In Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkalis, everything is characterized by the uncommon trait of self-control. Along with Appu Prabhakar’s camera movements and director Sharan Venugopal’s treatment of the subject, it serves as a punctuation for the dialog. For what is being stated in the movie—heavy, emotional topics that could easily be slipped into the loud, well-worn treatment—that restraint, which is maintained throughout, is impressive.
As a result, the movie likewise avoids the major incident. Instead, it depends on its well-developed characters to create compelling scenes that showcase their deepest emotions. This implies that the movie doesn’t have any really strong scenes, but its director and writer, Sharan Venugopal, seems to be happy to just stay in this area and explore all of its different facets.
The scene, in which Narayani’s three sons reunite with their families at the family home as she lies dying, is reminiscent of Aalkkoottathil Thaniye (1984), written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by I.V. Sasi. We learn early on that the youngest brother, Bhaskar (Suraj Venjaramood), who is returning to their home after decades away, and the oldest brother, Vishwanathan (Alencier Lay Lopez), have some animosity. Despite being viewed as a loser by the other two, Sethu (Joju George), the middle one, seems to be the most rational of the three.
The younger generation, Athira (Garggi Ananthan) and her cousin Nikhil (Thomas Mathew), however, primarily sees the family through their eyes as they attempt to resolve underlying conflicts within the family while simultaneously battling their own boundary-less emotions and traumatic experiences. Additionally, the film relies on them to develop its minor conflict, which, depending on how the viewer interprets it, may cause them to respond in different ways. However, the screenwriter manages the issue rather skillfully by transforming it into a delicate plea for more human understanding, one that is directed particularly at the adults in the movie.
Like many young filmmakers today, Sharan understands the societal framework in which the faulty people were raised and, despite his criticism, adopts a nonjudgmental stance toward them. In a different setting, Vishwanathan displays his regressive, communal side as he still bears the hurt of the casteist taunts that a neighbor hurled at his father. However, in another scene, his daughter’s comments and his act of delivering a dish to a character he seems to dislike at the dinner table give us a more complete picture of the guy. Then, we witness someone who is making an effort to overcome his deep-rooted intolerance but is not entirely successful, particularly when his rage gets the better of him.
Through their performances, Garggi Ananthan and Joju George are able to give the characters depth, which is crucial in a movie that doesn’t rely heavily on words. The majority of the other actors do provide what was expected of them. Sharan Venugopal strikes a balance in Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal between stating what needs to be said and leaving a lot unsaid. And that is the difference-maker. At the moment, Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal is showing in theaters.
