30. Malikappuram; movie review

MALIKAPPURAM

Cert 12A

120 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, bloody images, language, suicide references

Often films can enlighten as well as entertain and, if we are lucky, they can do both as in Vishnu Sasi Shankar's Malikappuram.

At its heart, the movie has Ayyappan, a southern Indian deity, who dominates the thoughts of a happy eight-year-old.

She prays to him, draws impressive pictures of him and is desperate to visit his temple at a holy site called Sabarimala where she expects him to appear.

Her devoted dad (Saiju Kurup) says he will take her but has the bank on his back over intense money problems.

Tragedy then ensues making the journey even more important to the little girl.

Malikappuram delves deep into life in the rural Kerala region where people struggle to eke out a living and are exploited by money lenders.

Religion becomes a solace, while ritual and pilgrimages are a demonstration of devotion.

Sankar's film works well because all of the above is seen through the eyes of an innocent young girl, played by the wonderfully wide-eyed Deva Nandha.

She is complemented by Sreepath, her impish cousin and classmate who sees himself as her protector.

The young actors charm their way through the movie and enrapture the audience so much that I felt myself genuinely fearing for them when dangers lurk.

Malikappuram is different from many Indian movies - while Unni Mukundan is its star, he plays a secondary role to the child actors.

And there is only one scene in which there is sustained violence - although there are suicide and child abduction themes which caused us to be surprised at the number of young families at Sheffield Odeon.

I digress. Suffice it to say, we enjoyed it.

Reasons to watch: Cultural immersion

Reasons to avoid: Suicide and child abduction themes

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Ayyappan, also called Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil.

The final word. Unni Mukundan: "I promised that it will be a complete entertainment package. Also, I said it will give goosebumps to the devotees of Ayyappa. It’s the first time that I had vouched for a movie with so much conviction." OTT play

 

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