In this episode of Start Action Cut, Vishnupriya, Aswin and Padmakumar are decoding the Malayalam science fiction comedy film, Gaganachari, starring Anarkali Marikar, Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese and K B Ganesh Kumar.
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[00:00:00] Hi, welcome to Onmanorama Movie Podcast, Start, Action, Cut. Today we are decoding the Malayalam science fiction comedy directed by Arun Chandu and starring Anarkali Marikar, Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese and K. Bidyanesh Kumar. Pishnu Priya and Ashwin are joining the discussion.
[00:00:33] It's a fictional and futuristic sci-fi world and what we are shown is a place in Kerala. It is the place is continuously battered by natural calamities and alien incursions and it's time when alien spaceships hovering in the sky or stationed off ground are very common
[00:00:55] and not at all a matter of wonderment. And how a group of people living in a dark, grimy, multi-storied structure go about their life and deal with the visit of an alien is the storyline. So, Pishnu Priya, how was the movie for you?
[00:01:16] So, Padmumar earlier like when I was in probably 14 or 15 years, there was a period when I used to wonder why we never had movies like E.T. Jurassic Park or something like Harry Potter in Malayalam
[00:01:30] film industry. I remember there was this one particular period where we used to see a lot of action hero romantic movie which had a very similar story format. Like the baseline will be
[00:01:43] very similar. There is this one hero, heroine involved and there is a villain, a very similar format. So that me, that 14-15 year old me would be so happy to see Gaganajari or movies like Gaganajari
[00:01:57] in Malayalam cinema happening today and the growth in Malayalam film audience and the way they have started accepting such science fiction, dystopian movies that actually made me so happy the whole time when I was watching Gaganajari. So it was quirky enough for me and there is this
[00:02:18] perfect balance of this decimously blended comedy and imagination in the movie. And so basically, I am someone who is a great fan of movie like Churli and for me it's a perfect sci-fi movie that's released in Malayalam in the recent times and I personally feel that Churli
[00:02:39] got all the attention for all the wrong reasons. So similar to that, I guess we have the number of sci-fi movies releasing in Malayalam is increasing and again a fan of sci-fi movies I am so happy.
[00:02:53] Yes Vishnupriya, now regarding the theme and the subject, what was appealing to you Ashwin in this movie? Well, Patlu Mora, I really loved the way Vishnupriya put it because for me it was the idea that actually struck me. It takes guts to tell such a story in Malayalam.
[00:03:13] I mean, just look at what we are dealing with in this film. A Kerala in 2040s, rising water levels, flats, empty streets, damaged cars, aliens, flying saucers. I mean, you're talking about a Malayalam film and it is one thing to imagine a world,
[00:03:33] it is another thing to make it believable and how they do that in this film is by impressive visual effects, minimal characters, koki, naunchal and storytelling. For me it was like an absurdist docu-drama with some engaging moments. What worked for me was that how they
[00:03:52] made it different. They were ambitious in the concept but the way they limited their ambition to tell a story in a quite pleasing manner deserves credit because when we usually talk about post-apocalyptic films, we conjure up a brutal savage world where people are always in a hopeless
[00:04:09] fight for survival. Here in this film they never seem to run out of anything, be it money, resources, nothing. I mean, there is nothing bleak about this film. It's like a cozy mini-hub within a
[00:04:22] world that has been doomed. Also, I think it was smart of them to place the story within the confines of what looks like a decrepit apartment and still makes us believe in a world these characters are living in. And that's what worked for me.
[00:04:39] Yeah. Now, as Vishnathriya earlier mentioned about the comedy, I think the comedy is right from the outset and one can figure out the mood it's planning to create after a few seconds, a few minutes into the movie. Now, how do you analyze the comedy
[00:04:56] crafted in this film, Laashwin? Well, talking about humor, it's not the loud, exuberant type which will keep us laughing. It was more like a deaf twos of references told, Malayalam film, music, timely inserts and quips, which actually click. But there were times
[00:05:14] when certain things didn't stick. But as I said earlier, there is a cheeky, indulgent humor at work here. It could come from even the virtual assistant who calls his master by Kochetan.
[00:05:27] So imagine assigning an early, elderly woman's voice to an alien and make her talk to a lousy young man. It can't get funnier. And he is confused whether he should be put off or still
[00:05:38] be in love with her. It is this absolute irreverence to accept the notions and stereotypes that make such scenes likable. That said, I can't find scenes with a recall value in this film.
[00:05:50] But for me, I felt most part of the script is built on references. There is old Malayalam movie references, current social media friends and too many references are there. And I think it was perfect but there was this thin line that they were so close to overdoing it,
[00:06:12] but they were so successfully made it like made a full stop right at the point. And I am a big fan of all these subtle jokes and comedy. So again, that made me fall in love
[00:06:27] with this movie more. So all these jokes and references worked well for me. And like earlier, I should have said, but the director made a bold risk here because to blend all these futuristic alien stories with, you know, they are talking a lot of things
[00:06:48] about this third world war and there is how the petrol price affected like to an extent that they banned such vehicle. And then there is floods and all these issues. And they made it very
[00:07:08] political, yet it is funny. And you know that blend actually surprised me with all these references. So performances well, they didn't overdo it. So I was happy with those references. What struck me most was the craft of creating a futuristic dystopian sci-fi world. So once you
[00:07:32] was the film, you are, you just absorb by that world. And Ashwin, can you say something about that fantastical futuristic world they have created? Well, I think right from the opening shot, we
[00:07:46] are shown two astronauts at work in a space. The visual effects is something we don't expect in Malayalam cinema. I mean, having been used to watching so many English films or other languages with a dystopian narrative, it was heartwarmingly surprising to see believable effects.
[00:08:05] They know their limitations and the makers were true to the story they wanted to tell, but they did it in a grounded manner. I mean, measured use of high angle exterior shots, UAVs looming far above the sky with snippets of normal human lives, the choice of a documentary
[00:08:23] style frame to propel the story forward, and some clever use of futuristic gadgets, and some not so subtle splash of political commentary. I think most of these things actually seem to work for this film. Yes, Dinesh Kumar and Aju Vakis are good actors on any day,
[00:08:42] and they have delivered several stunning characters on several occasions before. And also Gokul Suresh is also a fine actor. What do you say about performances? What we have in this film is a self-gloting pompous man surrounded by two dimwits.
[00:09:00] By choosing to limit the number of characters and giving them bare minimum layers actually works in a movie which wants to tell such a story, because while they are given individual objectives, they never seem serious about whatever they want to do with their lives.
[00:09:17] Only when the alien woman arrives, one of the characters played by Gokul Suresh is driven by some kind of love for her. Even then, it's not much of a struggle. If we feel it as trivial,
[00:09:30] we get a feeling that the makers would not have wanted us to feel otherwise. That's how simple it is. It's not like we are watching a spoof of the film Warm Bodies with the reverse love roles because if Warm Bodies,
[00:09:44] a male zombie actually falls in love with her woman after he had eaten her boyfriend's brain. But here, there is nothing gross or gory. We know that nothing like that is going to happen in this
[00:09:56] film. So, Ganesh Kumar, Aju Varghese, Anarkali who had a limited scope to perform because in most of these scenes we see her mute. She had to emote with eyes or facial expressions, which itself was a challenge. But for others, the main task was to keep it simple.
[00:10:17] And I think they pulled it off. Had they tried to keep it up a notch higher, it would have fallen flat. So, to begin with, in this whole movie, Ganesh Kumar was perfect. I mean, for me,
[00:10:30] he did an excellent job with this great timing. I mean throughout this entire time, I was so hooked with the movie and also with his performance. I remember Ganesh Kumar, I personally feel Ganesh
[00:10:44] Kumar is an actor who, you know, Malayalam cinema hasn't utilized him much. And I don't think he has made like that of a signature characters. I mean, there are, when you talk about this acting career, there are movies you can pick and tell. But those were so small
[00:11:03] characters at least to me. So for me, Ganesh Kumar was perfect cast. And again, I was surprised with the performance of Gogol Suresh. I had this prejudice maybe that it going to be a mid
[00:11:18] performance from him. But Gogol Suresh did wonders in great timing this dude got and comedy. So that was nice. And talking about Anarkali, Anarkali's character actually, like similar to what Ashwin said, she doesn't actually have much of much dialogues. But then it was fun. And about
[00:11:41] her character, Anarkali, I mean, alien or Eliyama, she's an alien. But then who's so much like a human I felt like with this alien dance, and this alien do action. And maybe this alien will eat
[00:11:59] your cat, which is more like an alien. But otherwise I felt I mean, I love the character of Anarkali's. And maybe I should say I was slightly disappointed with Aju Wagi's performance,
[00:12:10] because I do a release was just that do a release for me, I couldn't see vibe or vibe of there. So I couldn't see anything other than his usual pattern of acting. So that's what I think
[00:12:21] about the performance. No, I would like to say what's not working for me in this film. I would agree that they have created a world that completely ceases you. But the shallow slapstick for me, it's my opinion, that is the shallow slapstick and the train of
[00:12:41] taste as dark humor destroyed the ambience. They created a big ambience compared to that magnificent environment. The comedic treatment was a mismatch. That's what I feel, because they went on to create a big world out there. And they utilized it with some low profile dull
[00:13:03] comedy treatment. That's what I feel. Is there anything that didn't work for you in this movie? Yeah, because we always look for good stories, good moving stories and films. I mean, irrespective of type of narrative or genre. So if we look at a sci-fi movie or post-apocalyptic
[00:13:22] film, it has always been about survival or race for existence, maybe from zombies, lethal viruses or some aliens. But in this film, it mostly looks like a controlled chaos delivered with a deliberate casual tone. I mean, humor is more or less like a decoy here.
[00:13:41] I mean, this film would not have worked otherwise. So as Patmoba said, sometimes the humor is tasteless. Even I felt so. That's why I earlier pointed out some there was genuine situations when it was sticking out. So one reason I could find was that the makers themselves
[00:14:01] may not have been overly serious about what they want to tell, because that's how the narrative is. I mean, humor was the way to go for them and they would have succeeded to a certain extent.
[00:14:12] But I wish as a viewer there was more depth to the story and the characters, especially when planted in a dangerous doomed world, I would have loved to connect with them, relate to them,
[00:14:23] or maybe even wrote for them. But the entire mood of the story is such that even such a genuine attempt at connecting with the characters would have appeared needless or even pale. We have had films in Malayalam with out of the world characters who would
[00:14:38] make us laugh, cry and feel for them. But as I said, this is intentionally designed as a mockery. And even the thought of such depth in story or characters or any other factors would only sound lame because they don't take themselves so seriously. Like that's
[00:14:56] the feeling it gives at times. So for me, like I said, this movie works on a bell and I didn't find anything much negative about it. The only part is that I felt the first part of
[00:15:10] the movie was a little lagging for me. But then given that they have to establish the whole scenario about it and they have to build the foundation for the story, I think that's okay
[00:15:23] for me. So yeah, there is nothing much other than that. To end with I am waiting for money and it happened because even I want to see Alan's superhero character or the superhero that he
[00:15:40] at Mass. And also while discussing about the movie with my friends a few of them were saying about this 2014 release, what do we do in the shadows? So people were saying that
[00:15:55] the storyline is similar or we have a Mali Ali version of this, what we do in the shadows. So I just want to go back and see the movie and if people are listening, they can also watch it.
[00:16:08] And I didn't know what the different aspect ratios of the visuals signified. But one thing is obvious that the movie there are also a dawn of a new genre in Malayalam cinema and may inspire
[00:16:22] more filmmakers to experiment with novel themes rather than focus on commercial success and form like that. So that brings us to the end of this episode. Thanks for listening to Start Action Cut produced and hosted by me Patmukhma with technical production by
[00:16:38] Idea Brew Studios, follow www.onmanurama.com for more podcasts on movies and be sure to come back for the next episode of Start Action Cut that will be out on the next Monday. Thank you.