Leela Malayalam Movie
In Ranjith's 'Leela', the protagonist Kuttiyapan (Biju Menon) steers his jeep across a multi-tentacled wasteland that ravenously gorges on the very lives that thrive on it. Hope has almost become extinct, souls have long fled the flesh caverns that they dwelled in and angels lie dangling from electric lines. A scalding indictment of the essential barbarity of humankind that has ingeniously been concealed under sly smiles, 'Leela' is as raw as the bleeding bruises that it vehemently rips open.
Kuttiyappan is no ordinary man, and has possibly decided to remain single for a reason, and a staunch one at that. The edginess of the flickering lamp in front of his icons - EMS, Marilyn Monroe and Bruce Lee - transfers itself to the man, who keeps juddering his thighs in impatience all the time. There is an endearing blurriness that is purposefully maintained when it comes to his spiritual instincts (or rather the lack of it) and the mistiness spreads across to his personal relationships as well, leaving an aura of obscurity in its wake.
When Kuttiyappan sets out to hire an elephant, little do his aides Pillechan (Vijayaraghavan) and Dasappappi (Indrans) realize that he has an uncanny desire in mind. Their search leads them to the coffee estates of Wayanad, and on the way they pick up a young girl with a horrid past whom Kuttiyappan christens as Leela (Parvathy Nambiar).
Kuttiyappan and his infamous trysts with women make an acquaintance state aloud that he should certainly be on the lookout for a female elephant. While Kuttiyappan makes C K Bindu (Priyanka Nair) sit by his side and wail her lungs out imagining that he was her dead father, Usha (Kavitha Nair) timidly remembers that he had made her dance to the tunes of an old melody, albeit a bit differently from the usual stage performance.
The motif of machismo that receives a severe thrashing under the writer's pen is what makes 'Leela' unalike other seemingly similar films that have examined the issue of exaggerated manliness. Kuttiyappan doesn't think twice before parading a small group of retired sex workers before the public, rejoicing in the bit of limelight that shines over him, though for a very small while. His exultation is short lived however, when Chengalam Omana (Shantha Kumari) curtly reminds him that this inflated masculinity of his is as fleeting as a momentary orgasm.
The considerably evident deviations that the writer and the director make from the original short story are beneficial to the film, and add to its cinematic appeal. The apprehensions regarding the cinematic adaptation that are bound to rule the mind of any viewer who has read the literary piece are swept clean by Ranjith, who makes certain that the soreness in the original writing is not for a moment lost.
What is perhaps most disquieting about the film is the deafening chitchat and mirth that surrounds the passivity in Leela's eyes. As the world coldly demands a piece of her, Leela or what's left of her, gives in with a meekness that is disconcerting. It's of special note that the only word that comes out of the girl's mouth is a frantic call out to her dad that gets hushed in a moment.
It would forever remain debatable as to why 'Leela' chooses to move to a tormenting climax, and almost revels in a celebration of hopelessness and despair. As the mammoth tusker proves a point, another of Kuttiyappan's bizarre exploits reaches its finale, with blood splattered all over it. Equally a plaything in the hands of animal and man, Leela inertly lets herself be overwhelmed by brutality, without the slightest sound of dissent.
Dripping with dark humour, 'Leela' is thus a shocker of a film that is gritty and wrenching to the core. Its triumph lies in its having successfully disregarded the highly restrictive notions of machismo and reassessing it in the immediate societal context, against the backdrop of chauvinism, sexism and hyper masculinity.
It is no wonder to see Ranjith extracting the best of performances from his leading cast, and Biju Menon delivers a career best as Kuttiyappan, reemphasizing what an underused actor he truly is. There are emphatically refined performances from Vijayaraghavan, Indrans and Jagadeesh and a depressingly desolate fete from Parvathy Nambiar, who lives up to the title role. Prashanth Ravindran's frames are top notch and the musical score by Bijibal stirring.
The attention to detail in 'Leela' does leave a harrowing taste in the viewer's mouth and with the non-salutary ending the film comes across as a dirge on humanity. And yet it is impossible not to pay heed to the gruelling misery that lies within it, and to ponder on the unsettling bleakness of it all.