PIRAVI (1988, Malayalam, d:- Shaji Karun)

The 1988 Malayalam film PIRAVI marks a high point reached in Indian Cinema. The film has fetched the highest number of prestigious International awards than any other Indian film. Rarely has pathos been so memorably etched on screen with such visual finesse and sparse dialogue. The longing of a father awaiting the return of his sole late born son on the occasion of marriage of the sister is conveyed initially through the trips the old man makes to the bus terminus, waiting till the last bus arrival, and subsequent return to his home only to return the very next morning to the same place. When he reads in the papers that his son has been held by the police for political activism, he visits the city for his release. Premji, a theatre actor, in the role of the father is outstanding. The lyrical beauty of the countryside has been filmed exquisitely capturing the monsoon and other details with poetic brilliance. Besides the element of human drama which pervades the mood of the film, the muted political commentary resonates to a crescendo. I found some traces of influence of the Mrinal Sen directed EK DIN PRATIDIN (1980) on this film in the character of the son who is missing throughout the film, yet is pivotal to the narrative, like the working girl of EK DIN PRATIDIN.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Indian art cinema

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Veettilekkulla Vazhi (2010)

This is the third film of Dr. Biju that I have seen after SAIRA & AKASATHINTE NIRAM. However, this film is a bit of  a let-down in comparison to the other two mentioned films.

A doctor (Prithiviraj Sukhumaran) is given the responsibility of returning a young boy to his absconding terrorist father Tariq. The doctor with some assistance sets off to find the dreaded man travelling through Delhi, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Jaiselmer. When he finally finds the man it’s at a moment when Tariq was about to breathe his last. Tariq has been responsible for killing the doctor’s wife and child who succumbed in a bomb blast executed by Tariq in Sarojini Nagar Market in New Delhi and now leaves behind his son to the doctor … philosophically one can make several inferences but the film appears too message laden & slightly incredulous …

Rating: 3 out of 5

National award winners 2016

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Saira (Malayalam, 2005)

Siara is a Malayalam film directed by Dr. Biju. The film is a tragic tale of a talented elderly Muslim musician whose daughter, a political journalist, gets embroiled and victimized in the wake of a sensational interview she records with a dreaded terrorist for a TV news channel. Though slightly overdone at times (the sequence where the daughter suffer a temporary loss of memory after her rape and disrobes before her father), yet the film is powerful enough and thoroughly convincing in projecting the agony of an ordinary Indian Muslim. When asked by a terrorist whether he believed in Allah or not, the musician father replies “I believe in Allah. However, my Allah is different from your Allah.”

The film acquires significance in the wake of several callous statements from popular Muslim Bollywood actors like Amir Khan and others about growing intolerance in the country. The Muslim protagonist inspite of his personal tragedy and enticements from seditious elements never loses faith, or cries foul of being victimized for being a Minority in the country. Just for highlighting this beautiful thought, the director deserves our kudos.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5

Akasathinte Niram (Malayalam, 2012)

A sixty year old man lives on a pristine, isolated island. He visits the nearby harbour in a motor boat once a month to sell handicrafts. A young burglar keeps a watch over him and one day crosses him and demands money. The old man takes the motor boat towards his island where the young man gets trapped. He meets the people in the island – a young boy, a deaf and mute lady and a middle-aged man with a speech problem. The burglar experiences a different kind of life in the island. His concept about life changes as he understands how nature blends with life.

Akasathinte Niram (English: Colour of Sky) is a 2012 Malayalam film written and directed by Dr. Biju.The film was shot entirely on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a cast that includes Indrajith, Nedumudi Venu, Amala Paul and Prithviraj. It premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2012. It was subsequently screened at various film festivals where it received several honours.

Some of the sequences have a rare poetic quality; the director even uses a folksy Bengali song which speaks philosophically about life which is what the central theme of the film harps upon.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5