sesht
An unraveling of the self, 18 March 2015 *** This review may contain spoilers ***Not too sure about the relevance of the title, but this is a helluva thriller, & until the last 20 minutes, I was thinking about how much better the same 'condition' was treated in 'Anukokunda Oka Roju' a decade back (its pathetic remake, 'Sunday' not included).Having said that, this one focuses completely on a single investigative case, with the differentiator being the memory-loss suffered by the main protagonist, which is know only to 2 characters, & that makes for a riveting tale, especially since the main character is retracing his steps throughout, & this is great storytelling, since the audience has to be completely empathetic to the whole process. Save a few narrative mis-steps, & for an opportunity to mis-understand the motives of the makers, this makes for very engrossing viewing, even though the song-less runtime is 145 minutes. Needless to say at this stage, they just fly by.For most of the running time of the movie, I was not too happy with the single expression worn by the otherwise-good actor, Prithviraj Sukumaran. However, in retrospect, it seems completely apt, since, like us, the main lead is also piecing together the parts of his entire life, with evidence being provided by files/folders & people who are a part of his investigation into the death of a top cop. The attention to detail is inconsistent, but that also can be seen in context of the slowly peeling away nature of the narrative, that ensures that no one is ahead of the plot, save an important cast member, who, in a very clever sleight-of-hand, seems to be the prime suspect, since there are many convenient instances of his/her having perpetrated said crime under investigation, right until the very end.The background score is not up-to the mark though, & certain techniques of camera-work, & cinematography could perhaps have been done without, but those are very minor nits to pick in the context of the overall denouement.This might get swept under the rug, but before it does, a few thoughts - It is wonderful to see someone shine a light on the homophobia inherent in each & every character in our country, including the ones involved in such relationships. I know some might see this as a validation of how homophobic the film-makers themselves are, & that might well be the case, but regardless, it just might be that they are shining a light on this issue, since the pains they take to show even a schizophrenic's alter-ego also respond to society's conditioning, albeit unconsciously, has to appreciated, nee, applauded, even if it is unconscious.However, it is indeed difficult not to focus on the assertion made by the writers that being one is also clubbed with being violent, unscrupulous, callous & traitorous, & all it takes is one act of conscious re-awakening of his/her conscience, in order for that character to shrug of the other negatives along with their original sexual preference. I'm willing to give the makers a pass for that assertion, but it is indeed a bit tough to overlook.One of my fav actresses, Swetha Menon (Salt-n-Pepper, Rathinirvedam remake) is in the movie for 1 brief scene, & I do wish they had written more stuff for her, & that the movie was peppered with interactions between her & the main lead/s.I had bought my ticket to this one, but ended up missing it on the big screen, so I am glad I purchased the DVD recently, in spite of the fact that about 4-7 minutes played very badly. I hope I didn't miss a vital plot point (I don't think so, in the context of my comprehending the narrative, overall). Not to be missed, at least for appreciating an effort that veers from the traditional and the clichéd.
