Stand Up Malayalam Movie
The smart perspective of writer Umesh Omanakuttan in placing an abused girl as a survivor instead of pigeonholing her as a victim makes all the difference here. The story is not meant for evoking pity, instead, it showcases the bold faces of women when the tides of challenges engulf them. 'Stand Up', directed by Vidhu Vincent, stays away from pampering trite ideas of women's issues. The brutally abused girl, Diya, touchingly played by Rajisha Vijayan, is not moulded in a typical template of a victim. She makes up her mind to fight for justice with the aid of the perpetrator's sister Keerthi Mariam Thomas (Nimisha Sajayan), an aspiring stand-up comedian.
'Stand Up' has a meaningful connotation given by Vidhu that brings in a lot of confidence to the women, who have come across such situations. Yet, the director never embraces didactic and preachy elements in a bid to make the statement emphatic. The initial scenes of Nimisha as a stand-up comedian in a show appear like a tad unimpressive since the attempted jokes are off the target. Diya's unfortunate tale is unveiled through Keerthi's narration in the show. The 104-minute film, crisply edited by Christy Sebastian, takes its own time to become more intense and gripping.
Keerthi is bold enough to question the furtive attempts of her family to save her brother from the disgrace he caused to the family. She hardly feels the dilemma as to which side she has to join in the conflict. The dignity and self-esteem of a woman matter to her while taking a decision. Newcomer Venkitesh plays Amal, lover of Diya, and Keerthi's brother. A highly possessive Amal has shades of a typical puerile lover, and Venkitesh shows fine temperament in his performance.
Sujith (Arjun Asokan) and Jeevan (Junis), who are the friends of Amal, face the music when Diya is found injured in Sujith's apartment. The film gets a thriller mood as the truth remains unknown to the police. Nimisha is charming to the core with a sense of consistency in etching the character. Rejisha leaves no stone unturned in bearing the pangs and uncertainty of the future being faced by the affected girl. Interestingly, the female characters in 'Stand Up' have goals in life and they strive for their aspirations sans renouncing their individuality.
'Stand Up' has a novel and honest approach to a hackneyed social theme that makes it inspiring. It's a disinterested endeavour that makes us put aside our regular notions and imbibe bold as well as practical attitude in issues concerning women. Moreover, the fullest meaning of the title gets a sublime interpretation in the film.
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