Ulladakkam (1991)

Honestly, this movie makes me want to rewatch Manichithrathazhu (1993) more than anything (I have wanted to go back to it for some weeks now, but still). Mohanlal plays "Dr. Sunny", a psychiatrist, in that movie too, and I really just want to see if there's some consistency, some hints of belonging to the same universe.

Coming back to the movie itself: my constant thought throughout was how underrated an actress Amala is. She was really terrifying in some scenes, and extremely vulnerable in others. I could never hate her, despite everything she did. And I think that's a very important aspect of making movies that revolve around mental disorders. Not that there was perfect representation of mental disorders or psychiatry here, but the way Amala's character is written and performed was quite exceptional for me, someone who's used to really disappointing cinematic takes on mental health. On this basis alone, I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in tracing the history of mental health representation in Indian cinema. 

I would have loved this movie more, had they written a better role for Shobana. I think they could have added a lot more depth to the story by fleshing out her character more, and giving her more to do. The songs are all bomb though, and so is Ashokan (another interesting crossover I'm imagining now: Ajayan from Anantaram getting the treatment he needs in Ulladakkam). Innocent, of course, is as hilarious as ever.

In conclusion, Amala is definitely on my list of middle-aged actresses I am obsessed with, and I just hope that the next Shobana movie I see is actually a good one (for her), and not good only because of my bias. Thank you, and shubh raatri.