Chola

Sanal Kumar Sashidharan's penchant for uncinematic but breath taking and realistic shots of nature is one of the prime things that stood out for me in "Ozhivudivasathe Kali". Chola had more of that.

There are a few scenes that are just world class and timeless. The trailer bit. There is a scene that blends in a dramatic climax with raw nature. That scene can stand proud alongside Tarkovsky movie scenes. There is a scene where a very key incident is presented with camera movement and accompanying soundscape. That scene was brilliant too. These scenes are easily ten on ten scenes.

The movie maintains it's darkness. The movie is attempting to say something tall and radical. That in itself is so controversial that it can turn off a lot of viewers. However, even if you let the movie say what it wants to, the movie has not been able to say it convincingly.

Nimisha, Joju and Akhil Vishwanath have had their share of brilliant acting. However, there were portions that did not seem to gel as well. Nimisha's natural acting and voice modulations were impressive.

However, there were also technical imperfections. There was a scene with the camera following the actors in the jeep. The jeep stops and the camera just rushes into the jeep and turns around, making the camera very precarious. Pretty blatant an error.

Not an easy watch. Would recommend a watch to art movie lovers for some really brilliant pieces in the sonata even while the movie as a whole failed for me.

What made me watch Chola was Sanal's terrific previous venture Ozhivudivasathe Kali (yet to see S Durga). Barring the solid performances of Joju George (as the molester) and Nimisha Sajayan (as the abused) and the stunning cinematography by Ajith Aacharya, I couldn't really take to Chola the same way I did with Ozhivudivasathe Kali. The transition from eerie drama to magical realism wasn't seamless and a random interjection of Stockholm Syndrome only made it worse. I like the way Sanal tackles the theme of oppression (this is the third in what one could call SOCU - Sanal's Oppression Cinematic Universe) but Chola takes things one step too far. This is one of the few films (in recent times) that makes effective use of its natural locales (Venu's Carbon is another). The ambiguity in (almost the entirety of) the second half and the climax left a bad taste in my mouth.

This story could be told with in 15 -20 mints. Spend remaining 1 hour to show the cinematographic skills and another half an hr for hero's unsuccessful attempts to convince heroine ( same dialogue, same actions, same reactions )

"Chola" is made for parallel cinema audiences and film festivals around the world. I am pretty sure the mainstream audience would not like the movie one bit. One has to understand the fact that Chola is a different movie made for different set of audiences, that is why the rating here is so poor. The ratings here, definitely doesn't paint the picture of this fantastic movie.

Chola is a road movie that combines a host of genres like Drama, suspense, physiological triller and horror to present a very mature storyline. The film contains some top class elements in cinematography and sound design, and is best when viewed in the biggest screen possible. Screenplay is absolutely realistic with the depiction of even the smallest of details. Editing, production design, costumes and make up ably support the movie.

The three actors have done a wonderful job with Nimisha stealing the show yet again with a stellar performance. The entire film hinges on her expressions of a growing fear, breaking free, sensing her doom and then expressing her insanity or having a bout of Stockholm syndrome. However, though she turns into a victim of circumstance, she continues to show her resistance, in vain. Nimisha infuses a certain power that makes her character of a schoolgirl indomitable despite what she has gone through. Direction is at its best throughout the movie and kept delivering punch after punch.

Overall, An absolutely Disturbing film with strong message on the power politics of patriarchy. Director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's film puts out the bizarrely dark aspects of the reality that we usually choose to ignore. The movie will make you thoroughly uncomfortable. Chola is an very important film in my cinematic journey on many fronts.

An eerie depiction of the story of an innocent girl who sets about to enjoy the day with her boyfriend. Though predictable, it strikes hard on you. Cinematography and music are the key elements that glues your mind on the movie. They add greatly to the rawness. Not a movie for everyone. Strong theme.