'Narivetta' review: Tovino Thomas steers an emotionally stirring, if generic, tale of resistance

Narivetta belongs to that category of art that aims to comfort the disturbed and disturb the uncomfortable. A while into the film, directed by Anuraj Manohar ("Ishq") and written by Abin Joseph, it becomes evident that we are witnessing a creation inspired by the Muthanga incident. It opens with a man pursued by cops. The man happens to be Varghese (Tovino Thomas). I won't tell you where it leads, but I won't be giving anything away when I say that the opening scenes create the necessary hook that piques our curiosity.

We learn that Varghese was once the kind of stubborn, apathetic youth who, hoping for a "respectable", plush, and well-paying profession, has made things difficult for his mother and uncle. Tovino makes the 28-year-old Varghese's reluctance to get his act together quite palpable. And anyone who has been in a similar situation will have brief flashes of that dark and distant past they don't want to remember again — especially someone who had to (or came close to) give up a romantic liaison because they knew damn well that their long spell of unemployment wouldn't end anytime soon and that it would only make matters worse for their lover if they continued their slacker mode. But Priyamvada Krishnan, who plays Varghese's girlfriend and who recalls a younger Shobana (this is something I've always felt ever since I saw her strong debut in Thottappan), gets to play her character as a woman with agency and sincerity. Of course, this is the kind of ideal woman we rarely find outside of movies, but that's a discussion for another day. I didn't, however, care much for the song video inclusion but was willing to overlook it given composer Jakes Bejoy's pleasant, Insta-reel-friendly tunes (women are already doing photoshoots with it).

I also found the scenes between Tovino and Suraj Venjaramoodu very moving. The latter's presence, the strongest of the film, works like a soothing balm, a ray of light amidst all the darkness... The scenes in the Armed Reserve camp with these two actors are easily the film's most memorable and poignant: The senior officer standing up for the junior when the latter is being bullied and telling him to hang in there no matter how hard it gets. Don't we all wish for a mentor like that? And it's their relationship that eventually shakes up the generally lackadaisical Varghese when he begins to witness unforeseen events that hit him like a sledgehammer.

Those familiar with the films of Sidney Lumet, most notably Serpico and Prince of the City, would likely remember them while watching Narivetta, considering how it requires the lead character to come out of his comfort zone and take a stand at the risk of his own life. Actor-filmmaker Cheran ("Autograph") gets an opportunity to deliver a performance which gives off an air of duality. And Arya Salim plays her CK Janu-based character with the right measure of ferocity.

There is no doubt about this being an emotionally stirring film. There is one moment towards the end that got my eyes welled up. It goes without saying that Ishq and Narivetta are solid testaments to the fact that Anuraj is a filmmaker worth his salt. But at the same time, I've to admit that I felt the film sorely lacking a wow factor. If it was intended to disturb the comfortable, that it does. But I couldn't also help shake the feeling that most of it feels familiar and a bit... generic.

I think it has partly to do with the fact that we have already seen filmmakers like Vetrimaaran and Mari Selvaraj do subjects of a similar nature (agitation, police brutality, etc.) in better, more inventive ways. Take, for example, a ritualistic dance in Narivetta that seemingly creates an indelible impression in Varghese that he later wakes up from a nightmare that features a representative figure from the same ritual. It's a scene reminiscent of something from a Mari Selvaraj film like, say, Karnan. So, if someone comes away from Narivetta feeling that it could've done something more innovative and fresh in terms of narrative approach, can we blame them? 

 

Film: Narivetta

Director: Anuraj Manohar

Cast: Tovino Thomas, Priyamvada Krishnan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Cheran

Rating: 3.5/5

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