A rare stroke of luck from a film is this brilliantly cast and staged by director Anup Kurian. There was plenty of wry humor, pathos, and atmosphere to keep any thoughtful viewer interested. What makes this film a masterpiece is the direction of the film and style of storytelling, more than the story also the fine acting of the three principle actors, who held your eyes and attention every time they were on the screen. The kind of conversations between the characters reflected reality yet projected here in a purely cinematic fold. Neha Dubey as Malathy Chandran gives a performance which is layered and complex. She uses her facial expressions a lot to signify a change in her mood. It is not possible for the viewer to not care for her and her plight. Atul Kulkarni captivated with his most expressive face. The director allowed the actors to slowly change before your eyes, as gradually as if it were real life. There was such an organic nature to this film, it really felt lived-in. It was beautifully filmed and framed the actors effectively, so you were aware of their humanity, not their physical scale. There are shots that are so beautiful to look at that they can be easily framed and hung on the wall. The music is wonderful, including the score by David Prahl, Lisa Stanislawski and Craig Leininger.
Yes an argument can be made that certain convenient adjustments are made in the screenplay to arrive at an ending which would have been acceptable for the audience of the time, but personally I didn't have a problem with these adjustments because of the way Anup kept using artistic visual flair to execute them. This is genuinely a masterpiece rich with feelings, emotions, social commentary and visual artistry. An absolute must-watch, if you don't love it, then check for a pulse.
