A sense of moral power

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THIRUVANATHAPURAM: ‘Ividam Swargamanu’ works not because it brings divine retribution on the real estate mafia (it will be no one’s case that Malayalis, most of whom are only too willing to sell their lands to the highest bidder, will be particularly shocked by the intentions of the land mafia in the film) but simply because the good in the film outsmarts the bad in a manner that is utterly satisfying. The film makes the final triumph look absolute, unconditional. It induces an all-consuming fury in the viewer (watching the protagonist’s suffering does it) and then by allowing us to give full vent to it (through the refreshing ways employed by the hero) we are granted a sense of moral power we so badly crave for in our daily lives.

It is not the kind of gratification one gets watching the hero bash up a score of baddies but more like the victory of the hero in Sathyan Anthikkad’s ‘Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu’. For a person suffering from persecution complex, ‘Ividam Swargamanu’ could be the right antidote.

At a basic level, this Rosshan Andrews film functions like a traditional action/revenge drama; an innocent man is cornered, his helplessness and then the fight back. Except that in ‘Ividam Swargamanu’ Rosshan has shunned the tools preferred by action filmmakers.

No melodrama (the makers have not resorted to the usual cinematic ruse of bumping off the hero’s father or mother or friend to heighten the injustice). No bombast (the hero, a farmer, is grounded and does not behave like Mark Antony in front of the Roman crowd). No fireworks (the only firearm in the film was a pistol found in the possession of the villain and it looked as useful as a cigarette in the films made during Anbumani Ramdoss’s reign). ‘Ividam Swargamanu’ is structured like an action film but what Rosshan and his writer James Albert have created is the equivalent of a cholesterol-free version of a popular delicacy. The best part is, the tweaked delicacy tastes infinitely better than the original. James Albert, unlike in his earlier two scripts ‘Classmates’ and ‘Cycle,’ has not experimented with the structure. ‘Ividam Swargamanu’ has a simple linear narrative.

Not a single scene looks out of place but it also meant that the writer was not keen on fully fleshing out certain important characters. The hero’s aunt and friend are examples.

Perhaps the one serious flaw of the film is that the villain, Aluva Chandy, turns less menacing as the film progresses. Lalu Alex plays Aluva Chandy with a boisterous vulgarity that looks so charming that one tends to develop a soft corner for him.

Even then if the intensity of the battle was not lost, Mohanlal, who stood opposite Chandy as Mathews the farmer, must have made us believe in the severity of his helplessness, must have telepathically told us not to abandon his cause.

But Rosshan should be given credit for not letting Mohanlal grow bigger than the film.