Mayaanadhi

The nuances of true sensible love we see in real life very rarely get depicted on screen with that sensible amount of sincerity. Movies very seldom try to break those moulds the other films created. Mayaanadhi in my opinion is an exception from all that. This film from Aashiq Abu written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair is a nicely layered love story that focuses on the need of a romantic relationship.

Mathew aka Maathan is this engineering graduate who was never interested in the proper life one would follow. He earned a living in the college days by taking commission for college admissions and subsequently he went on to do things that were on that line of money making. The film talks about his arrival at Kochi from Mangalore to meet his ex girlfriend Aparna and the events that happen afterwards.

If you look at the filmography of Aashiq Abu, barring Gangster the approach was always on the realistic aspects of the content. Here also he applies that treatment and as someone who is not a big fan of melodrama, I really liked the way the scenes worked out. The little nuances most people might have witnessed in the modern day relationships are added to the narrative and whatever the writers have incorporated subtly into the content smoothly docks with the main plot. Even though there are two narratives, one with the love track and the other with an investigation, the aim of the film is ultimately to project the necessity of that intimate person in life.

Aishwarya Lekshmi who made her debut in a small role in Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela gets a meaty role here. She is not at all artificial in being Aparna and I hope the film makers won’t type cast this talent just because of the courage she showed to do justice in honestly depicting a relationship. Tovino Thomas very neatly underplays the character of Mathew whose lack of maturity has a reason. Harish Uthaman as the vulnerable sensitive police officer and Ilavarasu as the judgmental police officer was good choices and I think Leona Leshoy has got the best character in her career in this one. From Unnimaya Prasad, Lijo Jose Pelliserry etc. to Soubin, there are many cameo roles as significant characters.

If you look at the structure of the story, it isn’t a surprise driven theme. But the amount of heart and rawness in the way they have captured the essence of emotions makes this film beautiful. The writer duo has Syam Pushkaran along with Dileesh Nair and much like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, you can sense that minimalism in words and explanations. Maathan’s character’s backdrop is explained in just one scene and that was kind of enough for us to root for him. The courage Mayaanadhi showed to portray the physical relationship part in a romantic equation could well give more film makers that gut to touch Taboo topics. Another thing about the screenplay is the way each character speaks something. The social and religious restrictions and judgments have been shown through various subplots. The climax portion that has a debate about the perspective on trust is also an influential layer of the theme. Jayesh Mohan’s frames just blends in with the slow rhythm of the narrative. Rex Vijayan’s songs are soothing and the background music adds so much depth to the situations.

Mayaanadhi made me indulge in it. If you like a raw exploration of romance of the modern days, this film has all of it. Without restricting it into a mere love story, this one showed a level of maturity that most love stories lack.

Rating: 4/5