Migration and the struggles associated with it are recurring themes in Mahesh Narayanan's films. His films Take Off and C U Soon were built directly on the plight of migrant Indians in the Gulf. Meanwhile in Malik, one would find his protagonists migrating from their land to Lakshadweep, which initiates a chain of happenings that will have far-reaching repercussions on multiple generations. Coming to his latest film Declaration (Ariyippu), which has become a favourite in the festival circles, the theme of migration again becomes the bedrock of the storyline.
Hareesh (Kunjacko Boban) and Reshmi (Divya Prabha), a Malayali couple working in two different departments of a gloves factory in Noida, are the central characters of Declaration. The couple wants to migrate abroad, but the pandemic play spoilsport. The film starts with a scene where Hareesh shoots a “skill video” of Reshmi (she working at the factory). The couple would give this secretly shot video to a VISA consultancy to show Reshmi’s work experience. But things would take a murkier turn when this video gets leaked in a doctored form. To make things more complex, the couple becomes witnesses of corruption and secrets in the factory.
Narayanan uses this conflict to explore a wide range of emotions, gender dynamics and power balance. There is an effort to see the conflict from multiple eyes. The audience is given the freedom to choose, analyse and follow the perspective they wish to pick from the characters. Narayanan employs a “less is more” minimalistic filmmaking approach in Ariyippu. There is an effective use of locations and location sounds. The crew is limited. There is no background score in the festival version of the film. But in the upcoming OTT version, there will be a background score.
The delusional jealousy of Hareesh and the violence he directs towards Reshmi change everything between the couple forever. Narayanan effectively uses the marriage ring of Reshmi as an interesting motif to convey the fracturing of their marriage of convenience.
Boban delivers some fine acting moments while portraying his highly complex and unpredictable character. Prabha is also natural on screen; her dialogue delivery is unique. The themes and conflicts that Ariyippu explores are universal. But the film does make some very serious observations about the reach of corruption, the failures in policing system as well how workplace sexual harassment is handled in the Indian context. The film is remarkably deft in capturing the cumulative frustrations of families living in the holes and burrows of industrial cities.
Ariyippu had its Indian premiere today at the International Film Festival of Kerala. The film is competing in the International Competition section of IFFK. The film had its international premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Movie: Declaration (Ariyippu)
Cast: Kunjacko Boban and Divya Prabha
Director: Mahesh Narayanan
Rating: 4/5
