Parvathy and Urvashi in a scene from Chris Tomy’s movie ‘Ulozhukku’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
everyone Ullozhukku Everyone is stranded in some way or the other. Even a dead body is not buried for several days, as floodwaters have submerged the graveyards. The less said about the living, the better. Anju (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and her mother-in-law Leelamma (Urvashi) are in a life they have not chosen. One has come to terms with the struggles of family life, and even yearns to save that lifestyle, while the other still has some courage left to struggle her way out of it.
They are also literally stranded; at their home on an island in the backwaters, with the floodwaters rising and the country boat being the only means of connecting to the outside world. In the hands of a less sensitive writer, this is a situation from which a villain could be exposed, and fingers pointed, as both Anju and Leelamma have their own grey areas.
Position in the center Ullozhukku This is the kind of film that voyeuristic YouTube channels would love to pick up, in order to garner views and comments condemning people on both sides. But a little sensitivity and open-mindedness to the other side by debutant writer and director Christo Tomei makes a big difference. Even if a judgemental viewer prefers one side or the other, Tomei gives away little information to upset such calculations.
Ullozhukku (Malayalam)
Direction: Christo Tomei
Mould: Urvashi, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Prashanth Murali, Arjun Radhakrishnan
Plot: Long-buried secrets come to the fore as a family awaits the funeral of their loved one but it is delayed by rising floodwaters
Runtime: 123 minutes
Such as the scene in which Leelamma opens up to Anju about her younger days, when she was a reluctant bride, and her buried dreams. She seems to have deliberately buried everything and convinced herself of illusory happiness, until years later she encounters Anju, who is caught in a different kind of dilemma. This understanding on her part plays a key role in the evolving relationship between the two women, which is marked by painful secrets they hide from each other. Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) is an apt title for a film that compassionately lets us enter the invisible, mysterious minds of its characters.
Parvathy and Urvashi in a scene from Chris Tomy’s movie ‘Ulozhukku’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Initially, Tomy seems in a hurry to take us through the situation, as in a few intelligently edited moments he shows Anju’s secret romance with the aimlessly struggling Rajeev (Arjun Radhakrishnan), her marriage to Thomaskutty (Prashanth Murali) and Thomaskutty’s debilitating illness in quick succession. Then the film picks up the comfortable pace of a wall clock, giving us a sense of the uncertainty and pain that is simmering underneath.
No one other than Urvashi can convey these myriad emotions as well as she does, in a masterpiece of controlled acting, with the use of subtle gestures, creating a devastating impact. At times it makes us root for her even if we disagree with her. Parvathy too, making a comeback to Malayalam cinema after a while, has given an impressive performance. Prashanth gets some scope to act, while Arjun Radhakrishnan, a capable actor, gets limited opportunities. Shahnad Jalal has captured the mood of the film in all its melancholic glory.
The screenplay takes a few convenient turns, especially the transformation of Leelamma and a character’s illogical demand for land and some unusually hurried utterances to reach a pre-determined climax, but the craft with which the right emotions have been evoked at the right time forces us to look beyond such minor quibbles. UllozhukkuChristo Tomei has announced his arrival as a filmmaker to keep an eye on.
Ullozhukku is currently running in cinemas
