Katha Parayumbol strikes a chord

I personally consider Sreenivasan the most intelligent film maker in Malayalam today. It is all about the way he looks around him and the naturality with which he reproduces everyday life in his scripts. No writer in Malayalam has understood the malayalee- psyche better than Sreenivasan and this is evident from his scripts like Sandesham, Thalayanamanthram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala. "Katha Parayumbol" is vintage Sreenivasan after a long time and here he takes on responsibilities for the script, playing the leading man and co- producing the movie with actor Mukesh. Katha Parayumbol is the story of Barber Balan (Sreenivasan) of Melukavu village who lives with his wife, Sreedevi (Meena) and his three school going kids- Sona, Seena and Sathyan. Balan owns a dilapidated Barber shop in the junction which hardly anyone visits, thanks to his competitor Sarasan (Jagadeesh) who has opened a new gen Hair Styling saloon with modern equipments. Balan is struggling to meet both ends but does not compormise on his dignity. Added to this is his sharp tongue which almost always puts him in trouble- sometimes with the local money lender Eappachan (Innocent) and sometimes with the school principal (KPAC Lalitha). In the midst of Balan's hand to mouth existence arrive a film shooting crew in Melukavu. The hero of the film is the reigning superstar Ashok Raj (Mammootty). Ashok Raj happens to be Balan's childhood friend and this news spreads like wild fire in the village. All of a sudden, Balan becomes the cynosure of all eyes in Melukavu and he has the entire village- from Eappachan to the school principal to the local tutorial college owner Venugopal (Mukesh) approaching him. All of them want just one thing from him- introduce Ashok Raj to them. This puts Balan in a quandary- his situation is such that he cannot refuse any of the favors extended to him, but he just cannot muster enough courage to go and meet Ashok Raj considering the time that has passed ever since he met him last. How Balan manages the situation and whether or not he is able to meet Ashok Raj is what the rest of the movie is all about. The strength of the movie lies in its script penned by Sreenivasan. The first half proceeds at a slow pace where we are introduced to Balan, his life, his family, his friends and his problems. The characters in the village look as if they are straight out of a story book. It is true that sometimes the characters and the situations fall into mere buffoonery in the name of satire, but Sreenivasan, the writer, more than makes up for a faulty first half with a brilliant second half and a masterly crafted climax. Believe me, the climax of Katha Parayumbol is the best to have seen on Malayalam cinema since Aniyathipraavu (1997). P Sukumar captures the beautiful locales of Thodupuzha as alluringly as possible. Renjan Abraham does an OK job as the editor. Art direction is clever in bringing out the minimalistic existence of Balan and his family. Other technical departments also have their hearts in the right place. The music department by Gireesh Puthencherry- Anil Panachooran- M Jayachandran team deliver. "Vyathyasthanaayoru" stands out for its different writing and singing style. Anil Panachooran and Pradeep Palluruthy do a fine job behind the mike. The Vineeth Sreenivasan- Sweta Mohan duet filmed on Mammootty and Jasveer Kaur could have been avoided in the movie. The song "maargazhikkavil" is pleasing to the ears though. The supporting actors do a good job and Salimkumar walks away with the major chunk of the credit playing the local village poet. Meena puts in a good job as the frivolous Sreedevi. Mukesh is wasted. Mammootty gets an opportunity to play himself in what can be called an extended guest appearance and gets to utter the best lines in the film. Watch out for his riveting performance in the climax. The actor is at his best and the sincerity with which he has approached the role is commendable. "Katha Parayumbol" belongs completely to Sreenivasan though. He delivers as the script writer, but he takes the film to totally higher level with his subtle, highly nuanced performance. He literally lives the life of Balan and is a complete treat to watch, especially in the climax. Balan's weak, non- confident self that lies under the tough exterior is revealed towards the end of the movie and Sreenivasan the actor is completely under control while performing. With Arabikkatha and Katha Parayumbol, Sreenivasan should be the major draw at all award ceremonies this year. What sets Katha Parayumbol apart is the message that it spreads. In this era of globalization and cut throat competition, not many people pay much regard to friendship- especially the truthful, innocent friendship that one gets into during his/ her childhood. Sreenivasan does not preach on the importance of friendship but he very subtly reminds you as to what you are losing out. Katha Parayumbol is a film that needs to be seen, talked about and encouraged. This film should be recorded in golden letters in the history of Malayalam cinema for its noble intention.