mIt was a time when people were confined to their homes and the streets were silent. Everywhere there is only the fear of the epidemic called Kovid. People are helpless in front of the news of daily increasing death tolls. Death in the finished huts. It is during that period that the ‘notification’ begins.
The camera rolls into the story from the snow-covered Uttar Pradesh. The film proceeds by traveling through urban villages and marking the land and its people. The factory where the gloves are made and the inhumane practices that take place there are accurate in the notification. We have seen a lot of news about how that country dealt with common people during the Kovid period.
The story takes its most important turn in the factory. An unusual tragedy occurs in the lives of the main characters Harish and Rashmi. The audience will travel along with the story as they begin to encounter pitfalls that anyone else might have tripped over. That is where director Mahesh Narayanan makes his mark. He also gave the power of letters through writing. Maybe that’s why the life in each frame is so strong.
Two men come forward questioning the injustices. But Rashmi, who descends in search of justice, gets lonely on the roads. And then the core of the film is the woman’s struggle alone with an extraordinary sense of purpose. Even when the finger ring was difficult to work with, Rashmi would cut it off later. Divyaprabha filled the strong female character Rashmiya in a surprising way. Kunchacko Boban, who turned into Harish, also ignited Rashmi’s character.
The film also depicts the story of a Malayali struggling to overcome life in other countries. The frames are filled with environmental issues and its horrors in the nation’s capital. The announcement also highlights how smog-covered cities affect human lives. People who have lost their minds in the smoke can be seen throughout the film. Characters speaking multiple languages, including Hindi and Tamil, will be annoying to the general audience. But that’s the characterization the story demands.
Everything is more beautiful when it comes together. Here is such a beauty. An example of that is ambient audio used naturally instead of other sound effects. Kiran, Atulya and Danish Saifuddin are all strong with the flow.
Sanu Varghese portrayed the life of a woman who was firmly on the side. Editing by Mahesh Narayanan and Rahul Radhakrishnan. Director Mahesh Narayanan deserves applause again and again for his free visuals. The great reception received including at IFFK can be read along with it.