Balan Movie Review:
Balan is an unusual ode to motherhood. The mother at its centre is nothing like the women we are accustomed to seeing in our cinema — she is neither an all-giving angel nor a noble soul overflowing with love and compassion. Instead, she is grim, reticent, wily and manipulative. Yet, she remains a remarkable mother on her own terms, and that is perhaps her only real identity.
Fiercely protective of her son, she refuses to entertain any intrusion into their carefully constructed world. The moment she senses any such attempt or even a semblance of a threat that could ruin their carefully built world, she does not hesitate to flee. It is a life the mother-son duo has grown accustomed to, constantly moving to new places and assuming new identities. The only thing that remains consistent in all their smartly cooked-up narratives is that they are a mother and son. And that's their only truth.
Director: Chidambaram
Cast: Adhisheshan, Farzana Palathingal, Muhammed Zinaan, Tovino Thomas, Dolly June, Jean Paul Lal
Given the sensational reception of Manjummel Boys, one might have expected Chidambaram to scale up and attempt something far grander. He certainly had the means to do so. Instead, with Balan, he chooses to scale down and craft a film that may be smaller in scope but possesses a far bigger heart.
Jithu Madhavan's story of a mother and son concealing their real identities in pursuit of a new lease of life already brims with potential, but Chidambaram lends it a cinematic treatment that works like a charm in taking the source material a few notches higher. Balan is essentially an intense emotional drama disguised as a gripping thriller, particularly in its first half. While it loses some momentum with the introduction of new characters after the interval, stretching a little too long in those spaces, the narrative eventually regains its footing and culminates in a rewarding finale. Sushin Shyam's music takes care of the rest.
As evident from Jan.E.Man and Manjummel Boys, Chidambaram has an exceptional ability to bring out the best in his actors, and Balan only reinforces that strength. Amidst a host of excellent performances, it is Farzana Palathingal as the mother and Adhisheshan and Muhammed Zinaan, who portray the boy at different stages of his life, who stand out the most. The decision to cast a newcomer for the mother's role works wonders, as the actor comes with zero baggage of a screen image, negating any predictability about what the character is up upto next.
Blessed with strikingly expressive eyes, Farzana rarely has to 'perform' in the conventional sense to communicate her character's emotional turmoil. She simply inhabits the role, never allowing the mystery surrounding the woman to be exposed. What makes the performance truly exceptional is that she achieves this without the aid of an elaborate tragic backstory designed to manufacture sympathy. It is such an arresting show from the debutante that we start missing her presence once the film's cracks begin to open up in the second half.
For Balan to click, it needed a boy whose face screamed innocence, and Adhisheshan fits the bill perfectly. Again, the boy doesn't have the leverage of leaning too much on dialogues, yet he brings out the character's isolation and vulnerability beautifully. Watch out for the glow in his eyes every time his mother christens him with a new name and fresh backstory. Abhijith Kumar, Benny, Vasudev...
The film is at its most entertaining when the mother and son find work at the home of a foul-mouthed elderly woman. These stretches are funny, thrilling and poignant in equal measure as the two women gradually forge an unlikely bond. Without overt emotional outbursts or grand gestures, they identify themselves in each other. Special points to actor Dolly June, whose unapologetically lived-in performance lends the character immense strength and earnestness.
If the performances and writing form the pillars of Balan, it is the atmosphere created by the visuals and music that holds the entire structure together. The film is another masterclass from cinematographer Shyju Khalid, who effortlessly navigates a range of contrasting landscapes — an isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere, a bustling coastline, the chaos of the underbelly, and a quaint bus stop tucked away amidst the woods. The colours are vivid without being flashy, always remaining in sync with the emotional rhythms of the narrative.
Jithu's writing takes a few interesting detours after the interval, though some of them overstay their welcome. While the drama remains largely confined to intimate spaces until then, the second half expands both literally and figuratively, introducing several new players into the equation. The arrival of the cops, particularly a scheming officer, alters the film's dynamic. Pavithran's (a brilliant Jean Paul Lal) character arc is patiently constructed, making his obsession feel convincing rather than far-fetched.
However, this is also where Balan enters more predictable territory, something it had admirably avoided until then. The issue becomes more apparent with the introduction of Abbas, played by Tovino Thomas, whose relationship with the boy never quite develops into something emotionally resonant. Even so, the portions are partly redeemed by another impressive performance from Tovino, who continues to surprise with his offbeat choices. Playing a rough-edged ruffian, the actor completely disappears into the role, aided by a paunch and an intentionally sluggish physicality that makes him almost unrecognisable.
At its core, Balan is not a film about noble souls. It is a film about flawed individuals. Every character exists just one push away from embracing their moral greyness. Pavithran does not hesitate to shift blame onto a loved one when cornered. The old grandmother openly admits to lying to spruce up her heyday stories. The mother thinks little of exploiting a woman with mental disabilities. Even the boy betrays his father figure in exchange for a crucial piece of information.
But at the end of the day, it all comes down to survival in a ruthless world where there's no space for childlike innocence. The film understands this reality without judging its people, and that empathy is what ultimately makes it so moving.
