12 Angry Men, The Man from Earth, Exam, and Cube are some well-known Hollywood flicks coming to mind immediately when you hear about a chamber play (A movie shot entirely around a single set or maximum two, importance being given to the character development and their emotions rather than the location or the movements). It was about time someone does a well-executed Indian take on the same - Trust the ever brilliant Priyadarshan to pull it off to perfection in Sila Samayangalil (Sometimes)! Based entirely inside a diagnostic centre from morning to evening, the movie is all about 7 people who have done an HIV test in the morning and waiting for results which would be delivered the evening only. Added to this tense and broken brigade of characters is the receptionist going through a financial crunch and the lab technician whom she manipulates. The 7 waiting persons decide to bribe the receptionist so as to know the results early since the wait till evening 5 is killing them out of anxiety. After sometimes they come to know that 6 among them have been tested negative, while only one is being declared positive, the catch being that the technician couldn't specifically record who the unlucky one amongst the 7 was! From there the movie develops through their emotions, guilt, anxiety and stress. Apart from being an intense drama on this serious topic, Sila Samayangalil strives to create more awareness on this disease, dwindling more on the social stigma and ostracization associated with it rather than the more common medical implications. The sound recording is a minute but laudable aspect of this flick, silence replacing the BGM for the majority part. The day to day street sounds , the hawkers and vendors resonances and the white noise comes in as a blaring hindrance whenever the doors or windows of the diagnostic centre opens briefly, otherwise masked by the eerie periodic chime of the token number only. Amongst the cast, Prakash Raj does a cakewalk as the introvert middle aged man out to test his status, plagued by guilt over his brief encounter in the past. But it's Ashok Selva who gives a brilliant performance as the outspoken youngster coming in to test his status. His hyperactive mannerisms and the stark difference with the introverted Prakash raj and the amusing acquaintance they form over the course take the screenplay further. Chances are there this flick will bore you if you are not patient enough to let the proceedings unfold slowly but surely without any songs or BGM, each frame exploring the characters one by one. Time and again such rare gems have the same fate of not getting a theatrical release, in this case at least being released in Netflix. 34 years since he has marked his presence as a director, Priyadarshan is a man who has been mocked often for his inspired stories and screenplays from Hollywood and his uncanny knack of remaking films into Bollywood from the south. The new gen wannabe intellects have even gone to the extent of labelling him as a slapstick churner in favour of the recent Kochi based crop of self-declared new wave filmmakers, but Priyadarshan has proved again why he is one the most creative and technically brilliant filmmakers out there who knows what they does exactly. Sila Samayangalil would easily go in as one of his best creations - together with Kaalapani, Kancheevaram and all the hit 90's flicks with Lalettan!
