brahmotsavam movie review indian express

If I have a minor quibble, it's in the way a few portions felt overstretched. Some images stand out - two butterflies photographed against the backdrop of two duelling men, or both father and son having a bandaged foot each. Every gesture, facial tic, water drop, mud, flora and fauna becomes a participant. The suspicious characters are introduced in a way that evokes the films of Sergio Leone. When the film opens, it doesn't immediately become apparent if the trouble will be caused by a single individual or several. The same goes for the number of cast members. But the central conflict is so gripping that you only begin to notice the limited geography when you start thinking about it. Most of the action takes place around Shaji's home and the vast expanse of land surrounding it. The film is a long, bloody duel that impresses with its rawness and ingenuity. Kala has as much fury as the Indonesian film The Raid. But he is not someone who takes everything lying down. Suffice to say, Shaji goes through the wringer. When Sumesh Moor's character shows up like Charles Bronson from Once Upon A Time In the West and stirs up trouble, he establishes himself as an adversary who relentlessly pursues Shaji with the intention of - well, I'll leave it for the viewer to find out. This factor also adds to the film's unpredictability. The class divide, not just among humans but also animals, is suggested. He is also the sort of guy capable of theft and then blaming it on a daily wage worker. You also get the sense that he is suffering from an inferiority complex on account of his past failures, particularly with regard to business - a fact which he is constantly reminded of by his father and brother-in-law.

He is a restless character who, one assumes, has been desperate to exhibit his 'mass' hero skills for a long time. You don't for a moment think that Shaji's wife and kid are in awe of what he is doing. Some men are heroes in their own heads but weak to the people occupying their space. This scene is slightly disturbing and funny at the same time.

During one particular fight scene, he seems to be delighted by the idea that his son is watching him through the window. Shaji walks around as though his life is a 'mass' movie in which he is the hero.

Kala subverts the idea of the typical Malayali macho hero. Their equation is reminiscent of Mohanlal-Thilakan from Spadikam or Narasimham, or most recently, Prithviraj-Ranjith in Ayyappanum Koshiyum. Shaji is at his softest, humblest form in front of his father - and he is now tired of living under his shadow. Shaji is like that college student who dresses up like a South Indian masala movie hero and rides a Royal Enfield but instantly switches to the 'humble boy-next-door' mode the minute he returns to his parents' home. The situation gets more embarrassing when we learn that he is not on buddy-buddy terms with his father (Lal), who keeps Shaji, his wife, and son at a cold distance. It's only when his supportive and loving wife (Divya Pillai) and little son enters the picture that we learn about a soft, vulnerable side to his personality. But he also has the look of a for-hire thug with a chiselled physique. When we first see Tovino Thomas' Shaji, he resembles a 'mass' hero. Cast: Tovino Thomas, Divya Pillai, Sumesh Moor, Lal

Brahmotsavam movie review indian express