I and my friend went for second show on a Friday. As the film was expected to start at 9, we reached there by 8.30. And we never anticipated to see what we saw there. A long queue!!! Line of anxious men fretting over the wait, wondering whether any ticket would be left by the time it’s their turn. Late comers trying to squeeze in between the queue and those unable to do so, asking others if they could purchase a ticket for them. Maybe because I’ve been so used to the empty theatres and small queues that Malayalam films have attracted for the last couple of years, we were aghast. One look at the posters around the theatre compound reminded us the reason – the film is ‘Rathinirvedham.’ The remake of the classic film of same name by the golden duo Padmarajan and Bharathan. Without hesitating, we too joined them.
If the scene outside the theatre was something, inside it was outrageous. Catcalls and songs and comments which has more to do with the testosterone charged atmosphere and the wait they are subjected to. Even after the film started, the situation wasn’t different with comments flowing non-stop. It must have been a nightmare of film viewing for the few families who were there. And that really set me wondering – What would’ve been the situation when the original was released? And even after so many years, are we really mature enough to handle such a subject? How many of them present inside would’ve actually come just to watch the hot scenes it promised in all the posters, rather than the whole movie?
Coming over to the film, it is the same film that Padmarajan and Bharatan made. The script hasn’t been changed save for a few scenes. The film is set in the late 1970s and has the all the elements that try to depict the age – cycle, village library, theyyam, costumes. The dialogues are the same. And does all this helps it to reach where its predecessor has reached? The answer is NO.
Even with a big banner like Revathi Kalamandir and an acclaimed director like T K Rajeevkumar, the film fails miserably in one area – casting. The story, that of an adolescent infatuation of a young boy towards an older woman has to be carried off effectively by the performances of the lead actors. But there are several gaping holes here.
One, the hero Sreejith (who plays Pappu) isn’t able to effectively display the attraction that he feels towards Rathi (Swetha Menon). The excitement that he feels, the hidden glances to her body, the sexual tension, the frustration – nothing comes through his face. The subtle emotions are what we miss. The saving graces of the film is the acting by veteran actors KPAC Lalitha and Shoba Mohan. Shammy Thilakan surprises with his brilliant acting in a small but memorable role.
Two, Swetha Menon who has definitely done a good job of acting isn’t the same Rathi that Jayabharathi portrayed or audience imagined. She has dressed the part, but she doesn’t look a woman of 1970s. Maybe this has to do with her facial features, but she looks modern. The sheer feminine sexuality that Jayabharathi rendered is not what you see from Sweta. She’s different.
Three, while the old one had Krishnachandran as Pappu who was around 12-14 years, Sreejith here plays a much older Pappu – around 18 years who is about to join for engineering. And this in itself is a very big failing. The film which is about the adolescent infatuation doesn’t feels like one. The maturity of Pappu makes it look like a coming off age romantic relationship between a teenager and a woman who isn’t much elder to her. The songs, although good and hummable, except the first, are oddly placed. All this drains out the beauty of the brilliant script and leave us wanting to see the old Rathivirvedham once again.
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