Minnaminungu Malayalam Movie
The domestic help in "Minnaminungu" (The Firefly) embodies hope as well as will power. The pace of her walk reminds you of Robert Frost's famous line: "Miles to go before I sleep." Her brisk walk on city roads is also a metaphor for her never-ending struggle. Surabhi Lakshmi as a domestic help immerses herself fully into the skin of the character to make it more convincing and powerful.
Even in the phases of crisis, she is feisty and never flounders. In the scene when she realises the real intention of her daughter, she overcomes the shock within no time. Director Anil Thomas realistically portrays the life of the domestic servant, who works hard to look after her father (Balu Narayanan) and daughter Charu (Rebecca Santhosh), who studies in the city. To make both ends meet, she works in an office as a housekeeper, sells milk and other things. The servant also finds time to work as a house maid in the apartment of writer MN (Prem Prakash), who always helps her.
Surabhi essays one of the realistic and strongest women characters in Malayalam Cinema in recent years. Her body language and expressions create the actual domain of the character. The pathos she echoes is candid and touching, and moreover, it's not hammy. No wonder the character in the film has bagged her the National Award for Best Actress.
Through the life of the female servant, Anil highlights the contradictions in the demeanors of characters like the Muslim usurer, the young doctor and the rich owner of two dogs, who names them after his children living in the US. A ringside view of the characters would reveal the chasm between their words and deeds.
While the background score by Ouseppachan is mediocre, Manoj Ramsingh's screenplay is well constructed and realistic. Sunil Prem's efforts behind the camera is also commendable. His visuals merge splendidly with the treatment.
Presence of a few cliched scenes might be a drawback, but there is a genuine attempt behind the making of the film to present the simple story of a hapless woman. Undoubtedly, "Minnaminungu" belongs to Surabhi and is a testimonial to the acting powerhouse of the artist.
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