When a theatre is almost packed for the morning show on a working day; audience applaud and cheer for scenes in which an acid attack survivor is embraced with acceptance, you know the film has struck the right chord.
Uyare is an overwhelming experience. Debutant Director Manu Ashokan offers a case study on sensitive filmmaking when he deals with a highly relevant issue in this film. Backed by a sound script from Bobby and Sanjay and brilliant pack of actors elevating the visual impact, Manu has half the work done for him; but there are no flaws in execution for a debut.
Mahesh Narayan’s editing is crisp and though the film wraps around a little more than two hours, the film encompass a complete feeling. Music by Gopi Sundar especially the powerful background music, well etched cinematography by Mukesh Muraleedharan adds value to the movie. Zuby Johal and Rajiv Subba from Dirty Hands Studio handle the prosthetics and make up; the perfection of their work is one of the strongest points of the movie. Applauds to the sister-trio Shenuga, Shegna, Sherga who produced the movie; thereby put their money on a relevant social issue as their maiden project.
Parvathy Thiruvoth as Pallavi Raveendran, is indeed, the captain of this ship. Her powerful, nuanced and impacting portrayal of Pallavi affects you. Pallavi is driven by ambition, passionate in love, equally vulnerable and strong when struck by crisis. Her evolution and empowerment is the major crux of the film and the varied layers of this development are safe in the hands of a mature performer like Parvathy.
Asif Ali delivers a convincing performance as Govind and outdid himself. Govind is perhaps the best role of his career. Asif easily shift gears between a man who can cry easily to being generally insensitive.
Tovino Thomas is once again in his forte, with the charming Vishal Rajashekharan. The role doesn’t challenge the actor in him but his performance offers the much needed comic respite in an otherwise hard hitting narrative.
Siddique as Pallavi’s father is in terrific form. He is subtle but effective in every scene he appears. So is Anarkali who plays Pallavi’s best friend. Literally every small and big lead of the film adds to the greatness of the final product.
The film has its strong moments, when Pallavi takes inspiration from her role model and decides ‘it’s not over yet’. She stops covering her face, pose for a selfie with hesitation, and adorn make up once again and admire her face. The cameo by Shereos Hangout owners is another empowering moment in the tale. But Manu doesn’t insist on looking only at the positive side; he juxtaposes such incidents immediately with how insensitive society can be to give us the full picture. Also Mukesh’s camera unabashedly focuses on Pallavi’s burnt face whenever she’s ready to let the veil down. So much so that after a few minutes we are able to look beyond the scars on her face and into the person she’s becoming.
Towards the interval, I concluded the film is going to have a fancy or filmy climax one which probably won’t do justice to the endless struggles an acid attack survivor overcomes on a daily basis. But the climax of the film is perhaps one of the most emancipating moments I’ve witnessed in a movie. The confidence she oozes when Pallavi faces mirror for the last time in the film is impacting; it reaches beyond the screens. She outgrows her vengeance, anger, insecurities and is ready to tackle the world on her terms. She is definitely rising above, like the title insists.
Other than the prominent theme of acid attack and its horrors, the film also touches upon themes like toxic relationships, gender violence etc. For instance, Anarkali’s fingers theory to explain how a relationship should work is an interesting analogy. The film also throws light upon how the legal system sometimes unknowingly let victims have a harder run to get justice. The importance of support from friends and family to regain mental strength after the trauma is highlighted all through the film.
It’s 2019, and like a character in the movie says, beauty can be redefined as your personality, confidence and attitude. The film powers this important message and hopefully can be successful in changing narratives around the notion of beauty. Uyare is not a tale of pity which reeks of melodrama but a bold story of courage and empowerment.
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