After three national film awards, over 400 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English, and 52 years of roaring success in the industry, one could play safe. But not Mammootty. From Puzhu to Rorschach, creative risks have become second nature to this powerhouse actor. And with his latest Malayalam movie —director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam—he has, yet again, banked on a film that couldn’t have been made without him.
Another gem from Pellissery
Pellissery, one of Malayalam cinema’s most ingenious filmmakers, has attempted to shed his ‘master of chaos’ image with his latest film. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that his 2019 film, Jallikkattu, was India’s official entry for the Academy Awards that year.
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam — Tamil for ‘an afternoon nap’ — is centred around a man named Jameson (Mammootty) who transforms into another person after a siesta.
The 109-minute film begins with a group of Malayali Christians returning from a pilgrimage on a bus from Velankanni, Tamil Nadu. After a brief hiatus for lunch, they resume their journey.
Jameson, who plays the group leader, is an embodiment of a stereotypical patriarch we’ve seen around: Uber serious killjoy with a hawk-like gaze over the expenses. While the fellow passengers make merry and sing songs during the bus ride, a visibly irritated Jameson stops them abruptly and asks the driver to play the songs on the sound system. He snaps at the driver for playing Tamil songs and orders him to play Malayalam music strictly.
Minutes later, the whole group dozes off with melodious music playing in the background.
Jameson wakes up from slumber after some time and asks the driver to halt in the middle of an empty road sandwiched between fields. He steps out of the bus, begins walking, and continues until he walks into a rustic Tamil rural homestead. From hereon, he instantly becomes a new man called Sundaram. What happens next forms the crux of the story.
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Mammootty leads this absurd tale
Pellissery is known to create absurd and interesting characters and not so much for his stories. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is no different in that sense. At no point does the screenplay, penned by S. Hareesh, explain why Jameson acts the way he does. Is it some medical condition? Or is it some psychological drama? Your guess could be as good as mine. But the unexplained simplicity is, perhaps, the beauty of this film.
The film is a running commentary on human nature. For instance, at one point, seeing Sundaram break down while eating lunch, a character says, “This is the human plight.” Next, Pellissery leaves a lot open for interpretation. In one symbolic scene, gutters flowing in the corners of the village change colour as some water is infused into them. It’s an image that holds meaning in the larger scheme of things but can’t be understood instantly.
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam reflects on the frailties of human lives. We may belong to different castes or religions or speak different languages, but it is the sheer unpredictability of human nature that binds us.
Mammootty, who is the soul of the film, plays curt Malayali Jameson and outspoken Tamilian Sundaram with utmost ease. The film, also being produced by the veteran actor, received blazing applause at the International Film Festival of Kerala in December 2022. In this steady, meditative watch, cinematographer Theni Eswar—who has worked with Mammootty in Puzhu—with his sleek and clever frames, tells you more than one story in each shot.
However, if you, like me, are relying on subtitles to understand this film, certain cultural nuances will be lost on you. But regardless of that, Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is worth a watch.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)