‘19(1)(a)‘ movie review: A valiant directorial debut anchored by a poignant Nithya Menen and a charming Vijay Sethupathi

“As a result of whereas the truncheon could also be utilized in lieu of dialog, phrases will all the time retain their energy. Phrases provide the means to that means, and for many who will hear, the enunciation of fact.” This quote from the long-lasting speech by V, the mysterious masked protagonist of Alan Moore’s anarchic basic V for Vendetta, captures the gist of what the liberty of speech and expression means for individuals residing beneath authoritarian regimes around the globe.

Director Indhu V.S. goals to ship this message, albeit in a quiet method, in her debut movie 19(1)(a), appropriately titled after Article 19(1)(a) of the Structure of India that provides the liberty of speech and expression to all residents. Nithya Menen performs an unnamed ‘frequent’ particular person main a secular life, tightly looped between her photostat store and a house she shares along with her father (Srikanth Murali) who hardly does something all day. Not a lot is claimed between them, suggesting some unresolved trauma. The one exterior influences she has are her finest pal Fathima (Athulya Ashadam) and an area political activist (Bagath Manuel) solely known as ‘Sakhavu’ (comrade). Alas, they too have their lives and decisions to cope with. Nonetheless, this nested life will get rattled in the future by an opportunity encounter with the rebellious author Gauri Sankar (Vijay Sethupathi).

19(1)(a) is slice-of-life story of people that select to, or are compelled to, be quiet and obedient about what is going on round them or in their very own lives. It’s about an individual who has rather a lot to specific, but repeatedly selected to suppress her emotions, fearing the implications of stepping out of her day by day routine. Additionally it is about those that can’t assist however communicate out in opposition to oppression, at a time when the identical can have grave penalties. This rigidity may be very successfully used to create an environment of uneasy calm all through the film.

Though touted as a venture bringing Vijay Sethupathi again to Malayalam (and he’s charming as traditional), that is Nithya’s film all the best way and he or she holds all of it collectively, even at its weakest factors, with a brilliantly understated and internalised efficiency as a ‘quiet’ particular person studying how one can communicate out in her personal quiet method. In that sense, 19(1)(a) is a coming-of-age story with an essential political subtext.

But, the narrative will not be with out points. The difficulty with making a ‘quiet’ film is that when issues finally occur, that you must watch out to not over-dramatise it, each technically and narratively. Govind Vasantha’s background rating, though partaking and largely apt, is overwhelming at instances, in contrast to Vidyasagar’s superbly refined soundtrack in Ranjith’s Kaiyoppu that’s tonally near 19(1)(a). There’s additionally an occasional over-usage of slow-mo to jack up scenes which are inherently dramatic. In a extra pacy and fewer refined film, these flaws wouldn’t have stood out. Nonetheless, that’s not the case right here.

Indhu, who additionally wrote the script, retains it easy for essentially the most half, solely faltering sometimes, and in direction of the tip with a slightly-underwhelming reveal. Paradoxically, 19(1)(a) works finest when it chooses to be quiet and go away issues unsaid. What’s extra essential is the willingness to be courageous with the tales you select to inform and the politics you place ahead. In that regard, Indhu has actually arrived.

19(1)(a) is presently streaming on Disney+Hotstar