Innale (1989)

It will take me some time to start moving on from Shobana's beauty in this movie. The name 'Maya' fits her in more ways than one- she is illusory, but with a depth that leaves you speechless. I can't see anyone other than her doing this role justice, and even though I am yet to see many Shobana movies, I am still counting this as one of her best performances. The way she carries the viewer along in her amnesiac daze- Innale is honestly enough for anyone to fall deeply in love with her.

The script is excellently written and executed. Through Maya, we are made to question our own reliance on memories- how we build ourselves and even the world around us based on what we remember. This is further extended to "what we choose to remember" in the climax scene with Dr. Narendran (Suresh Gopi). To add further nuance to the script are the cinematography by Venu, and the direction by Padmarajan. By setting the movie in a remote corner of Kerala, the director reinforces the notion that the absence of our memories can lead us to a place far away from all we know and cherish, both literally and figuratively. The picturesque locales lend gravity to Maya's pathos- even though her surroundings are peaceful and soothing, her anguish seemingly has no solution in sight. 

Apart from Shobana, Jayaram and Srividya are both brilliant in their portrayals of Sarath Menon (who falls in love with Maya) and his mother, Dr. Sandhya, respectively. This is another curious thing about the film- not only do we see Maya's point of view (as befuddling as it is), but we also see her through the gaze of Sarath and Dr. Sandhya, emphasising the paradox of her character being both an illusion and a real person who has gone through an unimaginable tragedy. I also liked the comedy track featuring Innocent and KPAC Lalitha. It effortlessly cut through the seriousness of the script without undermining it in any way, or making a mockery out of the whole situation. 

I really cannot wait to rewatch this movie multiple times, falling in love with the way it's told over and over again. I am once again repeating that Shobana is too beautiful to be true in this movie, and it would be a disservice to her vast talent to watch this movie only once. 

Spoilers ahead:
PS- The climax scene wasn't "heart-breaking" for me because I was too busy feeling relieved that Maya and Sarath end up together. I had no patience for Dr. Narendran, and I was happy that he goes away without a fuss, because that meant that my OTP can be united after all. Even though this led me down the moral dilemma of wondering whether Maya ever retains her "Gauri" memories and remembers her life with Dr. Narendran, but I will just conveniently ignore it because I love Maya and Sarath way too much. I just had to get it off my chest, bye.
Spoilers over. Along with the "review". Bye.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shyam Singha Roy (2021)

There is honestly nothing more annoying than a movie that has flashes of being a good movie, but turns out to be a bad one anyway. Not only have you watched a bad film, but you have also been cheated of all hope and it's exhausting, to say the least.  Also, when this movie is a first day first show, you can't help but feel betrayed. Full "I trusted you!" moment only.  The first half was so tedious to sit through, I genuinely thought of leaving after the interval at one point. I didn't though, because Sai Pallavi only made her entry in the second half, and let's face it, she was the real reason for me to go watch it anyway. I mean, Nani was a huge pull factor too, but after Tuck Jagadish (2021) and V (2020), I was a little wary of trusting this man completely. As I should, because look what he made me sit through... again! (I swear to god, if the Nazriya film isn't good, I just might never watch a Nani movie ever again). Back to Pallu though- she is the onl
Read more

Aasai (1995)

My only regret is that I wish I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before watching it. I know I'm 26 years too late to the party, but honestly, not knowing the basic premise would have made things even more scary and messed up, not that there wasn't enough of those sentiments already. But to watch it unfold like the psychotic drama it was on the big screen, while innocently expecting another cute sweet love story featuring foetus Thala... I would give anything to have that experience. I know we love poking fun at Prakash Raj for being the evergreen villain, but it takes an Aasai for one to truly understand why he's earned that reputation. He really brings to life the evil but powerful psychopath who can manipulate people and situations to get what he wants, and I swear I was shaking a little when the movie ended because he is just that good at driving the point home. That's the thing about well-written thrillers- they work excellently as horror movies because you
Read more

Pokiri (2006)

Sairam, thank god I had forgotten the "twist", despite having seen Bhai's Wanted (2009) when it came out. Not only was I majorly zoned out (so much that I don't even remember for sure if I slept for sometime in the middle) but I have also actively tried to erase all memories of it. Which is why I was shocked enough to legit scream when the big twist came along.  From what I have heard about Pokiri , it sounds like some kind of cultural reset. And going by that, I must say that it totally lived up to that hype. Prince Mahesh seems to be at the peak of his career, and it's a performance that is memorable in more ways than one- he really shines through as the cool, stylish hero who outsmarts villains and beats them up. Of course, he needs a solid story and some killer dialogues as well, both of which are amply present here. I loved how understated his commitment dialogue was, especially in comparison to Bhai's exaggeration, the memory of which still gives me war
Read more