Ariyippu Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2022 | Drama
Critics:
Audience:
Mahesh Narayanan's Ariyippu does not have any big dramatic moments. It is subtle and understated, unlike your usual Malayalam film. Even the most aggressive moment in the film ends with a brief period of deafening silence.
Dec 21, 2022 By Sreejith Mullappilly

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Netflix

In Mahesh Narayanan's Ariyippu, Divya Prabha and Kunchacko Boban play workers at a glove-making factory in Delhi. The couple wants the job in Delhi to earn enough money to go abroad for work. Divya Prabha's Reshmi is still in her early days at work, so she cannot put a glove into a piece of a mannequin to test its fit. This scene is a metaphor for how she does not belong there or fit in with her colleagues at work. She cannot even take off her ring, which possibly signifies her marital relationship. The assembly line represents the impasse of a muffled woman and the repetitive nature of the couple's life, where little excitement happens.


When an old sex video is circulated among factory workers, it sends the marital life of the couple down a rocky path. The factory workers believe that the woman in the video is Reshmi, making Hareesh suspect the integrity of his wife. By the way, this is not a spoiler because it is in the trailer.


A factory is a place where people manipulate a piece of raw material into an altogether different product. Could it be that the video is also manipulated? Or, is it as real as Hareesh suspects?


At the same time as the sextape probe, there is also an investigation into a possible conspiracy at the factory. Somehow, these two events are connected.


Ariyippu asks pressing questions about human nature, like the level of trust between a married couple and patriarchy in society. How much can you trust your partner? Hareesh would trust his partner to the hilt if it were not for his conscience and nature.


Mahesh Narayanan's film does not have any big dramatic moments. It is subtle and understated, unlike your usual Malayalam film. Even the most aggressive moment in the film ends with a brief period of deafening silence.


The production design and art direction are impeccable here. I really liked the lived-in feel of the couple's house in Delhi. What elevates the film even further are the performances. Kunchacko Boban plays Hareesh in a way that makes us empathize with his character in some parts and hate it in others. It is a tightrope of a character, but Kunchacko Boban aces the challenge with ease. There is a deep sense of inner strength in Divya Prabha's character. Reshmi is resilient and vulnerable, sometimes virtually at the same time.

Sreejith Mullappilly

   

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