Chithra Salabhangalude Veedu Malayalam Movie
Chithrashalabhangalude Veedu has very little to offer to the genre in terms of fresh perspectives and remains totally comfortable, basking in conformist sunshine. Despite the earnestness of the endeavor, the film remains just a string of clichés held together by a done-to-death plot.
Kunjimuthu (Ganapathy) is any teacher's living daymare, and it isn't long before he gets chucked out of school for having been arrested by the police. He is sullen and rebellious, and in strong want of a gesture of genuine affection, as the new teacher Suja (Lakshmi Sharma) realizes. Leading him along a path of self-discipline, she helps him come to terms with his dilapidated life, or what's left of it.
There hasn't been a dearth in films that explored teacher-student relationships. Comparisons are therefore inevitable with at least a few of them. A bunch of unruly brats undergoing a transformation under the compassionate eyes of a resourceful teacher had been explored with much sensitivity in the Sidney Poitier starrer 'To Sir, With Love', as far back as in 1967.
A few decades later, Padmarajan offered us a dynamically alternate expression of the return of the prodigal student through 'Koodevide'. And we are yet to get over the smothered torment of the dyslexic Ishaan Avasti in 'Taare Zameen Par', penned to perfection by Amole Gupte and played to precision by Darsheel Safari, who discovers a fresh world of colors with the arrival of a new arts teacher in school.
Chitrashalabhangalude Veedu has very similar objectives in mind, and it builds up a base slowly and yet intentionally. The initial instances are however barely entertaining enough and not quite harmless either. I got to see the film with a bunch of school-going youngsters and could only squirm in my seat, by the kind of language the kids in the film have used almost casually. There's not a reprimand; nothing. It's as if, that's the way it is.
The film does throw some light on what really matters in education. It reveals the slips, shortfalls and structural insufficiency of one troubled high school. But the social commentary bit often appears forced and quite unconvincing. The characters have all been invented for strictly instructive purposes: they come into view wielding their moral conflicts, and the moment you come across them, you can foresee every tried and tired twist and turn of the plot.
Lakshmi Sharma does a Michelle Pfeiffer (Dangerous Minds, 1995); sans the martial arts bit. This is the best role that the actor has bagged as yet, and she puts in a pretty decent effort. Ganapathy is one of the reasons why you should probably watch this film; the boy is a graceful actor who could give the rest of the cast a run for their money.
Perhaps it would suffice to say that the film is a bit too one-dimensional on several occasions. It isn't blazing any new trails; the roads that it rides have long been trodden.
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