Yugapurushan

On a Sunday afternoon screening of Yugapurushan in its second-tier release in a small town, Cherthala, the theatre was hardly a quarter full. Why is this much talked-about movie in the press not drawing crowds, even in a town such as Cherthala with the history of an awakened and liberated population whose ancestors witnessed the consecration of the mirror at Kalavankodam and the Punappra-Vayalar uprising? The question passed my mind as I walked into the cinema hall.

The movie kick-starts rather well, with emotive cut-aways and flash-backs setting the stage for the 1888 consecration of the Sivalingam at Aruvippuram. Thalaivasal Vijay's performance as Narayana Guru is noteworthy, and consistently outstanding in mannerisms, body language and of course dubbed voice, all lending credibility to portraying the solemn central character - Sree Narayana Guru. The Guru's initial interaction with the fishing-village folk is commendable and sets the background for his character portrayal.

Despite the impressive central character, why doesn't this movie grip the audience across its duration, and more so during the second half? There is evidently the lack of a central structural or thematic tension that should have kept building up towards an overall climax of the movie. This seems to be the fundamental set-back of the script. The several secluded incidents and numerous characters all tend to evoke only short-lived interest or anxiety, because the 'antagonists of righteousness' quickly submit to the Guru's wisdom. One wonders whether that was really the case in history. Didn't the Guru face longer lasting opposition to revolutionary spiritual practices and social changes that he initiated? Could not the scriptwriter delay submission to the Guru's wisdom as a slower reaction, or culminated realization, by the adversaries of equality or the resistors of change?

The background score and sound effects are sometimes outstanding and add impact to the scenes. Ramachandra Babu's captivating camera work creates great visuals without any noticeable conflict in the historical timeframe. Some of the digital imagery and stock-shots could have been avoided or better edited, as they barely help to move the story forward. More of the costumes could have been better period-matched or aged, and so also actress Navya Nair's plucked eyebrows and very contemporary dialect does not easily place her character(s) well back into the intended timeframe. The verbose monologues by Mammooty and a few other characters seemed to have been overly dramatized, in contrast to the Guru's sober and well-worded utterances. One wonders if the introduction of eternal character K.C. Kuttan (or K.C. Kittan a true life youth activist from history) was an afterthought to accommodate Mammooty's presence in the movie, after he (thankfully!) chose not to play the lead role.

Another scope limitation of the storyboard is that the canvas always remains localized to the people around the Guru and their immediate geographical surroundings. There are hardly any scenes suggesting the effect of the Guru's reform messages and initiatives as spreading across the Malayalam-speaking land, or triggering reaction or awakening in villages and townships away from the physical whereabouts of the Guru and his immediate followers. Except for a couple of instances of passing mention, the Guru's literary and spiritual works and their impact on, or appreciation by his contemporary learned generation across erstwhile Travancore, Kochi and Malabar is an obvious omission.

The most observable plus point of the movie, to mention again, is the portrayal of the protagonist by Thalaivasal Vijay, which leaves a lasting impression. Babu's camerawork too deserves accolades. So also Kaithapram's well thought-out verses, including the title score, are bound to have an enduring life in the Malayalam music circuit.

Would someone who does not have prior in-depth knowledge of the biography of Sree Narayana Guru easily get to grips with the numerous characters and progression of this storyboard; or would this film enthrall a totally new or learning generation - are questions deeply in doubt for a yes answer.

On the face of it, the commercial (or mass exposure) success of Yugapurushan appeared to be under threat. Or is there yet a large prospective audience who would rather wait to see it on the small screen at home, rather than be seen queuing up at the theatre?

In any case, all well-wishers of the movie should still view it at the theatre, mainly to support the goodwill behind this ambitious production effort.

By Sujit Sivanand Monday, 15 February 2010