Narivetta Movie Review: Emotionally distant retelling of a dark chapter in Kerala's history

22 years have passed since the Muthanga incident, one of the darkest chapters in Kerala's history. In 2003, as a mark of protest against the then-state government's delay in allotting them their promised land, people from various tribal communities occupied land within the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary and set up huts there. The government's efforts to evict them resulted in a violent confrontation, ending in police personnel firing at the protestors. A local tribal youth and a policeman were killed in the clash, but it is reported that the tribes suffered more casualties than what was officially recorded. This shocking incident is the source material of Anuraj Manohar's Narivetta, which has been generously fictionalised to lend a cinematic touch. The film does not mention Muthanga, CK Janu, or Geethanandan, but you still know who's who and what the makers intend to document.

Director: Anuraj Manohar

Cast: Tovino Thomas, Cheran, Arya Salim, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Priyamvada Krishnan

Social justice cinema is a genre unto itself, which the neighbouring Tamil film industry has been acing quite well lately, bolstered with the arrival of distinct voices like Vetrimaaran, Pa Ranjith, and Mari Selvaraj. In Malayalam, though, the movement is yet to flourish properly. Narivetta could have been a bold step in that direction, but the film, unfortunately, merely scratches the surface. It is primarily because of the (deliberate) choice to narrate it from the perspective of a cop, who is a victim of systemic oppression, and not the traditionally marginalised. Sahitya Akademi award winner Abin Joseph's script is more interested in the coming-of-age of its protagonist than digging deeper into the plight of the indigenous community and the injustice meted out to them by the system.

The screenplay, which plays out in a non-linear fashion, devotes a lot of time to establishing Varghese (Tovino) and his backstory. It also doesn't make much sense why, in a film like this, there's such an excessive focus on the hero's love story. Varghese and Nancy's (Priyamvada Krishnan) track, including the quintessential romantic song, feels more like a filler that doesn't add anything substantial to the overall narrative.

Varghese is first introduced as a happy-go-lucky youngster trying to secure a government job, but despite being well-educated, he remains politically ignorant. It is highlighted very early in the scene where he tells his friend about faking a strike and suicide attempt to grab the government's attention. As the narrative progresses, we see him being further ignorant and insensitive towards the struggles of the Adivasis and the purpose of their strike.

Suraj Venjaramoodu, as his mentor Basheer, is a calming presence, often guiding Varghese and imparting some sense. When a frustrated Varghese says, "Ithippo ivanmark vendi nammal kaval kidakkuanallo," Basheer simply smiles, as if to suggest, "Isn't that your job as a policeman—to guard the public?" There's another instance where his colleagues complain about being homesick and wanting to return home soon. Basheer quietly says, "Namukku keri kidakkan oru veedu enkilum ondu." Suraj beautifully underplays the role of this seasoned cop, who has seen it all.

Despite the Adivasi struggle being the emotional core of the film, the makers don't really seem interested in delving into the specifics of the protest and how the system had been betraying them. Even the nature of the strike holds much significance in this context. Unlike usual protests, the tribals turn their own lifestyle into a form of strike, by establishing self-governed settlements within the reserved forests. However, the film fails to underline these details. It is still commendable that the film maintains a certain authenticity in portraying the tribals and their dialect, rather than simplifying it for a commoner's understanding.

If you notice, the tribes in the film, except for a couple of characters, don't have any real identity and are conveniently bracketed as the 'protestors'. Arya Salim's CK Shanthi, the true hero of this story, if told from the other perspective, only gets limited presence here and mostly remains one-note. Despite the lackluster writing, the actor manages to leave a mark with her feisty performance. Similarly, the actor who supposedly plays a character inspired by Geethanandan, one of the faces of the Muthanga strike, hardly gets a dialogue or two.

Anuraj Manohar, who impressed with his wonderfully nuanced directorial debut, Ishq, is unable to elevate Narivetta beyond basic storytelling. Except for a couple of well-staged, intense moments in the latter half, the film is hardly gripping as everything plays out predictably without any room for invoking tension. To his credit, the climax standoff between the policemen and the protestors is well shot. While one can argue about the extent of brutality shown, it's the makers' final resort to hammer in the emotional resonance. Jakes Bejoy's stirring score also plays its part in underlining the tragedy.

Among the other actors, Cheran makes a strong presence as the commanding officer Raghuram Keshavdas, an evil cog in the system's sinister wheel. But it's unrealistic how a superior officer heading such a serious operation interacts regularly with Varghese, a rookie constable—another example of convenient screenwriting to take the narrative forward. Tovino's performance in these portions also doesn't help. While his character experiences a range of emotions in the film, the actor is at his weakest while portraying the nervousness of a new joinee and the angst of a man worried about his colleague's disappearance.

Narivetta opens with the Milan Kundera quote—The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting. While Narivetta isn't a hard-hitting reminder as it promised to be, the film's idealistic ending is an earnest attempt to serve justice to the forgotten... at least on screen.