Sasikumar takes a back seat in ‘Ayothi’ and lets humanity save the day

A still from ‘Ayothi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

What makes India unique is that over the centuries the subcontinent has become a melting pot of cultures, traditions, languages ​​and of course religion and caste. It is assimilated into a homogeneous society that keeps its heterogeneous norms alive. While some are flexible with those norms, others find them to be a principle of life, an inbuilt principle that must sometimes be followed sacredly, but also wild. sasikumar latest movie it will not say Tests to find out what is more important. Creed or Blood? Faith or Family? Divinity or Humanity?

When a family, under the “care” of their conservative patriarch Balram (Yashpal), travels to Rameswaram, his actions inadvertently lead to the death of his wife Janaki (Anju Asrani), leaving their two children Shivani (Preeti Asrani) and Sonu (Advait Vinod) in pain and distress. Stuck in a new land whose inhabitants do not speak their language, the three are helped by two locals (played by Sasikumar and Pugazh) who discover that sending a dead body via plane is red-tapism. Affect is a process. If this is not enough, he also has to deal with a difficult test in the form of Balarama and his practices which are not practical.

Despite missing the theatrical release of this film and watching it on OTT, I thankfully didn’t get to read anything it will not say Which, because of its name, I assumed was either a film on religion, the city’s impressive ancient history, or its controversial recent past. just a few minutes into the movie, it establishes it will not say is more important and valuable than all of them; It’s about humanity.

Sasikumar Helping others has unofficially become a genre in itself in Tamil cinema. but unlike nadodigal films, much less in drama it will not say, For starters, the premise is simple and, despite barely scratching the surface of some heavy themes, the resolution of the conflicts is intentionally kept elementary and straightforward. Not only does this keep the events grounded and relatable considering they are clearly based on real events, but it also helps keep the underlying message of the film clear.

On the other hand, the film is far from perfect. Despite its insightful portrayal of a dire situation, it will not say There’s a real hero intro fight and an unnecessary song which, in all likelihood, seems to have been forcibly added in an attempt to make it commercially viable. What doesn’t feel like a deliberate mistake is the one-dimensional melodic writing for its antagonist Balarama. Establishing his affinity towards his religion and its principles, the film goes out of its way to show us how, as a person, he is a despicable person. It defaults to being rude to strangers and physically abusive towards his wife. Given that the film revolves around her transformation over the course of the story, her character arc feels extremely convenient and predictable.

Thankfully, the film compensates for this with a lot of redeeming factors. For starters, Sasikumar, apart from the introduction sequence, doesn’t give us the impression of a hero, and that’s a compliment. He lets the story take the wheel and becomes a victim of circumstance rather than a carrier of immediate ideas. Interestingly and ironically, Pugazh’s first memorable appearance on the big screen is in this film where he is not a comedian. He really plays the role of ‘friend in need’ very well. It’s veteran Hindi actor Yashpal Sharma and relatively newbie Preeti Asrani who steal the show as husband and daughter of the deceased. While Yashpal does a fine job of persuading us to hate his character, Preeti pulls off the role of a teenager on the brink of an explosion, thanks to her conservative father, really well. And when she finally explodes, it becomes a moment of theater better than the protagonist’s introductory fight sequence.

Apart from the obvious love triumph, it is evident that the makers were extremely cautious about how the Hindi-speaking characters are portrayed. The actions of Balarama are attributed only to him and are not directed to any community, who speak a certain language or are from a certain part of the country. At a time when a series of incidents has created panic among North Indians living in Tamil Nadu, a film on inclusivity feels necessary. The film’s creative choice of keeping the Hindi lines intact and not watering them down with Tamil voiceovers lends authenticity. The simple yet effective twist at the end only adds to the beautiful message that the film presents.

The debate on whether religion elevates humanity or brings out our lowest instincts is a never ending one. While the primary mandate of all religions is to preserve the benevolent nature of our kind, such a world has become a utopia from which we are unfortunately traveling light years away. it will not say points to the cracks in the walls of such buildings crumbling under the weight of their own ideologies, and asks the most important question of all time: in the search for God, are we losing our humanity?

Ayodhya is currently streaming on ZEE5