"Kumbalangi Nights" : A movie review

Well what I can say about Malayalam movies, currently they are truly the best Indian Film Industry. Now a days, I am totally hooked to Malayalam movies and In my opinion the kind of films are being made there makes them one of the best Indian Film Industry. What is more interesting about Malayalam movies are that their movies are made on a very low and calculated budget and yet they are so great. They do not need to cast a big star to make their film successful or put any such unnecessary action/drama that change the mood of the film.  What they do is, pick a certain emotion or feeling that every human being can relate and then they make movie about that. Maybe these movies don’t make it to the mainstream cinema but when it comes to making realistic cinema only regional industry have guts to attempt such ideas. 

"Kumbalangi Nights" is also very simple movie. 4 brothers having their issues with each other and can't get along on a good note. But like real life, when some crisis comes, they all come together and fight together. I can totally relate this with my life. Me and cousins we will fight for small small things but when some external force try to disturb us, we come together and fight. The characters are so vivid that one can't get the movie out of their head anytime soon. The movie follows them in their hardships, romance and heartbreaks, never diverging from its path of capturing life as it unfolds. What Kumbalangi Nights succeeds in doing is spinning a compelling visual narrative that does complete justice to the brilliant script. This movie is like a box of chocolates, you never know what u are about to get, as it serves a surprising treat. 

When yoy talk about cinematography, it is alone a good enough reason for you to watch this movie.

Best thing about this movie is the 'music.'  I can hardly remember any Malayalam movie which doesn't have nice background score. This movie is no exception to the soothing and beautiful background music. 

And last but not least "Fahadh Fasil" this man is genius. You throw rock at him he will make art from it. He nailed the role. In climax scene, well, let it be a suspense. Shoubin is the Jake Gynellhaal  of the South, has a wide range in his acting. One of the best in this movie and handled the most complicated character in this movie. 

Unpopular personal opinion: If people start applauding the regional movies, Only then we can start focusing on regional movie industries and start sending these kind of  movies to the Oscar, then we might have a chance. 

Director: Madhu C Narayanan

Release year: 2019

Language: Malayalam

Running time: 2 hour 15 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Portrayal of Dalit identity in Vetri Maaran films

Image Credit: Indian Express

Vetri Maaran is a famous Tamil filmmaker. In his filmmaking carrier, he has won  National Awards a record five times. He is known for raising the issues of Dalit's/lower caste people (residing in Tamil Nadu), through his films. 

When it comes to representing the Dalits on silver screen, no one does it better than Vetri Maaran. Most of his films are based on lower caste people, about how our society has been suppressed since ages. He represents lower caste people in such a strong way that can inspire people to decrease the discrimination based on caste. In his films Dalits are the lead character unlike other filmmakers who does not dareto provide any space for lead portrayal of a Dalit. 

Based on the two movies by Vetri Maaran that I have seen (Asuran and Vada Chennai) it's apparent how smartly he makes his point and adds caste, class and political nuances while keeping up with the thematic of Tamil mainstream cinema. Action and larger than life fight sequences are most vital part of it and that means the protagonist should comfortably take down a gang of men who are visibly stronger than he is. 

Image Credit: Deccan Chronicles

This might be the easiest thing to do for most of the mainstream Tamil movies but the characters Vetri Maaran chooses as protagonists are very unlike the regular Rajnikant-esque Tamil hero. The protagonists in both of the aforementioned movies represent a youth who, by virtue of his birth, is a vulnerable and meek individual. In Asuran, first as a lower caste hooch maker and later as a fearful father and as an innocent carom player in Vada Chennai, the protagonist isn't someone whom you'd expect to take down big baddies in a fight. Yet the quick transition appear so smooth as well as believable and big part of its credit goes to the sheer brilliance of Dhanush who effortlessly makes you believe that a guy built like him can take down big, strong men. 

What Vetri Maaran does is to use the action scenes and the sudden physical empowerment of the protagonist as a symbol. This transformation from a meek sheep to a formidable lion happens in both the movies when the protagonist stands for something that goes beyond the individuality yet remaining deeply personal. In both the cases the protagonist is fighting a bigger fight than what meets the eye. His newly found strength is a statement of power that a cause holds. It symbolizes the collective angst of the oppressed. In the larger than life portrayal he sort of signifies the possible strength the oppressed can harness. It's a reflection of the hope that the people will stand up for what's right against all the odds and of the hope that they shall win. 

While talking about caste discrimination in film industry. According to a report from The Hindu in between 2013 - 14 there were almost 300 films made in Hindi cinema but only 5 of them had Dalits as a lead.

 Another report from Birmingham University suggests that in India most half of the population is shared by lower caste people but when it comes to films only 0.1 % lower caste people has been represented in cinema so far.