Movies. The one
thing other than books that gets me all excited and dreamy-eyed.
As a movie-crazy
teenager, I never thought I'd grow out of that phase. However, there was a lull
in my twenties when I could no longer find movies that made my pulse quicken.
But all that has
changed and how! I'm no longer addicted to the mindless Bollywood movies they
churn out in dozens every week! And the Hollywood movies I adore have taken a
backseat too. It's plain old (and new) Malayalam movies I'm addicted to. As a
true-blue Malayali, let me tell you that cinema is in our blood. Every Malayali
you meet is a born storyteller. Maybe that's why, as I've been discovering
lately, this industry has been producing some of the most brilliant movies I've
ever seen.
Be it dark and
menacing, or light and fluffy or just basic drama, we have it all! Here are
some of the movies that have affected me profoundly. This isn't the complete
list of my favorites, just the recent ones I'm in love with.
24 North Kaatham: What I really want to say is,
I love the actor in this movie. I could list all his movies here. Be it the
simpleton in Amen or the morally
bankrupt character in 22 Female Kottayam,
he can do justice to any role he's given. This movie is special because it's
stayed with me long after I watched it. It is a road movie of sorts, and a
coming-of-age one too. The protagonist is a misfit, a loner with chronic OCD.
How he opens up to the possibility of being human, and being humane is
beautifully translated onscreen. There is one particular scene which I love.
His fellow travelers delay the journey as they're lost in the beauty of a
stream. He comes back to see what is so special about the scenery, and is
unable to feel the same emotions. That one scene conveys so much!
Iyobinte Pustakam: Like I said, I just can't
stop at one. This one is more than a movie, it is an epic. This
larger-than-life story, set in British India is an ambitious account of three
brothers and has all the elements of a Shakespearean drama. There is revenge,
ambition and the age-old trope of good versus evil. Every character is nuanced
and layered. It's like reading a Jeffrey Archer novel, only much more detailed!
The research that has gone into the making of this movie is just impressive,
for every scene looks just like it should be.
Ustad Hotel: There's a scene in this movie
where the young, restless protagonist asks his grandfather about the secret of
his sulaimaani (black tea). His grandfather keeps him guessing; however, he
does share a lesson in love. It is one of the most beautiful and moving scenes
I've ever seen. This is a feel-good movie, but it stays with you long after
you've watched it.
Om Shaanti Oshana: Malayalam cinema has female
actors who aren't just props. Infact, they are as essential to the medium as
their male counterparts. I wouldn't call Nasriya a great actor. However, this
movie belongs to her. It is the love story of a teenager, whose crush on an
older guy just doesn't go away. The beauty of this movie is that it's narrated
by the girl, and her daydreams and asides are a part of the movie. We get into
her head and watch her grow from a silly, infatuated teenager to a somewhat
goofy yet determined woman. The one thing that remains constant is her first
love. I must admit, rather shamelessly, that this movie is a favorite because
I've been that silly girl, atleast as a teenager.
Premam: I kept this one for last. This movie
has been called overrated, hypocritical and what not. And I must say that I did
not really find it all that great when I finished watching it the first time.
But there was something about the movie that made me want to watch it again.
And again and again! Alphonse Putharen has beautifully bottled up lost
childhood, laughter, dreams and hope in this visually stunning movie. The name
is love, and it honestly covers three chapters of that elusive emotion. Three
phases in the life of a man who is in love with the idea of love. For everyone
who said that this one really does not have a story, it does. It is the story
of every teenager who has lived in the nineties. The soda bottles, colorful
candy, dark musty tea shops, cycles, it's all a heady trip into a childhood
that was devoid of technology. An era where the idea of idling away time was
much more rewarding as it meant being with your friends. The awkward teenage
years with friends who you could share everything with, missed calls on
landlines (with caller IDs!), following your crush all around town…all this is
so beautifully captured. What the director cashes on is our love of nostalgia!
The second part of
the movie was even better! Those reckless college days where being a defiant
rebel is your idea of "cool". The opening fight sequence is a
goosebump-inducing level of awesome! I cheered with the rebels in black because
I've seen this as a college-goer in Kerala. That was an era where beating each
other up was the worst college kids could do. Not the scale of violence and
drama we see today!
The third part of
the movie is my favorite. Everyone who's watched the movie loved Malar and
George. Including my dear husband. For me, the last part, where George has
transformed, from boy to man (albeit reluctantly), is just sublime. This story
was a little abrupt. But it did subtly capture the nuances of what happens to
you when you're an adult. There is this bit of you, that just refuses to be a
cynic, no matter how much life has tried to break you. And having dipped my
toes a hundred times in what I like to call love, I know how it is to finally
meet the person you know will fit just right into your life. If the first story
was about infatuation, and the second about passionately beautiful love, the
third story is about your choices. I know that, if I had found the love of my
life five years earlier than I did, I wouldn't really have fallen for him.
Because both of us hadn't grown into the people we are today. That is
essentially what the third part of this movie portrays. That, when the time is right,
you find that one person who is yours. Forever. It isn't fairytale-romantic all
the time, but it is pure contentment. :) Having said that, the ever-romantic
George proposing to a girl he's met just twice, is heartbreakingly soulful. Add
to that, the Red Velvet music which is haunting! I'm a fan of the cake too!
I hope the Malayali
peeples keep this up! I just can't get enough of these movies!
