Maayunnu, Maarivarayunnu, Nisvaasangalil | Review | Meril P L

November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 Asian Speaks IFFK 2024, Meril PL

Abhilash Babu’s mockumentary Maayunnu, Maarivarayunnu, Nisvaasangalil… brings dynamics of man-woman companionships and society face to face, Review by Meril PL

With ‘Maayunnu, Maarivarayunnu, Nisvaasangalil…’ (Dust Art Redrawn in Respiration) poet turned director Abhilash Babu takes a formidable leap from his debut attempt – ‘Aalokam’. If the latter was inspired by Victorian poet Robert Browning’s timeless verses, here Abhilash delves deep into the strange dynamics of man-woman companionships vis a vis the larger society that engulfs it. He chooses an experimental mockumentary format here to dissect his subject matter with alarming precision. In the process, hitherto unseen colours with shades & unknown layers with grains are starkly revealed to the audience.

In the ‘story’, a filmmaker is trying to make a documentary on an ‘unnatural home’ where two couples belonging to two generations are ‘living together’ under the same roof, without the legal stamp of marriage. As a father-son duo & a mother-daughter duo are the protagonists, the premise gets all the more interesting. The narrative spurts in the form of curious queries from the film maker character, and flows naturally with the discussion ensuing each character’s views. Analysis from two neutral observers – a history professor and a social Commentator who’re acquaintances of the couples, add to the wider societal context here.

Undoubtedly the subject dealt with is very mature and almost all the characters here, barring maybe the documentary maker, are highly evolved and open minded for today’s times in Kerala. Abhilash clearly shows us how far Kerala’s society has progressed in the long winding path to modernity and what’s lacking, especially in terms of viewing & accepting free man-woman relationships. The documentary maker character’s queries naturally reflect the generic societal mind-set that is warped by the regressive notions of morality. Abhilash but makes it a point that the conversations never slip down the titillating corners of physical pleasure in these relationships.

From the free-flowing open conversations, we realize how easy it’s for the males – young or old, to be free spirited& radical in choosing careers and partners. At the same time, how challenging it’s for the members of the other gender to do the same. How parenting and upbringing play a huge part in one’s character development. How exposure to literature can change perspectives. Why it is important to be financially independent. How involvement in multiple relationships prepares one to make better decisions in life. How society’s hypocrisy and callous attitude can inadvertently enable the fighter in you. Why giving religion and rituals less importance can help one to think freely. How important friendship is in establishing healthy companionships. How even in supposedly equal partnerships, there exists a near invisible layer of patriarchy. How, a sense of admiration towards the male partner exists unknowingly in supposedly equal relationships. How, some elements of conservatism exist even in the minds of the most progressive sounding personalities. Nuanced revelations like these make the movie special.

Somewhere through the movie, the History Professor tells in clear terms that the family chosen by the documentary maker is actually not subversive enough to be documented. The Social Commentator adds that this family is from the privileged creamy layer of the society, in terms of financial independence. It’s one of those strange instances where the characters criticize the movie and it’s makers from within. In some scenes, we see the actual director interfering and correcting the documentary maker & other characters, even calling out their real names.

Intermittently the title credits take centre stage and keep on interfering with the narrative even towards the climax. In a way, Abhilash is telling us “Hey let me remind you again that this is a movie… and I didn’t make it alone… This guy did the Camera… and him the edits.”And so on. I’m almost sure that the crew will be contend on being duly credited in the middle of a movie, but again at the high risk of not appealing to the mundane audience.

The pillar of the movie is the natural performances of the two couples. I’m sure none will object if someone tells that it can’t get any better. The way each of them think, talk, listen and respond – the subtle expressions of joy, sorrow and surprise that comes and goes are a treat to watch. The director adds towards the end that he was forced to make the movie with fictional characters, as he couldn’t find a real-life family like this. But with these powerful performers, it can’t get any more ‘real’. Kudos to actors – Gautami Kaur, Kenshin, Surya, Pradeep, Aromal T, Sherin Catherine and Anil EP for their rock-solid contribution.

In this age of an attention deficit public, it’s undoubtedly a brave venture from Abhilash to do a mockumentary of this form on an equally unconventional subject. The camera is static as demanded, the location is the same indoors, the characters are few, costumes are the same, conversations are long, BGM is missing as expected, and the movie is 2+ hours long. It’s only natural that a sense of monotony will seep into the viewers. I strongly felt Abhilash could have been bolder to edit out and minimize the time duration within may be a 100 min.

There’re several conversations by different characters conveying the same ideas which could have easily remained at the editing table. The modern outlook of the father’s character is espoused by almost every other character here. The History Professor comments on the suitability of the family chosen for the documentary at least twice. Most of the comments by the social observer character felt like over statements, as we’ve seen or heard it before. For ex., after the daughter character talks about the strong influence her experience in Hyderabad campus had on her, it’s again repeated by the Social Commentator. The behind-the-scenes kind of footage that comes up before the narrative ends, didn’t enrich the viewing experience, as expected. Why prolong the game and take out some of the ‘legitimate’ joy from the wonderful viewing experience?

At a particular juncture, the mother’s character recites one of her poems, a simple & beautiful one about the notion of change and its inevitability. The ‘change’ or evolution highlighted here is applicable to all matter and energy and their varied manifestations. The vision conveyed by poet Abhilash here is universal and scientific to the core. The movie title obviously stems from these verses.

It’s also interesting to note that the director chose a History Professor as an external commentator here. The conventional thought would be to place this character’s academic background in the Psychology department. It again seems to be a subtle statement from Abhilash on the importance of History in our lives – a nod to the wisdom that can come only by studying and researching the long past of mankind. And above all, the movie, through its format of long conversations, highlights the very relevance of dialogue & discourse, higher above the instincts and emotions of citizens in a modern society.

Amidst the conversations, the mother character adds that the society can interfere in their lives only till the outer walls of their home. Through the movie, the audience is invited to enter their drawing room and listen to the family, along with the documentary maker’s crew. In the same room, there’s a painting of a tree with very prominent roots in the background. The painting seems to signify that we the audience are to be revealed the very base of the existence of this small, beautiful tree of a ‘family’. And by the end of it all, we realize that equality, respect, tolerance & dialogue form the roots here.

In a way, this movie complements the other two recent Malayalam movies that tried to redefine the ‘sacred’ idea of family. Jeo Baby’s drama, theMammootty – Jyothika starrer ‘Kaathal – The Core’ ends radically with an ex-husband helping his ex-wife find a suitable partner for her, while still remaining a close friend. Christo Tomy’s drama ‘Ullozhokku’, which had Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvashi in the lead, meanwhile ends poignantly with the young widowed daughter in law choosing her lonely mother in law’s house as her home, over her lover’s and her own parents’ houses.

Abhilash is certainly a director with a modernist vision who charts his path independently, keeping all the loud noises around him at bay. This makes his work different and interesting. ‘Maayunnu, Maarivarayunnu, Nisvaasangalil…’ will certainly appeal to the audience who would love to listen to strangers talk about their lives, who would like to know of different minds, who are curious about the dynamics that make a healthy companionship.
_ Meril PL

‘Maayunnu, Marivarayunnu, Nishwaasangalil’ (English title: ‘Dust Art Redrawn in Respiration’) will have its world premiere in December 2024 at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala. The writer Meril PL, is a Technopark based IT professional and had attended the preview of the film in July 2024. He seriously believes that life is worth living only in the company of meaningful movies & literature.