Amaram (1991) :
Brief Review -
Mammootty's Surrealist Drama Has One of The Finest Philosophical Endings for any Family Melodrama ever made in Indian Cinema. I have gotten used to some of those family drama tactics from the old days when Bollywood was making extremely emotional family movies in the 60s. Even Malayalam cinema started the trend in the 80s and then delivered many great films in the 90s. Most of them starred Mammootty and Mohanlal. Mammukka's "Vatsalyam" (1993) is one of my top favourites. It was such an emotional experience despite the same old tragedy of sacrifice. Amaram was on the same line (please note that it was made before Vatsalyam), with even simpler and highly predictable methods, but then, what a freaking amazing climax it had. I almost felt like I had seen a regular flick, but then the last 2 minutes changed everything for me. You know those cliched formulas, right? A father or an elder brother, whoever is the protagonist, is blamed for something he hasn't done, despite the fact that he was the one to make the most sacrifices. Then comes a happy ending where everybody knows that he is innocent and then the hero, the big-hearted man, forgives them all for their mistakes. Here in Amaram, Mammootty plays a fisherman, an uneducated but damn honest fella who loves only 3 things in his life: his daughter, the sea, and his lover. The climax takes us through mind-shattering facts about humans, even if they are your blood relatives. Mammotty wishes his daughter with that immortal pain in his heart and the realisation that while humans abandoned him, nature, aka his best friend Sea, was always there for him. Now tell me, how many family dramas in Indian cinema have ended with such a moving and philosophical conclusion? The music will stay with me forever, and so will Mammukka's performance. This is a family drama with so much heart and brain that one needs to see at least once in a lifetime.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
