IT DOESN'T MATTER

As a woman in early forties, I have started feeling my age recently. It was at this time, the movie “How old are you?” got released. The last Malayalam movie I saw in a theater was five years back. But I was determined to see this one in big screen. I was impatient to watch the movie and missed few chances due to my hectic schedule over the last three weeks. Plus, I was also following the kind of assault on Manju Warrier the conservative Kerala is showering. Like so many Keralites, I wanted her to succeed so badly and was following every thing regarding the movie from day one.

So today, I had a half day at work. I decided to do something beyond my comfort level. I took a taxi and traveled all the way to a movie theater across the city to watch HOAY. After all, the movie is about woman empowerment! I should shed the least of my inhibitions to get something I want. It was a working day and the show was at 2:15 PM. How many Malayalies will flock to a theater in New Jersey to see a movie on a working day during an exam week at noon? Apparently none other than me. So I walked into an empty Cinema hall and there I saw this beautiful movie all by myself, laughing and crying, often seeing myself on the screen. That is what I hear from Mallu world the reason this movie clicked, that every woman saw in Nirupama, the protagonist of the movie, a part of them. The depth at which the movie makers have brought out some of the psychological issues faced by today's women is unbelievable. Some of the scenes did appear forced, but the message they wanted to convey was worth the drag felt in between.

We often project our failures on others and in the name of sacrifices, we often live in our comfort zone, never challenging ourselves in anyways. The fact is our failures and inability to live up to our potential is based on how much we value our dreams, aspirations and our drive to achieve them. We often let others sideline us and give way for others to succeed at our own cost. We take every thing for granted and don't realize it until we loose them. The makers of HOAY is trying to highlight these characteristics of the women(probably men too) through the tale of Nirupama Rajeev.

The most striking moment for me was when Nirupama visited the old lady and the old lady thanked Nirupama for her time. Nirupama's face surged with a flush of emotions and her pain for being rejected was quite visible on her face. That was a brilliant moment in the movie. Another one was when Nirupama refused to go to Ireland, Rajiv calls their daughter and tells her that she is not Amma's preference anymore and hand over the phone to Nirupama. To a sobbing daughter, Nirupama changes her mind in the blink of an eye and hurriedly agrees to join them. Tears rolled down my cheeks as she looked at her husband with such helplessness and defeat and a crooked smile lit on his face! Manju is unparalleled at these scenes and the kind of emotions that flashes through her face is unbelievable. No wonder she is called the best of the best.

Like Nirupama, most of us, male or female, tend to forget the kind of people we were in our younger days and wait indefinitely for the Susan Varghese of our past to come and remind us! Susan insists "orale kandal bhodham kedan mathram tharathil ninne kondethicha enthayalum, arayalum, athu jeevithathil ninnum ozhivakkiye pattu." It is as if some one is shaking you to wake up and live!

When an empowered Nirupama emerge after realizing the question her daughter asked the President, which earlier had brought a string of unfortunate events for her, many of us also realize such moments we had in our lives- the moments we got the courage to take a stand. I think this movie has such an impact because Nirupama was essayed by Manju Warrier. It was her first film after 16 years. Had this role been done by anyone else, or if this is not Manju's first movie after so many years, I don't think the impact will be the same. She is everything this character is. That is what makes it so realistic. As a person who withdrew from lime light to the four walls of her home after marriage, Manju must have gone through a phase of self doubt and pity at some point of time before she emerged with confidence and smile. So in fact she lived as Nirupama Rajiv and made us feel that no one puts an expiry date on our dreams but ourselves. At the end, as she walks out, her head held high, beaming with confidence, we too answer the question with her about the age that it doesn't matter.

Manju's dialogue delivery was strange at some parts and excellent at others. Some of the scenes, especially the comedy scenes before she went to meet the president where she was bragging were a bit over the top. I too believe that Kunchacko Boban has delivered his career best performance here. Each and every actor in this movie has done a good job! I didn’t realize I was sitting all alone in a huge theater until the movie is over which speaks to the kind of engaging movie HOAY is. Congratulations to Roshan Andrews and team!!!