Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

I would very much like to say that Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum marks the beginning of a new genre of film making- because that's what it feels like when I walk out of the theatre after having watched this movie. But this quality of films has been around for a while now. Immersive, real, subtle, ugly and beautiful at the same time. Everything that life is in reality - no farce, no makeup, no drama except what real life provides. 

This movie defines what it means to be a human being. The whole gamut as they say - from the cheap, lying, conniving yet humane thief to the desperate, anxious, ordinary common man whose hidden hero emerges at the time of crisis. Thank God we are almost out of the era of the strong,capable,good looking "aadarshapurushan" of a hero who also sings and dances in impeccable style and the despicably bad villain with his trademark laugh!

Every actor in the movie delivered his/her role exceptionally well, genuinely enrolling the audience into their private story with ease, no matter how small their role was. What enabled these ordinary humans to become so extraordinary in their work? We have seen some of these actors delivering run-of-the-mill performances in the past. 

There is only one answer. The director Dileesh Pothan seems to have spent time and care on each person, drawing their talent out gently with the help of an extraordinary script and allowing them to use easy, flowing, natural language and mannerisms. Whatever his technique is, it works beautifully. One might even be justified in believing that such direction is a result of his deep insight into the human mind and its workings.  

Suraj has touched our hearts yet again and reminded us all what a fine actor he is. We feel deeply along with him and we worry along with him. We feel his stubborn desperation in his unwillingness to let go of his crocodile grip on the thief. We feel his soft, quiet love for his wife. 

The nuances of a love marriage are touched upon so realistically... his light admonition of his wife in one scene is reminiscent of an old era where husbands used to still  reprimand their wives using only the softest of words! One remembers an old "Maashe...Teachere" chemistry. Of course there is nothing old worldly about the wife's response. She is confident, strong and passionate along with being very aware and vocal about her rights. This is where the grace and the uniqueness of their relationship comes into play.  

Sreeja(Nimisha Sajayan) is definitely a one-in-a-million character. A thorny rose bush in the desert. An ordinary face with completely un-ordinary sharp,fierce eyes. Her easily awoken fury and outrage ...her final relief...are all palpable and moving.There just couldn't have been anybody more perfect than her for this role. 

In fact that is how every role appeared - perfectly moulded for each person who chose to act in this movie. Again the credit undoubtedly goes to the amazing director, for, it appears that it is not the role that was moulded to the person, it was that the person was made to live and feel the character and their life was captured in just the right angle for the sake of the movie. Just think about each policeman portrayed in the movie - we see real human beings having real conversations and doing real everyday actions. I loved each of these artiste's performances to the core!

Fahadh. This man that steals the show no matter how lowly and unrespectable his character is. He did it again. The first sight that the director provides us of him are the brown eyes between the arms resting on the support of the bus seats. His long delicate fingers wrap themselves around Sreeja’s chain with painstaking patience. This was one of the best,most perfect scenes of the movie for me. 

The second scene was the one just before the interval...the one with Fahadh’s smile.The scene that unravels the whole mystery- the one that upholds his motto - never give up till the last minute. 

With just these two scenes, Fahadh steals the show without much ado. In fact he nails almost every scene with such finesse that watching the movie becomes a truly enjoyable affair. It becomes an experience to relish and absorb into your mind and even after it is over, his smile comes back to haunt you.  

If one had to nitpick, we can find a couple of scenes in the movie where Fahadh is just unable to shake off his class.His delicate, fair, almost childish fingers and toes, his rare well bred expressions that escape unknowingly out of him, all belie his inborn sophistication which is tough to hide, even with a heavy dose of acting talent. 

For example, there is a scene of struggle between Suraj and Fahadh in a canal. Fahadh closes his eyes and purses his lips with quiet control,mustering strength to push the stubborn Suraj away. One catches a glimpse of Fahadh's real character...maybe he is even an introvert who would handled a struggle in real life with the same dignity. But it is tough to imagine a thief do this. His eyes would be large with panic and his survival instinct would make him kick and flail. Fahadh is just not able to shake away his culture in this one scene. One remembers Mammootty and Mohanlal portraying roles so far from their own natures, never ever letting their own characters seep in.

It is of course this class that makes him perfect for roles like Diamond Necklace - the role of a spoilt brat doctor. But other than these couple of scenes, he eases into his role smoother than a hand in a glove...no jarring notes or sharp edges.

With an undercurrent of subtle humour throughout, this movie can easily be watched multiple times. It can  even be savoured differently each time, much like a Marquez book.