Perhaps no single actress has been able to capture the essence of the everywoman Malayali village lass than Navya Nair, especially in the State-Award winning classic "Nandanam (2002)" as well other hits like "Mazhathullikkilukkam (2002)" and "Vellithira (2003)". Now, at age 36, she has ably metamorphosized into a quintessential hardworking mother character and displays all the experience she has gained working in multiple South Indian industries to deliver a resounding performance in V. K Prakash's hard-hitting "Oruthee".
Two-time National Award-winning director VK Prakash has had an inconsistent career to say the least. Having delivered groundbreaking cinema like "Punaradhivasam (2000)", "Beautiful (2011)" and "Nirnayakam (2015)", he has also forayed into ill-conceived, poorly executed comedies like "Gulumaal (2009)" and "Three Kings (2011)" as well. Thankfully, in Oruthee, he sticks to his strong suit of socially relevant drama, narrating the harrowing story of a few days in the life of a working mother desperately trying to arrange the funds for the treatment of her ill child.
The title itself, strongly conveys the politics of the movie with "Oruthee" a play on the Malayalam term for "her", smartly rewording it to also mean "A fire". And Navya Nair ably provides the fierce, fiery performance worthy of the titular character, displaying the care and compassion of a protective mother as well as all the anger, frustration and never-say-die attitude of a parent willing to go to any lengths for her children. Vinayakan is expectedly terrific as a virtuous police officer, stuck within a corrupt system that tries to suck him in at every turn.
It is downright criminal that the Malayalam industry has not been able to provide an actress of Navya Nair's capability with better roles on a regular basis. Nevertheless, in her first role in Malayalam after a gap of almost 10 years, the 2-time Kerala State Award winner for Best Actress makes a strong case for more accolades and recognition, which has already started off with Film Companion recognizing her terrific performance with the Performance of the Moth-March 2022 title. Highly recommended!
