Bharathanatyam Review | A Humorous and Sensitive Take on the ‘Mookambika’ Cinematic Trope

SPOILER ALERT! The trailer of the movie  Bharathanatyam has a very chaotic tempo, and in the promotional interviews of the movie, they haven’t revealed the film’s plot. So Krishnadas Murali’s  Bharathanatyam is a funny what-if take on a particular scripting trope that people used to refer to as Mookambika Cinematic Universe or the Nedumudi Venu trope (no offense to the late actor). Even though the final act of the film has a very cheesy and sentimental nature, the humor that never becomes too eccentric makes this movie really enjoyable.

Sasi is the son of Bharathan Nair. He is the eldest one in the family with three other siblings. Sasi has a very active social life, and he is a part of the temple committee. One day, Bharathan Nair had a stroke, and the doctors told Sasi that his father’s days were numbered. On his deathbed, Bharathan Nair told Sasi about his other wife and kid, and he expressed his wish to see them for one last time. How that truth bomb causes chaos in Sasi’s family is what we see in Bharathanatyam.

Semi-urban middle-class comedies have an audience, and the success of movies like Falimy, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hei, etc., is proof of that. In the first half an hour of the film, the speed at which things evolve is pretty gentle. We have Sasi doing his routine stuff, talking to his siblings in a very normal way, and when he talks to his mother after his father gets admitted to the hospital, the sequences are all very real and sentimental. The subtly conveyed details in that patch of the film become a platform for some hilarious twists once Bharathan Nair reveals his truth. Krishnadas Murali uses the explosions happening in the family due to the developments to create humor, and none of them had a forceful feel.

As I said, we have seen Nedumudi Venu playing this type of character in multiple films, and Krishndas Murali is aware of the audience’s attitude towards that trope. The good thing about Bharathanatyam is that there is no obsession to make it an out-and-out comedy. There are patches like the conversations between the twins and the scene where Bharathan talks to his grandkids about his helplessness that sort of adds an element of humaneness to this movie that is otherwise on the humorous terrain. The only area that felt slightly shaky was the melodrama in the final bits of the film. I did smile, seeing the empathy on the screen, but there was a scope for a brighter smile.

Saiju Kurup as Sasi is in his usual elements, and since he is playing the “Balettan” of the family, his usual set of expressions works in favor of the character. Since the movie has both humor and emotional sequences, Saiju Kurup gets to do both shades of emotions in one character. I think it’s been a while since we have seen Sai Kumar in a character that has shades of humor, roughness, and sentiments. And he was really good as Bharathan, and his performance definitely elevated a lot of sequences that solely depended on his facial expressions.

Kalaranjini, as the mother, portrayed the anger of the wife hilariously. Sreeja Ravi, with the Kannur accent, was impressive in her character. Divya M Nair also delivered a memorable performance as the elder sister. Abhiram Radhakrishnan deserves to be mentioned for his performance. The meter at which he performed that character was perfect for the pitch of the humor of this film. Jivin and Jinil have very endearing faces, and Krishnadas Murali uses that innocence to generate humor and empathy in the screenplay.

I am not saying  Bharathanatyam is an out-of-the-box thought or an entirely fresh concept. But looking at how some filmmakers are making comedy films by following formulaic traits, Krishnadas Murali’s story and his way of narrating seem to have a sense of respect towards the audience. It is a comedy that doesn’t deviate from its core theme to find humor, and despite not really having that emotional high toward the end, the movie’s effort toward being distinctive impressed me a lot.