Sancharram (The Journey)- (2004)
After I finished this movie, half of me was completely amazed that this movie exists at all, and half of me was calm. I think that was because of the ending, but I am getting ahead of myself.
This movie is probably the only one of its kind- it takes place in rural Kerala, and is about two teenage lesbian lovers and how they come to terms with themselves and the society they live in. As far as I know, no Indian movie takes place within a village community and centres around homosexuality. And that in itself is enough reason to appreciate this movie endlessly. But even more than that, the reason why I probably am not going to stop gushing about this movie is because this was probably the first gay movie that I watched which I completely, 100% related to. Maybe because it's Indian- even though I've lived in an urban area for 21 out of the 23 years I've been alive, and I come from north India and not South (you might think these are petty differences, and if you do, you know absolutely nothing about India). But the ancestral anxiety (I just came up with this term, thank you very much) that forms the foundation of this movie is something that I have been grappling for most of my life too. And then the cultural dissonance- more like, what exactly is this "Indian" culture that you speak of? The overbearing families, the crippling shame of being found out, the ties to your ancestors that you just can't snap- it's all here. And then there's the Indian-ness of the love story itself- two teenagers fall in love, there's a seemingly-insurmountable obstacle in their way (homophobia in this case, which honest to god makes all the difference), and the reckless disregard for consequences. What elevates it, what gives it depth and meaning, what makes it so poignant it makes your heart ache and scream when the girls hold hands for the first time (cue all those Tumblr memes about touch-starved lesbians) is the GAY. It proves my theory that any and all tropes are better if there's homosexuality involved. And when you add the scenic environment of rural Kerala, what is there to HATE?
And now, for the ending. Man. As conventional as I have made this movie sound till now, the ending is the exact opposite of everything that is conventional in Indian cinema. Actually, that is not quite the right way of putting it. What I am trying to say is that the ending is one of the best things I have ever seen in my life. I rewatched the last 5 minutes of the movie 5 times, both to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything, and also to sort of memorise it. And this movie itself, honestly, I would rewatch it 5 times (and more), just to make sure I don't miss out on anything, and also to memorise it and keep it as a part of me.
Go and watch it. You will so not be disappointed. Except if you're a homophobe. And if you are, well, fuck you.
This movie is probably the only one of its kind- it takes place in rural Kerala, and is about two teenage lesbian lovers and how they come to terms with themselves and the society they live in. As far as I know, no Indian movie takes place within a village community and centres around homosexuality. And that in itself is enough reason to appreciate this movie endlessly. But even more than that, the reason why I probably am not going to stop gushing about this movie is because this was probably the first gay movie that I watched which I completely, 100% related to. Maybe because it's Indian- even though I've lived in an urban area for 21 out of the 23 years I've been alive, and I come from north India and not South (you might think these are petty differences, and if you do, you know absolutely nothing about India). But the ancestral anxiety (I just came up with this term, thank you very much) that forms the foundation of this movie is something that I have been grappling for most of my life too. And then the cultural dissonance- more like, what exactly is this "Indian" culture that you speak of? The overbearing families, the crippling shame of being found out, the ties to your ancestors that you just can't snap- it's all here. And then there's the Indian-ness of the love story itself- two teenagers fall in love, there's a seemingly-insurmountable obstacle in their way (homophobia in this case, which honest to god makes all the difference), and the reckless disregard for consequences. What elevates it, what gives it depth and meaning, what makes it so poignant it makes your heart ache and scream when the girls hold hands for the first time (cue all those Tumblr memes about touch-starved lesbians) is the GAY. It proves my theory that any and all tropes are better if there's homosexuality involved. And when you add the scenic environment of rural Kerala, what is there to HATE?
And now, for the ending. Man. As conventional as I have made this movie sound till now, the ending is the exact opposite of everything that is conventional in Indian cinema. Actually, that is not quite the right way of putting it. What I am trying to say is that the ending is one of the best things I have ever seen in my life. I rewatched the last 5 minutes of the movie 5 times, both to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything, and also to sort of memorise it. And this movie itself, honestly, I would rewatch it 5 times (and more), just to make sure I don't miss out on anything, and also to memorise it and keep it as a part of me.
Go and watch it. You will so not be disappointed. Except if you're a homophobe. And if you are, well, fuck you.
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