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Movie Review: Ore Kadal (Malayalam) is a Classic
Ever
since Shyamaprasad announced "Ore Kadal", I was waiting with baited breath for
the movie to release. For once, Shyamaprasad is one director who I have really
liked from his television days (Peruvazhiyile Kariyilakal, Vishwavighyathamaaya
Mookku, Uyirthezhunelpu, Maranam Durbalam, Manal Nagaram). His debut film (Kallu
Kondoru Pennu) was dismal, but he more than made up for it with his next two
releases (Agnisakshi, Akale). Shyam has been an expert when it comes to
depicting complex human relationships on screen and this is precisely what Ore
Kadal is all about.
Based on the Bengali Novel Hirak Deepthi by Sunil Gangopadhyay, Ore Kadal is the
story of Deepthi (Meera Jasmine), a housewife and a mother married to Jayan
(Narain). The story starts with Deepthi in a fix, thanks to her unemployed
husband who is out of town in search of a job and her ailing son bed ridden with
fever. Without any one to turn to or any money to tide over the situation, she
approaches Dr. Nathan (Mamootty), a noted economist and social scientist who
lives in the same apartment complex as Jayan and Deepthi. The generally reticent
Dr. Nathan helps her out and from this juncture, starts what one may call an
illicit relationship between Deepthi and Nathan. They meet, they make love to
each other and at the end of it all, Deepthi gets pregnant with Nathan's kid.
Nathan lives his life on his own terms and does not believe in family,
commitment etc. Looking at Nathan's indifferent attitude towards her pregnancy,
Deepthi severs all ties with him and proceeds to deliver a girl child. However,
her sense of guilt and self pity coupled with her unrequited love for Dr. Nathan
continue to haunt her and she ends up as a
schizophernic. Jayan steps in and takes Deepthi to a mental asylum. After a
couple of years at the asylum, Deepthi returns to her old self only to be
disturbed again by Dr. Nathan, who is on his way to self destruction pondering
over the unjust treatment meted out by him on Deepthi. In between all this is
Bela (Ramya Krishnan), a high society Call girl cum restaurateur who assumes the
role of Dr. Nathan's alter ego, telling him things that he refuses to believe or
acknowledge.
Adapting
a literary classic to celluloid is always a challenge. Shyamaprasad is adept at
that. If his version of Lalithambika Antharjanam's "Agnisakshi" was excellent,
so was his "Akale" based on Tennessee William's "Glass Menagerie". Shyamaprasad
raises the bar a few notches higher with Ore Kadal. His expertise lies in the
fact that he is able to bring out the finer nuances of his characters and
extract stellar performances from his cast. The use of silence, props and an
excellent background score to bring the emotional turmoil of the characters to
the fore deserves special acknowledgement. Ore Kadal is easily Shyam's best work
till date. Shyam is ably supported by his excellent crew- Azhagappan's camera
angles are imaginative and captures the emotions of the protagonists very
effectively. Vinod Sukumaran's editing is sharp. Ouseppachan's background score
is lilting and the songs (Lyrics by Gireesh Puthencherry) contribute effectively
to taking the narrative forward. Special mention should be made about Cuckoo
Parameshwaran's Wardrobe. The art director (Muthuraj, I believe) is successful
in creating authentic background, his expertise coming to the fore while
portraying the Jayan- Deepthi household at various stages of their prosperity
(From unemployment to under employment to adequately paid to upper middle class
income levels) Ramya Krishnan's extended guest appearance is a treat. The
actress literally lives as Bela and comes up with a power packed performance,
easily her best till date. Narain is earnest though his character appears card
boardish and one dimensional. The reason could be that Jayan is presented from
Deepthi's point of view only and hence, it appears as if he shares a frivolous
marital relationship with Deepthi.
The
Mega Star crown can be quite a headache for a lot of actors when it comes to
taking up complicated and image defying roles in meaningful films. But, Mamootty
is an exception. His Dr. Nathan is a study in contrasts- on one hand he is a
person who poo- poohs the sentiments and familial commitments of the middle
class and on the other hand, he is a social scientist who performs a research on
the lives of the Indian Middle Class. Playing an ill dressed, philosophy
spouting, womanising alcoholic who refuses to accept his heart over his head is
not an easy job. But, trust Mamootty to come up thumbs. He is completely at home
portraying the oh so complicated Dr. Nathan. However, the star of the movie
definitely remains Meera Jasmine. The young lady has travelled a long way since
her Soothradharan days and is definitely moving from strength to strength. She
underplays the docile, domesticated Deepthi to perfection. Her transformation
from the dutiful family woman to the guilt struck wife to the schizophernic to
the new age woman who follows her heart is magnificent. Meera seems to have
taken adequate care about each and every aspect of her acting- subtle
expressions, perfect body language and excellent voice modulation. This is
definitely worth another national award for the highly talented actress. Ore
Kadal is not the regular commercial fare and might not find astounding success
at the theatres. But, the movie is sure to bring laurels to its cast and crew.
This one is definitely a classic!
Courtesy:
http://criticatwork.blogspot.com/2007/09/ore-kadal-is-classic.html |