Kala | Movie Insert's Review | Tovino Thomas | Rohith V.S. | MOVIE INSERT

  

After watching the two Drishyam films,Joji, Aarkkariyam and now Kala, I’ve come to the conclusion that large, isolated housessurrounded by lush greenery in Malayalam cinema are the equivalent of basements in Hollywood movies. Nothing good ever happens there. But what happens in Kala is so bloody and brutal that by the end,you are as battered as you are dazzled. This is virtuoso filmmaking. Kala begins with an Oscar Wilde quote about thenature of selfishness and the words: long, long ago. Director Rohith V.S. suggests that the story we areabout to see is at once, modern and ancient – that class conflict, callousness, greed, violence, aggression,repression have been playing out since the beginning of time. The primal, animalistic nature of men sits justbeneath the veneer of civilization imposed by society. Poke a little and a man, who is a loving father and a husband,becomes a creature so savage, that he is barely recognizable. The opening credits play out againsta song which speaks of the wild. This wildness is both outside and inside. From the beginning, Rohith, Dawn Vincent –the director of music and sound design - and editor Chaman Chakko,expertly construct an atmosphere of dread. Scenes of ordinary domesticity – a man bathing his dog,a small boy playing with a toy gun, a mother warming milk for her son –become inexplicably unsettling. Shaji is played by Tovino Thomas, one of Malayalamcinema’s most charismatic leading men. He is introduced shirtless, in slow motion.We are meant to take in his imposing physicality. But this isn’t the masala hero entry shot.His brute strength is a key factor in the story. Shaji seems confident of his place in the worldand his masculinity. Early in the film, he tells his son that boys don’t cry andthat if he wants something, he should take it forcibly. Shaji has a passionate relationship with his wife Vidhya. But we also see the fault lines –his ego, his failure in business, his fractured bond with his father whose house he lives in. In a later scene, his father tells Shaji,that he grew up with affluence, and so never developed the work ethic of the earlier generations. His father is casually cruel and dismissive.Their exchanges simmer with resentment and unspoken wounds. But then suddenly but seamlessly, Kala segues from adysfunctional family dynamic, to a home invasion story. What happens next rips apart Shaji’s certitude,his patina of entitlement, his power and his family. It’s impossible to imagine that Vidhya andtheir son recover from what they witness. The brilliance is that even as Rohith makes the violence relentless,he prods us to consider where our sympathies lie. You might instinctively root for Shaji,but as the narrative unfolds, you become more horrified by his behaviorand what is unraveling. The action, by Basidh Al Gazzali and Irfan Ameer, and the stunts by Phoenix Prabhuare brilliantly choreographed. They don’t allow us to look away from the consequences of violence. And Vincent’s sound design enhances everyrip in the flesh and break in the bone. By the end, the green in the frame is stained red. Sumesh Moor, who plays the interloper Moor,has a terrifying feral presence. His eyes glow with madness and theanger of a man who has nothing to lose. And yet he retains the humanity in Moor –we never lose sight of why he is doing what he is doing. And what can I say about Tovino? Here is a star putting his muscle as co-producer and actor into a project that stripshim bare – literally and metaphorically. There are scenes in which Shaji is utterly humiliated and broken. The vanity of that shirtless scene in the beginning,is wholly subsumed by the horror of what Shaji goes through. By the end, he is left with very little. It’s a demanding role, emotionally and physically,and Tovino is excellent. After Paatal Lok and Pariyerum Perumal,Kala is another story in which dogs play a key role. The opening titles include a canine expert – Chris Wolf. Both Shaji and Moor own black dogs. Shaji’s is an expensive, foreign breed,while Moor’s is a mongrel. Their relationship with their respective petsalso speaks about who they are as men. Shaji keeps his dog in a cage.For Moor, he is his family. In Kala, Rohith and DOP Akhil George combine rawand naturalistic textures with extreme stylization. The film is also a masterclass inhow to use cigarette smoke cinematically, this includes a superbly sexy smoke kiss. Rohith puts us through the wringer, gives us a peek intothe darkness within and leaves us with much to ponder. You can see Kala on Amazon Prime Video.