Following the release of Mohanlal-Sathyan Anthikad's Hridayapoorvam and Kalyani Priyadarshan-Naslen's Lokah: Chapter 1 Chandra, one film that has flied under the radar a little bit is the Arjun Ashokan starrer Thalavara. While the film opened to rave reviews in August, the two big Onam releases stalled its momentum at the box office. However, the film is not without its new takers. For example, it has grabbed the attention of Mamta Mohandas. The actor shared a photograph of Arjun's character with vitiligo in the film on Instagram and commended its treatment, characterisation, and more. "While we celebrate the rise and long awaited coming and successes of 'superheroine' films this season, I take this opportunity to also redirect your attention towards and throw a bright light on a hero who chose to select a script and played the role of a person who represents the life of several super-heroes & heroines that live amongst us fighting REAL battles everyday," wrote Mamta.
The actor also extended her gratitude to director Akhil Anilkumar for his treatment of a "sensitive matter," turning a potentially "sob story" that most people cannot relate to into one that is "simple and entertaining" and that too "without hurting anyone's personal sentiment."
She added that the protagonist's "experiences will feel personal to anyone who has vitiligo or closely know someone they love living with this superficial yet very 'normalcy-disrupting' skin condition, where one loses their color partially or permanently." It is worth noting that Mamta has vitiligo and had embraced her condition in the recent past.
She described Thalavara as "a beautiful painful yet powerful tale that highlights personal, emotional and especially the psychological challenges that one living with it needs to be mentally prepared for in order to face life."
She compared the film's protagonist to a Panda who is "half oblivious to" his condition and "is jolly good in his own reality where he feels safe." Later, the actor gave a shout out to everyone who leads a life with similar challenges. "More power to all Pandas that live amongst us - we shall kungfu through this and more! Fight on," she wrote.The actor made a special note of the film's music, which she called "a fabulous addition to the whole theme," and performances as well.
