Kumbalangi Nights

If Kerala is described as ‘God’s own country’, then Kumbalangi Nights shall be ‘God’s own film’. It is that endearingly beautiful it can be. The movie is primarily about three young men (Saji, Bonny, Bobby) and their school-going brother (Frankie) living in an incomplete home that doesn’t even have a door. But it is on a stunningly breath-taking small island near Kumbalangi on the Western coast of the state. As the film progresses, more people come under this roof which goes from a broken home to a haven of the orphaned. The journey is as fascinating as it is poignant.

The complexity of Kumbalangi Nights lies in the fact that it is set in a reality that is believable and rooted. The brothers share a bitter relationship with each other. These ‘products’ of a dysfunctional family are the protagonists of the film. The film, in the first half, largely is all about their imperfections. And we, as audience, are instantly captivated with their individual journeys. Their aimless lives, their jobless situations, the low-socio economic state of the family, the generation gap and its consequences-  as the movie proceeds, the screenplay organically dives further into the personal space of these lazy minds. Till the first half, I am not sure of where this tale is leading me to. But that is the beauty of Kumbalangi Nights. You just go with the flow. You start liking these real people with flaws. You laugh at the subtle humour. You feel helpless (as well) in the situations where the brothers fail miserably. The narrative which is more of a collection of the inner turmoil of the characters, proceeds like a game of jigsaw puzzle where pieces are put together one by one to reveal the characters and their milieu in their completeness.

Even the antagonist (Fahad Fasil as Shammy) is explored in a way making him a possible common guy in the neighbourhood. He is someone who carries the role of a guy who needs to look after a family of 3 women (wife, wife’s sister and mother-in-law) and how he upholds patriarchy in everything he does in the name of safeguarding these women. The director manages to create this story using characters one may have seen as random faces in the crowd and that add a layer of brilliance to this wonderful film.

What I love about this film- breaking the norms of ‘macho heroes’. The elder brother (Saji) at one instance, feels he requires help. He asks his youngest brother to bring him to a therapist/counsellor. Saji cries his heart out. It is okay not to be okay. It is okay for a male to feel down. It is okay for a guy to cry. It is okay to seek help for your mental health. It questions and at the same time answers the statement – ‘The Complete Man’ when Shammy (Fahad Fasil) in his introduction utters that phrase while he trims his moustache to almost perfection. What it is to be a complete man? or What completes a man? The film chooses to focus on the struggle and the journey through character arcs rather than giving us a rigid answer.  

There is a scene where the newborn baby and mother are taken to the house of the brothers and the audience was clapping and it’s been a while since I saw people clapping for a frame. When Baby (Bobby’s girlfriend) tells her sister about the love affair, the elder sis asks her ‘Bobby? Isn’t he a Christian?’

For which, Baby answers, “yes. But Jesus isn’t a stranger to us.” (I’m sure in Malayalam, it would have sounded even more meaningful) 

The theatre erupts into laughter and whistles. 

As much as I loved watching the film, I thoroughly enjoyed the ambience in the theatre. In Brisbane, Malayalam films are quite rare to be screened in big theatres. The Malayalee Association has special screening and that too probably have maximum of 2 shows for a new movie. Being a moviebuff, I didn’t want to miss this chance even if it meant that I had to take a 45- minute car ride to watch the show. Movie-watching for Indian families, because of the limited screenings, is a truly a festival. Old women with their walking sticks, young parents with toddlers, teenagers, middle-aged uncles and aunties- The entire place was nothing short of a festival.

Before the film’s screening, the organisers ticked off our names in their list, which made it all look like a VIP screening show. The big theatre screen displayed advertisements exclusively for the minority community. All filmed in beautiful Malayalam, there was an advertisement about an Indian spice shop near Chermside, Tonio lawyers who displayed their efficient and hassle-free immigration paperwork as one of the topmost work they do and another advertisement about home loans. It went on a loop thrice.

As the film draws to an end, there was a standing ovation. If Kumbalangi Nights were a person, I would have

“Irukki Anaichu Umma Tharum.”