Adoor’s Anantaram (1987) has a unique narrative style. It first tells the story of a precocious child in linear progression till his college days, midway it changes track and starts recollection of his childhood days. The characters and their connect to the story are laid out with a great deal of subtleties; the main female lead (Shobhana) appears in both the narrative strand and the viewer is left perplexed about the going-ons in the film. Could she be the figment of imagination of the protagonist?
The film explores issues of identity, loneliness and relationships and is a fine exposition on the duality of perception. The film stars Mamoothy, Asokan and Shobhana. The open ended finale of the film is reminiscent of Mrinal Sen’s Ek Din Pratidin (1979) . The film is available on YouTube with English subtitles
Rating: 4 out of 5
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