‘Natchathiram Nagargirathu’ movie review: Perhaps Pa Ranjith’s best, despite being too long

Lovers in mattress having a seemingly considerate but uneasy dialog about their relationship shouldn’t ideally remind you of that unbroken shot in Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal Contempt. But, that’s what the smashing opening sequence of Pa Ranjith’s Natchathiram Nagargirathu does to you. There’s contempt right here too, simply that it takes a special kind: a casteist comment.

Rene (Dushara Vijayan. She is the very best Pa Ranjith protagonist) and Iniyan (Kalidas Jayaram in an efficient efficiency) have a heated dialogue over Ilaiyaraaja’s music. Their distinction in personalities establishes their political opinions and the place they want to stand: Iniyan, a fan of Nina Simone, is dismissive of the maestro, whereas Rene says that Ilaiyaraaja is as superior because the American singer-activist. If not, extra. 

Iniyan will get “triggered” by Rene’s rendition of ‘En Vaanile’ from Johnny — a movie that handled impersonation and id disaster, and a girl dwelling a caged life — and asks her to cease. Take a look at the selection of the track. It is political too. Iniyan cuts her off when Rene sings this line: “Neerodai polave en penmai. Neerada vandhathae en menmai.” This “ penmai” and “ menmai” splendidly segues into Rene’s arc later, the place she talks a few shadow known as caste that made her run all via life but additionally empowered her to be fearless and assertive. “That’s my social id,” she says. We’ll get there in a bit. 

In case you assume this scene is a innocent argument over music, you’re improper. Rene (her start identify is Tamizh) is Dalit and she or he is made to grasp this by Iniyan. The very nature of this scene is political and jogged my memory of the terrific quick movie Modi & A Beer, additionally produced by Neelam Productions. Rene and Iniyan break up, and the title card “A Pa Ranjith movie” seems. Love is political.

The primary half hour resulting in Tenma’s energetic ‘Rangarattinam’ track is so delicately written and spaced out that it may be taken as a stable instance to know why a movie must have an important set-up. Ranjith did this beforehand with Sarpatta Parambarai, the place its first half hour was laboriously spent to ascertain its world. However this movie additionally takes a very long time to reach at its first escalation level. Subeer (Regin Rose), mentor of a motion theatre group, comes up with the concept of a play on love. They talk about love, its politics and sides that flip right into a heated dialogue exhibiting individuals’s true colors. What are the completely different varieties of affection? Inter-caste? Inter-faith? Queer love? Unrequited love? Natchathiram… is all that. 

By making an inclusive cinema, with a various set of voices with various gender, sexual and political identities, Ranjith illustrates the purpose that the oppressed class of 1 can even turn into a dominant voice in one other. That is evident within the scene the place a personality places the blame on an upper-caste identify which will get muted. And Dayana (Sumeeth Borana), a queer particular person, will get labored up. Dayana is nonetheless a minority and consistently faces the specter of oppression for his sexual orientation. However that doesn’t appear to take away the privilege of his caste. Due to this fact, the movie questions the foundations of beliefs and prejudices which are hypocritical. As an illustration, a personality shoots down love that’s based mostly on bodily attraction, calling it “ gaaji” (lust). However the identical particular person asks for a selfie from his potential accomplice, when she tells him she simply had a bathe. Or when Shekar (Charles Vinoth) says, “Love has nothing to do with age.”

In fact, it begins as romance between two characters. However quickly, we realise it’s not about Rene and Iniyan. We get the larger image. It’s a few motion theatre group which they’re part of. In essence, their “love” story turns into a part of a bigger factor. It is a masterstroke by Ranjith. The theatre backdrop, the place individuals of various colors and social backgrounds converge to turn into one, is used as a springboard to image society as an entire. Due to this fact, the characters’ imperfections and political consciousness turn into important on this labour of affection. The truth that all characters are handled as elements, that they turn into a pressure to reckon with solely once they unite within the face of menace, drives house Natchathiram Nagargirathu’s core precept: “The universe is so giant that we’re simply thugal (particles),” says a personality within the movie.

There’s a third vital character: Arjun (Kalaiarasan is totally terrific), an aspiring actor who comes from a dominant caste and finds it actually onerous to slot in. His dad and mom need him to get married to Roshini (Vinsu Rachel Sam). On his first day, he’s visibly uncomfortable round Sylvia (Sherin Celin Mathew), a transwoman who can be a part of the theatre group. Arjun is written as a counterpoint to Iniyan. However they each belong to 2 sides of the identical coin.

Shakespeare known as this world a stage and we’re all mere gamers. Natchathiram… appears to ponder alongside related strains. By staging a “play” the place actors act out their respective characters, it makes an incisive case towards nadaga kadhal, a time period slapped towards Dalits by dominant caste teams as a way to vilify inter-caste marriages. Ranjith, due to this fact, takes this nadagam (stage play) as a weapon to “stage” a performative piece towards honour killing. Components of the performative items jogged my memory of Gasper Noe’s Climax. 

The theatre group hits a roadblock as a result of they can’t point out the names of the caste. As an alternative, they provide you with a metaphor: kaatu poonai (jungle cat) and naatu poonai (pet cat). We’d assume the play is about these two teams till there comes a wild cat (Shabeer Kallarakkal in a cameo). In principle, a cat can not kill a tiger. It’s virtually not potential. However what if 100 cats band collectively? A thousand? Sounds doable, no? 

That is Ranjith’s most interesting and purest movie, until date. Not simply by way of what it stands for but additionally the shape with which it presents. This visible language is a departure for Ranjith too. Discover the best way it employs intercuts (edited by Selva RK) that appear seamless for the Rene and Iniyan strand. Natchathiram… can be Ranjith’s formidable movie; he’s solely getting higher as a filmmaker with every movie. Proper from shot compositions, establishing pictures to the color palette and Tenma’s music, this movie speaks of ambition.

Natchathiram…is as a lot Rene’s story as it’s Ranjith’s. In the end, it’s a movie about her arc. She is handled because the conscience keeper, to the purpose the place when Arjun oversteps his boundaries along with her, she is keen to provide him an opportunity. “Political correctness won’t are available in a day’s time,” she says. On this movie’s softest scene, you see Rene opening a door that has the Buddha’s mural on it. The sunshine from the door illuminates the body. Rene asks Arjun to comply with her, as if to embrace the Buddha. That is Pa Ranjith’s dhammam.

Natchathiram Nagargirathu is at the moment working in theatres.