Thaniye Malayalam Movie
Babu Thiruvalla's debut directorial venture Thaniye (Alone) is a laudable film, with sterling performance by lead artist Nedumudi Venu, who no doubt is one of the greatest assets of Malayalam Cinema.
Thaniye takes us into the world of Georgekutty, an old man who is bedridden and at the edge of the grave. There are people who desire to see his end. They include Shoshamma, his son's mother-in-law and Richie, Shoshamma's son. They bring a home-nurse to look after him, but not with much sincerity. Their sole interest is in taking all they can from Georgekutty's estate, including plantains, coconuts and even the money that caretaker Paappi obtains by selling the farm produce.
Shoshamma and her son want to get rid of Georgekutty so that Alex, Georgekutty's son who is in the U.S, could renovate the bungalow and make it into a resort, to be managed by Richie. Paappi too sides with them many a times. The home nurse who is brought in finds it difficult to manage Georgekutty, who is rather irritating and short-tempered and even refuses to take food or medicines. He just wants to die, lying on the bed on which his father had breathed his last.
The home nurse goes away. A new one comes, who is rather different. And from here things start afresh. Georgekutty begins to get healthier. His attitude changes too. He begins to look forward to life.
Nedumudi Venu delivers a sterling performance as Georgekutty. The ease with which he brings to life the various stages in the life of the protagonist testifies to his versatility. Venu's performance is no doubt the highlight of the whole film. Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, who plays the role of the home-nurse, a character devoid of a name, does justice to the role. KPAC Lalitha as Shoshamma, Vijay Menon as Alex, Ashokan as Richie and Mamookoya as Paappi too have lent credibility to their respective characters.
Cinematography by M.J. Radhakrishnan, a cameraman who usually associates with such offbeat films as this, is worth mentioning. Also noteworthy is music by Isaac Thomas Kottukaapally. Other technical aspects of the film too are in tune with the mood and theme of the film.
Thaniye stands out as a film that depicts the plight of the aged and the lonely in today's world, and takes a peep into the lives of home-nurses as well. The film also makes some strong statements about man's selfishness when it comes to worldly pleasures. A real laudable effort, though one that is likely to fare poorly at the box office.
