I am an avid movie watcher. However, it is rare for me to be watching a movie
twice within a span of 24 hours! Vyasanasametham
Bandhumithradikal is one such movie that I went on to watch more than once
reinforcing my love for Malayalam movies and the quality they represent in the
Indian film industry.
Directed and written by debutant
S. Vipin, Vyasanasametham Bandhumithradikal is a Malayalam dark comedy that revolves round
the happenings in a typical hindu household where a funeral is set to take
place. The movie captures the essence of
a Thiruvananthapuram village through its dialect, behavioral nuances, and
visuals. Cinematographer Rahim
Aboobacker's framing and Ankit Menon's music beautifully enhance the setting
and tone of the movie which has a run time of 114 minutes. The film blends
situational humour and social satire with its characters depicting grief amidst
power dynamics faced by individuals and families stuck between social, religious
and a disturbing political discourse evolving in the state of Kerala.
The movie may be termed as a Situational
Comedy ingrained with organic humour as it excels in overtly presenting characters
such as one the played out by Baiju as a local Karayogam president and his petty
posturing, mistaken identities and plots of some neighbours opposing the
funeral location for arbitrary reasons. These moments create a comedic texture
steeped in authenticity which evolves gradually through the movie as it reaches
its crescendo. Scenes develop in a slow
yet organic manner with admixture of humour that hints at touching the chords
of the viewers with subtle commentary on the current Kerala social ethos.
Anaswara Rajan portraying Anjali
ensures a perfect space in the movie with sub stories germinating and subsiding
around her. She may not be termed as a protagonist in the movie but somehow
lands up as an “emotional anchor” in the midst of a satirical funeral. Her character in a broad sense reflects a
personality stuck in the middle of family expectations, social politics and
voice that wavers between self-neglect, sacrifice and a plead for escape. Mallika Sukumaran, as the grandmother is the
focal character around which the movie revolves. She portrays a broad minded character who is considerate
of her grand daughter, tech savvy and abreast to changes around her in the
society. Anjali’s father, Azees
Nedumangad beautifully portrays the character of a hapless head of a family, on
whom the balancing act of a father, a son and person sandwiched between family
customs and social practices in a typical Malayalee family. However, towards the end of the movie his
decision to allow his wife to perform the last rituals of his mother-in-law, tries
to set a tone to a debate on the pressure of multiple caste/customary rituals
and its validity in the current social stage.
The woman characters in the movie somehow can be related with the characters of Sreeja in Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 (2019) where they deal with male-dominated households with their invisible emotional quotient or perhaps as the character of Elsa in EE. Ma. Yau (2018), a movie framed against the backdrop of death and funeral rituals, in which the characters navigate family and societal chaos.
A must watch malayalam movie.
jpkallikkal/2025
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