Gulmohar Malayalam Movie
Can't say how Jayaraj's Gulmohar will be seen and assessed by the 'intellectuals' among the film viewers in Kerala. But for the average film-goer, the film offers a different kind of viewing experience and is definitely worth a watch.
Gulmohar takes us into the life of Induchoodan, the headmaster of a school. An idealist to the core, he is very different from the usual kind of teachers. One day an old time friend, Harikrishnan, turns up at his house. The two share some time together and then Harikrishnan departs as suddenly as he came, just when Induchoodan goes in to attend a telephone call. It is after Harikrishnan's departure that Induchoodan comes to know that his friend, who has been more like a brother to him, is in fact terminally ill, afflicted with cancer of the intestine.
Induchoodan's memories go back to the days when, in their youth, Induchoodan, Harikrishnan and a group of friends, with minds ignited by revolutionary ideologies, set out to fight against corruption, injustice and exploitation. Induchoodan was then a guest lecturer at a college. He remembers how he and his revolutionary friends had set out, to accomplish a mission that they had named 'Operation April' and what all had happened in consequence.
Scenarist-director Ranjith, who does the character of Induchoodan, has performed convincingly and deserves to be appreciated. Malayalam Cinema seems to have found a new actor in Ranjith, who had also impressed us with his performance in the recently-released 'Thirakatha'. Debutante Neenu Mathew as Gayathry, a student in Induchoodan's college and one who adores him, too has done a good job. Siddique as Harikrishnan and all the others in the cast have done justice to their respective roles. Music director Rajamani, who does a cameo, as a rich planter named Chacko, springs a surprise as an accomplished actor.
Cinematographer M.J. Radhakrishnan has rendered full support to the director with his excellently composed frames. The same can be said about the art-director and the editor. The songs, penned by ONV and set to tune by Johnson, too stand out as different from the usual films songs. They are in fact pieces of poetry rather than mere film songs.
Gulmohar stands out mainly due to the narrative style chosen by the scenarist and the director to convey what they have to say. Through plain and simple narrative Gulmohar manages to effectively drive home some very pertinent points. The film gives us a feel of the revolutionary fervor that overtook the youth of Kerala in the 1970's and it also emphasizes the need of keeping the revolutionary spirit alive as long as exploitation and injustice prevail in society.
Director Jayaraj deserves to be appreciated for not merely documenting the revolutionary fervor of the 1970's, but presenting it as something of universal significance. Gulmohar stands out for the ideas that it conveys, for the simple, plain and strong narrative style, for the excellent script (written by Deedi Damodaran), and for good performances by the key players. A film that you shouldn't miss out on!
