Film: Chandrettan Evideya
Director: Siddharth Bharathan
Cast: Dileep, Anusree, Mukesh, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sobin
Siddharth Bharathan, after his promising debut Nidra that was off the beaten track, offers this time Chandrettan Evideya , very much aimed at tugging at the heartstrings of middle class mores.
And no doubt, it has achieved the goal with remarkable precision as evident by the resounding round of applause its climax received at the cinema.
Film-makers and audiences never tire of exploring marriage as an institution. Nowadays, it gets as much screen space as boy-meets-girl plots. The story, screenplay, and dialogues of Chandrettan Evideya are by writer Santhosh Echikkanam. Getting married and remaining wedded is still widely considered the utmost virtue an average Malayali can aspire to, especially women. Chandrettan Evideya has etched this into its core. The story of Chandramohan (Dileep), an employee at the State legislature and an established art critic, and his better half Sushama (Anusree), also a government employee, unfolds to dramatic heights, literally. Anusree’s brilliant performance is the highlight of the movie.
An overtly doting wife who is hell-bent on protecting her ‘thaali’ and defending her beliefs, however outdated they may seem to the outside world, she captures both the loudness and subtleties of the character so well.
The movie weaves into its narrative a humorous sub-track involving a fictitious Chola-era tale that elicits lots of laughs, chiefly because of the presence of actor Vinayakan as the king. Namitha Pramod looks pretty in both the avatars as Vasanthamallika and Geethanjali. The cast has Mukesh, Suraj Venjarammodu, and Sobin who promise a breezy first half.
While the movie provides much to ponder over the importance of setting boundaries in relationships and how gullible and credulous the educated middle class can be when it comes to matters of beliefs and religion, it leaves the burden of sustaining a marriage on the wife and exalts motherhood so much so that her individuality and personal rights go out of the window.
Rasmi Binoy
