Most of Malayalam films in recent years set in foreign countries radiate a vibe of artificiality, almost as if the story does not belong to that place. It gives the impression of a graft done for its own sake, just because they had the budget to afford it.
In his debut film Ranam , Nirmal Sahadev makes a conscious attempt to place the film firmly in Detroit, beginning with a narration on the city’s rise as an automobile hub of the world, economic distress of recent years, rise of the city’s mafia and role of Asians, especially Sri Lankans and Indians, in that mafia.
- Direction: Nirmal Sahadev
- Starring: Prithviraj, Isha Talwar, Rahman
But, even with that context, the film that follows makes one ask the question, “Why Detroit? Why not the usual Kochi, or Mumbai?’’ because it’s all again the same old story of two rival gangs and the people caught in between. One of the gangs headed by Damodar Ratnam (Rahman), controls the distribution of the new party drug ‘Redex.’ Expert getaway driver Aadhi (Prithviraj) and his uncle Bhaskar (Nandu), who work for Damodar, are looking for a way out of the gang, and a return to normal life. But Damodar is on the look out for Aadhi’s weak link, to pull him back into the gang.
Damodar and his rival Polish gang leader are often heard talking about “controlling the whole of Detroit.” But, with just a couple of people being shown in both gangs, their bombast almost sounds comical. Though marketed as an action thriller, Nirmal’s attempt here is to explore the emotional drama – the guilt that eats Aadhi, Bhaskar’s concerns for his family and the loneliness of Seema (Isha Talwar), who is caught in a loveless marriage. Well, it is quite a mix, which hardly works, with the narrative failing to grip the audience, except on rare occasions.
The script also, perhaps inadvertently, plays into the stereotype of the young generation from NRI families getting “Westernised,” a usage which often mistakenly implies youth getting addicted to drugs and wearing ‘improper’ clothes. Having an enlightened, open mind apparently doesn’t count as “Westernised.”
Talking about Westernisation, the movie draws quite heavily from neo-noir films of the West, even though in the context of Malayalam cinema, it has a fresh look and feel. The narration in Aadhi’s voice, which arrives quite frequently to break the flow, gives one the feeling of a movie that takes itself too seriously.
‘‘Every end brings it with a new beginning,’’ so goes the opening line of the movie. Considering the lack of novelty in the narrative, they should have ended with ‘Every new beginning brings with it a dead end too.’
