Ariyippu

For some reason, Ariyippu's (Declaration) most striking scenes are that of the assembly line of hand glove factory where the two central characters of the film work. I felt it was a metaphor to something Mahesh Narayanan was trying to convey, yet was overburdened by his main story of that of a Kerala-based couple stuck in Delhi with an ambition to move abroad. More than the conflict in the film, it's the aftermath that is loud here, asking you to think about the politics involved. In several places, I saw shades of Ishq (2019), leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, Ariyippu is a decent film worth watching to know why you shouldn't be careless about what you do.

(Watched its India premiere at the 2022 International Film Festival of India in Goa.)

ARIYIPPU explored the rifts and difficulties that got created in the form of anger, physical & sort of sexual abuse, shame, mistrust & doubts in a married couples life over a scandal video leak.

It's one of the few and pure slice of life dramas I have ever seen that didn't feel exploitative at all, was very focused on the narrative of it and also didn't have any kind of loud distractions in the form of music, stretching of unwanted sequences or anything else.

The performances felt really raw so kudos to Kunchaks and Divyaprabha for giving a controlled and balanced as well as engaging performances.

The same could be said for the supporting cast too.

The subplots regarding the injustice, murder coverups? And the illegal practices going on in the glove factory were intriguing too.

The climax though felt like lacking in completion and making it open ended didn't feel effective or maybe it was coz I adamantly wanted a close ended climax.

The background scores in this one also has to be Sushin Shyam's tamest scores from the works of his I've seen.

It's a slowburn directed in a style that I have often seen foreign filmmaker's prefer that are popular choices for prestigious critical awards and I mean it in a good way and while I felt it not to be laggy even while being a slowburn I must say that this would not be most people's cup of whatever they'd prefer.

#Ariyippu - An intense drama which explores human relationships when life throws unexpected challenges at us - What drives the movie forward are the brilliant performances from the lead actors - DivyaPrabhaa & KunchackoBoban.

The film doesn't have a lot of dramatic moments. All we get is a series of suggestions that paints a crime scene, where the powerful never misses an opportunity to prey on the weak. No blood, fury or horror is visible to our eyes. But, the sufferings of the people who inhabit the lowest strata of society dot every inch of the frame. The pain, the shame and a sense of collective entrapment all hide in plain sight. It's for the audience to unpack the cruelty of poverty

Surely one of the best Malayalam movies of 2022 !

The first Malayalam film which was premiered in the competition section of the prestigious Locarno Film Festival. An Indian film that premiered there after 17 years. These are the acclamation for the new film of Mahesh Narayanan's Ariyippu - Declaration. The film was also seen at the International Film Festival of Kerala in the competition section and received great appreciation. The film is now streaming on Netflix and let's talk about the movie. Malayalam Cinema got a new dimension through Mahesh's first directorial movie Take Off. Mahesh begins his career as an editor and when he wore the shirt of a director we get class films like Take Off, C U Soon, Malik, etc. Mahesh is the writer, director, co-producer, and co-editor of this film. Kunchako Boban and Divya Prabha are the lead actors. Ariyippu is not everyone's cup of tea. The film goes at a very slow pace and it details everything so profoundly. Mahesh shifts the camera to a gloves factory in Noida and he just portrays the lives revolving there. The office, Hareesh (Boban) - Reshmi (Divya) house, and the outskirts of Noida were the main locations. Hareesh and Divya are a couple and they are working in that gloves factory. They are about to leave for the Middle East for better job opportunities so they are doing their temporary job there. They are waiting for their Visa. At that moment the film got its deviation when some kind of a problem beheads Hareesh and Divya. From then on the audience get into a lot of assumptions and conclusions along with Hareesh. When all the problems get solved there remains something that is ambiguous for us. Mahesh builds the character arc of Hareesh and Divya so deeply. We can find different dimensions in each character. Reshmi is a normal, simple woman who gave predominant consideration to human values and emotions on the other side Hareesh is some sort of selfish and has a misogynistic approach internally. Both of them look forward to their issue in two different ways. Their divergent visions are the basic element of values and politics that the movie urges. Migration is an important theme in many of Mahesh's works. We find that in his debut movie, Take Off. We can see the intensity of that theme in Ariyippu too. Along with the life of Hareesh and Reshmi, the film also gives consideration to the things (corruption) that happen in the gloves factory. That portion of the film gives a documentary type that looks so real in the context. The cinematography in the movie is like a brilliant kind of work because it stood along with the actual path of the movie. We can't find colorful visuals, or beautiful frames rather the ordinary lives of people were roughly captured in that intensity throughout the film. Hats off to Sanu John Varghese, the cinematographer. We can find the top-notch performance of director brilliance when some areas seem to be more dramatic but look so ordinary when it comes to execution. Kunchako Boban, who consequently looks for different roles so fits into the character of Hareesh. Divya Prabha, we had seen her as a supporting actress but delivered an exceptional piece of acting through Reshmi and I think there are more Reshmis left in her acting career. The film also declares Malayalam films are far away better than other industries because of the wonderful content.

The film was a great one to watch. Mahesh Narayanan as a writer-director crafts a fine film. This is a story and a type of film which we have never seen from Mahesh and isn't something that falls in the usual form of filmmaking from Mahesh. It was quite refreshing to see Mahesh try his hands at an arthouse film. The writing of the film is rock solid. There is a believable plot that takes its time to unfold. Though there isn't any element of thrill or suspense, the way in which the tale progresses builds an intrigue amongst the viewers to know what can happen next. The plot may seem to be slow and dragged out. However, it is necessary to build the tension and the environment for the tale to unfold. Mahesh does a superb job with the writing, by keeping the screenplay as authentic and genuine as possible. He also has put in efforts to make sure that the happenings of the film is believable and adds a local flavour to it, to up the naturality of the film. Mahesh's brilliant writing combined with the spot on execution makes Ariyippu a superbly crafted film. Looking at the acting performances, the film boasts of some stellar performances by the cast. Divya Prabha as Reshmi Hareesh deserves a lot of praise. She is phenomenal in her role and the way she slips into character and portrays it with utmost conviction and precision is highly commendable. Divya has made proper use of the opportunity she has been handed with, and delivers one of the most powerful performances of the year. Kunchacko Boban is absolutely brilliant as Hareesh. This role is perhaps one of his finest performances in recent times and is surely worth a lot of accolades. The remaining supporting cast members too deliver good performances. Looking at the technical side, the cinematography by Sanu John Varghese is great. The shaky camera movements and the steady shots for almost the entire film gives the film a rustic and realistic feel. Editing by Mahesh Narayanan and Rahul Radhakrishnan is crisp and tight, making the film a good one to watch. The background score by Sushin Shyam is pensive and intense, which is unlike most of his work. It was quite a surprise to see such a pensive scoring being orchestrated by Sushin. Special credits has to be given to the production designers, set designers, art department, costume designers and sound designers for their valuable contributions.

As a whole, Ariyippu is a film that is what the general public would call "a typical arthouse film". However, if you watch the film a bit closely, you will realize that this isn't just another arthouse film, but a film that showcases a very relevant topic in the guise of an arthouse film. What makes Ariyippu a film I loved watching is the approach and gamble Mahesh Narayanan took to try his hand at an arthouse film, that pays off, superb making, spectacular acting performances by Divya Prabha and Kunchacko Boban as well as the score by Sushin Shyam. I personally found the film to be something which you all should check out to see a very different Kunchacko Boban and also to realize the filmmaking skills Mahesh Narayanan possesses. The film is slow and would test your patience if you aren't a patient viewer of films or expect a grand climax. This one is surely worth your time. Do check it out!