243. Kumbalangi Nights; movie review

KUMBALANGI NIGHTS
Cert 12A
134 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat, violence, suicide references

At last - a respite from the avalanche of masala movies which has submerged Indian cinema in recent years.
And how refreshing that a film as off-the-beaten-track as Kumbalangi Nights should do so well at the box office.
Madhu C. Narayanan's film has music but no song and dance routines, sporadic action but no superhero versus heavies and also has a forbidden romance but no angry father.
Its focus is on four brothers who are forced to look after themselves in their lakeside shack after their mother leaves them.
Shane Nigam stars as Bobby, a loafer who is constantly at odds with his elder sibling, Saji (Soubin Shahir) until he becomes love-smitten with a local tour guide (Anna Ben).
Meanwhile, younger Franky (Mathew Thomas) is struggling to find his way without parents and Bony (Sreenath Bhasi), who cannot speak, is the family's glue.
The quality of its acting is key to Kumbalangi Nights' success. The love and loathing of the siblings reminded me so much of Mrs W's upbringing - I am an only child and was agog at the tumult among them.
Nigam and Shair take the bulk of the work but there are also stand-outs from Ben and Fahadh Faasil as her progressively more unstable guardian.
Kumbalangi Nights offers a very different India from one which is usually seen in cinema.
It is set far away from major cities and the characters have little ambition beyond their daily lives in their village.
But this means that, despite their freedoms, they have boundaries which they cannot transgress and have to deal with the pressures which society brings to bear however unfair they may be.
And, of course, there are the tragedies which bad decisions can bring about.
It may be low on action but Narayanan's movie is gripping and enlightening. I wish more Indian cinema were like it.

Reasons to watch: Convincing family drama
Reasons to avoid: Low on action

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The real island village of Kumbalangi is on the outskirts of Kochi city. Its main occupation is fishing, and there are over 100 Chinese nets in the backwaters that face the village. Groves of mangroves separate the land from the water, providing a breeding ground for prawns, crabs, oysters and small fishes.

The final word: Soubin Shahir: "At times, I couldn't talk to anyone even after the shoot was over. After doing an extremely emotional scene at a police station, I was so downthat, on reaching home, my wife wanted to know if I was fine." Sify.com

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