Iruvazhi Thiriyunnidam Malayalam Movie
In 'Iruvazhi Thiriyunnidam', Kalabhavan Mani plays Velu, (Kalabhavan Mani) affectionately called Kochattan by all and sundry, who has been leading the life of a loner, until he comes across a woman on the streets whom he saves from being raped. He names her Komalam (Maya Moushmi) and gets married to her. The couple soon has a child, and Komalam starts getting on Kochattan's nerves.
The Komalam saga doesn't end there, and soon Kochattan saves two more women from misery. While the first (Surabhi) is offered refuge by the local teashop owner (Anoop Chandran), Kochattan gets the latter (Alaika) married to his slightly challenged son (Sreekumar).
The film maker chooses to name every woman caught in a whirlpool of misery as Komalam, perhaps indicative of the fact that her beauty is the woman's greatest curse. Chased by lecherous men, they flee from pillar to post, until a messiah comes along to liberate them from the ordeal. It also has been stated without hesitation that for women, peace lies (only) in the arms of the man.
There are several blank spots that the script of 'Iruvazhi Thiriyunnidam' has on show, of which the most prominent one occurs when the first Komalam is bumped off by Kochattan. Though it does look like an accident, no questions are asked, and no inquiry ordered. Kochattan could perhaps rest assured in the thought that Komalam had none who were dear or near to her.
When the son starts suspecting his wife of having an illicit relation with his father, the script further ventures into digression territory. There could only be one explanation regarding the same. Salvation for the woman is just an illusion is what the tale seems to suggest, as she gets tossed around in an increasingly male dominant society.
Kochattan, on his part, remains an enigma of sort, and it becomes impossible to gauge the kind of person that he truly is. You see him casually steal a hen or a goat or drinking to his heart's content at the local arrack shop. You wouldn't think he is a man who believes in scruples, and surprisingly in the climax, he comes across as one. He does not however harm a woman, and perhaps learns a lesson or two on getting married.
The culmination of the tale is a mixed bag, and Kochattan turns to moral policing with dire consequences. When he frees a young girl (Malavika Menon) from the clutches of the flesh mafia, Kochattan stands proud. However, when he sees her getting a bit too cosy with her boyfriend, he doesn't think twice before murdering her.
Kalabhavan Mani does a decent job of playing Kochattan, while Sreekumar has been aptly cast as well. Of the women, Surabhi further reinstates that she is an actor whose potentials have been minimally explored. There is also new find Alaika who looks pretty, but who has to hone her acting skills further.
'Iruvazhi Thiriyunnidam'makes a few sweeping statements on the predicament of women in Kerala today. It miserably fails to realize its objective, because of the generalizations that rule its plot and the overall uncertainty that reigns supreme.
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