Thattathin Marayathu - A Hero is born

Finally Malayalam Film lovers can celebrate the arrival of a Hero who can match his histrionic skills with his Bollywood counterparts. Whether it be the angst of a lover bewitched by the beauty of his lady love or it be the subtle comic strains of a commoner, Nivin Pauly has encapsulated it all through his out of the world performance in “Thattathin Marayathu”. Long after you leave the theatre, his performance haunts you. In Malayalam, the films usually leave a lasting impression either by strength of its story or by its innovative script . But Thattathin Marayathu has neither of these strengths to bask upon and it is entirely Nivin Pauly who carries the film forward. It is rare when films are made focusing entirely on an upcoming actor and Vineeth Sreenivasan has rightly proved that his confidence in this young star is well placed.

The director’s second venture has repeated the cast of his maiden film and they have once again proved that they are worth a ton. . The transformation of Nivin Pauly from an angry boy in “Malarvadi Arts Club” to a passionate lover in ‘Thattathin Marayathu”, complete with a makeover leaves you completely in awe.

Though criticisms abound regarding the choice of the female lead, Isha Talwar, the film goes on to prove that she has played her part well as required by the script which portrays an orthodox Muslim girl. The story is centred around its Hero and his infatuations with his lady love and she is equally mysterious to him as well as to the audience and it only adds a special charm to the narration. Within the limitations of the family background, Isha is required to play a subdued girl Ayesha who is as religious as can be but having enough faith in her God to believe that He will see her through her trials and tribulations of being in love with a Hindu boy.

The simple story is backed by comic one liners timed to perfection. The music of the film has enthralled one and all by its lyrical quality. The film is sort of a musical by the manner in which songs abound in it. The love and longing oozes in every song. Vineeth Sreenivasan can indeed be proud of steering clear his latest flick from being a mediocre tearjerker and putting his daring romantic tale with a fanciful happy ending in the league of a classy one.  

Family First

It was a hartal day. An unexpected, unofficial "holiday" thanks to petromagic. The magic which ensured that when everything is on the downslide in this country, there is atleast one commodity on the upward swing.  So there I was, with quite a lot of unplanned time at my disposal wondering how to utilise it optimally. The confusion soon ended when I received a call from my mother asking me to trace out the telephone number of my friend, a doctor. 

As there was a sense of urgency, I had to act immediately. The fact was that I knew that my friend is a doctor and is presently working in a hospital in the neighbouring district. But other than that I had absolutely no clue about how to contact this person. Being a hartal day, the only way out was to make a few calls and try my luck. Soon, I could obtain the hospital number and a few further calls later I was in hold of the precious mobile number of my doctor friend . Feeling quite elated I immediately dialled the number forgetting the fact that doctors' have no hartal in their lifetime! These hartal induced holidays are the prerogatives of  ordinary mortals like me. After making a few desperate calls, I gave up thinking that my luck has finally run out. 

In the evening I was surprised to receive a missed call from my doctor friend.  I got really excited and rang back immediately. The voice at the other end responded positively when I queried whether I had called up the right person. Then I identified myself quite hesistantly as I was calling her after nearly 22 Years!!

But those years just seemed to melt as I heard a hearty laugh break out at the other end. In a moment, we were back at the Arya Central School, where we spent those most valuable ten years of our life. The voice had changed, years had simply flown but the warmth of childhood friendship was still the same. It was as if we had met only a week after the school had closed for a vacation. We eagerly lapped up information about those missing years and updated each other's profile in our memory. 

When I finally informed her about the real purpose of locating her, she was only too eager to help me. The talk soon shifted to her professional life, as to how busy she was in real life being a Gyneacologist and yet how she still found time to spare, to be with her own kids. As she described how tough and time bound her job was, I was quite amazed at the transformation of my school buddy, a simple down to earth person, into a medical tutor cum practitioner, totally professional to the core. Even more surprising was her decision to quit a posting in the highly paid private sector and opt for the government service simply because she wanted to spend quality time with her own kids. What is the use of regretting years later that one could'nt enjoy the growing years of  our own children, she said, as she explained how satisfied she was with her wise decision. It was not a remark made off hand by a mother of two. It was a well thought out decision taken at the right time at the right juncture. 

As I ended the call with Dr.Resmy, I felt really happy not just because I had found a long lost childhood friend but also because I got a much needed affirmation as to the correctness of the decision I had taken years ago when I opted for the government service instead of the glamorous job of a journalist. For years on, I used to shrink uncomfortably when faced with umpteen queries as to "Why this job and not that?".   From now on, I too shall proudly raise my head and reply confidently, with just two little words- Family First.