Points to ponder

The last quarter of 2021 saw some semblance of normalcy returning in our lives- increased traffic on the streets, flight and hotel bookings were on the rise, festivals were being celebrated with gusto, and wedding venues were beginning to go full.?There was a growing sense of optimism around the new year. That was however not to be. January 2022 saw the outbreak of the 3rd wave of the pandemic and the ensuing curbs on movement. So far this wave of the pandemic seems to be milder than the brutal 2nd wave, yet it has forced people to stay indoors.?

I too chose to hunker down and stay put for a while, and then I came down with Covid. Fortunately it was mild with just a bad throat and some fatigue. I used this opportunity to catch up on movies and I ended up seeing 4 movies over 2 weekends. They were very different kind of movies yet they had one thing in common- they told simple, entertaining stories with a strong underlying message that provoked some questions within us.?

The 4 movies were Home [Malayalam], Minnal Murali [Malayalam], Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui [Hindi] and Sherni [Hindi].

Home was a sweet heart-warming story of Oliver Twist and his family set in middle-class Kerala. It is a film that acts as a mirror for us in today's world where everyone is obsessed with technology. The story revolves around a technologically challenged father and his tech-savvy sons. It show-cases a world where today’s youth prefers to use technology to express their emotions. It makes us reflect upon the balance that we need to strike between leveraging technology for the good things that it offers, and yet being grounded in our roots, and enjoying the simple pleasures of living in our real, physical world.??

Minnal Murali is a super-hero film set in a typical village in Kerala, which revolves around the lives of a tailor and a social outcast. They are both struck by lightning and develop super-powers- one of them puts it to good use while the other uses it for his own gain. The film talks about good and bad and the various shades of grey in-between. It makes us re-evaluate our judgements on what is right and wrong.???

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is a love story but with a twist. It deals with the biases towards the trans-gender community in a hard-hitting, mature and sensitive way. It portrays the pain that one goes through while dealing with the biases and prejudices that are still prevalent in the society. Even as we speak about the “new normal” in a post-pandemic world, the film makes us rethink our pre-conceived notions of what is “normal”.??

Sherni is an action adventure film that deals with a wide array of topics around wildlife conservation. Its protagonist, a lady forest officer grapples with issues around the protection of forests, the lust for power of politicians and the everyday dilemmas faced by the common man who lives near the forest areas. It raises some fundamental questions around the trade-offs between progress and conservation of the environment.

Each of these four movies is entertaining, is real and has a strong message delivered without sounding preachy. It makes the viewer think, ponder, question beliefs and reconsider pre-conceived notions. That’s what good cinema is meant to do- entertain but also play a key part in truly bringing about change. And we have the pandemic to thank for this- it has brought out some exceptional talent through the OTT platforms.??