the early scenes like
when the stingy Georgekutty gets irritated on his daughters who keep failing to
turn off the light bulb during the day, or how he rides a bicycle to work to reduce
the petrol expenses are downright endearing.
And now the reason for this particular
post. Drishyam is without doubt one of the best thriller films ever made in the
history of Indian cinema. Rarely have I sat through a movie that is 3 hours
long, without squirming in irritation. And rarer still are the times when I have
remained on the edge of my seat watching thrillers, although Mumbai Police* –
another gem from the Malayalam film industry comes quite close.
The movie seems perfect. Right
from the watertight script to the stunning locale to the brilliant actors to
the smart direction by Jeethu Joseph, the movie stands tall. It’s a movie where the screenplay had to be
taut and once again the director delivers. Which brings me once again to the
lead actor of the film – Mohanlal.
The past couple of years have
seen a revolution in Malayalam cinema with new actors and newer directors with
fresh and brilliant ideas taking the audience by storm. However, in hindsight, I
feel that no other actor could have pulled off the role as convincingly as
Mohanlal did. The man is simply amazing. Those of you who have seen him only in
Company, haven’t even seen a fraction of his range as an actor. He surrenders
to the character of Georgekutty. You feel his lust as he watches the video of ‘Aashik
Banaya Apne’ song on cable. You feel his irritation as his family spends his
hard earned money. You feel his desperation and his tension as he tries to save
his family. The man once again proves that he doesn’t need a six pack to
deliver hits.
I have always believed that the
best cinema in India comes from Kerala followed by Tamil Nadu. And it is a pity
that such brilliant stories and actors are bound by geographical and linguistic
barriers. It is a pity that the major part of the country has never heard of
Mohanlal, Mammootty, Thilakan, Murli, Prithviraj, Fahadh Fasil, Indrajeet and
many more. And it is sadder that the rest of the world has not been introduced
to the cinematic brilliance of Malayalam cinema.
Perhaps I can do my bit to
promote Malayalam cinema. Perhaps this post was a start. Perhaps I can convince
my non- Mallu friends to maybe watch Drishyam for a change. I will translate the
movie for free. Just try it out once before Jai
Ho wipes it out of theaters as well as your memory. This is the poster by the way.
*Mumbai Police: This cop movie starring Prithviraj will surely knock
your socks off with its bold and unconventional theme. Watch Prithviraj attempt
something never done by an actor on screen before. Ah, the pleasure of watching brilliant cinema!
Thanks for the heads up. Will watch both. I believe Bengali films are undergoing a good wave nowadays. So good to find out about interesting regional films, they are a joy.
ReplyDeletethanks
iniya
:) thank you so much Iniya. There is a desperate need to promote regional cinema. It is important because it will give these actors, their films and the filmmakers the much needed boost and a wider audience. And yes, Bengali cinema too is ahead of its times, although i havent had the privilege to watch many.
DeleteOnce again thanks!
Regards
Sunil
Amazing write up. It came to Kolkata only for two days in Metro Cinema. A colleague went and watched. he was overwhelmed. I missed it. Want to watch it with subtitles of course. :)
ReplyDelete:) Thanks Parama...the movie is on its way to become the highest grossing malayalam film till date. do give it a try if you can manage to get one with subtitles.
Deletenice blog...keep in touch :)
ReplyDeleteplz join my blog
http://9shonalimukherji9.blogspot.com/
:) Thank you Sonali
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