Name: Thondimuthalum Driksaakshiyum
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Satire/Philosophical
Duration: 135 minutes
Plot:
A woman is robbed off her gold chain in a bus, and the bus along with its passengers is taken to the nearest Police Station.
“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The movie is supremely simple, and thereby supremely excellent.
A hearty meal cannot be explained, it must be experienced. This movie is to be experienced.
For some, the movie is a comedy or drama involving a thief and police; for some, it is a slow, meditative, philosophical experience; for the discerning viewer, it is both.
“Thondimuthalum Driksaakshiyum” is like a toffee that tastes average in the beginning, but which uncovers out-of-the-world flavours one after the other as it melts slowly in one’s mouth.
There are many layers of tasteful enjoyment for the viewer to relish, in this skilfully-packaged movie.
There is no spoon feeding to the spectator. He’s very much a part of the narrative; he is respected for his participatory skills. And that’s not very common when it comes to recent Malayalam cinema.
“Brevity is the soul of wit”, it has been said. Brevity, deftness, clever packaging, realistic treatment, food for thought – the movie is both entertaining and philosophical. A few erudite dialogues are very cleverly presented. “Not to give up until the last, is my style”, says the thief character played by our one-and-only Fahad Fazil.
The widely-discussed “Pothettan’s Brilliance” has its core in using limited number of shots for a scene, packaging detail in each one them, intelligent usage of silence and the spoken word, and showing the way rather than taking you there. A review of such brilliance cannot be verbose.
The best editing, cinematography, background score, make-up, costume and songs are the ones that don’t make their presence felt while one enjoys the movie. This is one such show.
That there’s lag in the movie, has been a casual remark by some of the viewers. If you are not addicted to those bombastic movies from Telugu/Tamil cinema, you wouldn’t have a problem.
“Thondimuthalum Driksaakshiyum” is a very fresh, intelligent, realistic, naturally-humorous, optimistic and lively cinematic experience. That such a simple plot can contain a whole lot of emotions and thoughts, is incredible!
Dear Kottayam movie buffs, please go and enjoy the craft for yourselves! It’s worth it.
