The film, directed by Raj B Shetty, starring himself and Siri Ravikumar, boasts of fabulous performances…
Rating:-3.75/5
Kudos to the entire crew for making this “completely relevant yet taboo” topic into a film experience. This felt very personal for me especially because I had to deal with a few such situations first hand and it’s so relevant to current times because the one goal we have is to keep our loved ones with us for however long…
Counselling is a job Prerna (an excellent Siri Ravikumar) does effectively, even if she took her time to stop being personally affected. When a new patient, Aniket (whose name means ‘one without a home’) refuses to divulge details and refuses counselling, she’s piqued. Her face, usually devoid of emotions, shows some curiosity.
Raj B Shetty infuses Aniket with a certain charm and likeability, both in the writing and performance. He’s the person who has shrugged off his former life to exit the world, far away from those who know him. He smokes marijuana in the room, craves thili saaru (a watery rasam) and meen saaru (fish gravy), and is determined to live and show others how to live till his very end. There’s a lovely comparison to Indie dogs shrugging off their identity, but I will let you enjoy that on screen.
Editor-cinematographer Praveen Shriyan, Raj’s frequent collaborator, gifts the film both light and sombreness. Everyone’s seen the happy, pretty side of the Nilgiris, where the film was shot. Praveen shows what the hills can also feel like — dark and brooding and where time almost stops still, but for the fleeting ray of sunshine sharp enough to burn your skin. He edits the film that way too — with a certain tenderness, where time moves at a pace slower than usual.
Composer Midhun Mukundan, another Raj collaborator, lends the movie a gentle background score that celebrates pauses and silences. “Mellage” is the kind of number that soothes wounded hearts.
Verdict:- Not For Mass Audience…
