Mr Housekeeping Movie Review: A flawed rom-com subtly exploring consent in love

Director Arun Ravichandran’s Mr Housekeeping is a flawed yet mostly engaging romantic comedy about a man named Honest (Hari Baskar) whose low self-esteem leads him to pursue unrequited love, often with little understanding of its impact on others. The film starts with Honest making a misguided and potentially toxic love proposal to his college mate Isai (Losliya Mariyanesan). Honest calls Isai his lover for the last few years, but she clearly tells him that he has been ‘torturing’ her all this while in the name of love. The proposal soon turns into a dare, with Honest making a big claim about his future. Cut to four years later, Honest is still a forlorn man down on luck when it comes to romance, yet he pines for a woman in his neighbourhood who has no interest in him. He is a desperate man looking for a partner; this is an important aspect of the character that the film establishes in the early portions. Thankfully, the film does not go on to whitewash the character, which goes a long way in redeeming it from its flaws.

Director: Arun Ravichandran

Cast: Hari Baskar, Losliya Mariyanesan, Ilavarasu

It is a brave and unconventional move to write such a character in a mainstream film because he does not have any qualities of a typical film hero. For instance, at one point, Honest works as a housekeeper for Isai after a fateful turn of events and undergoes some humiliating circumstances. Before he starts the assignment, Isai’s domestic help explains how to go about the job, and when she realises that he does not know what to do, she tells Isai not to hire him. But Honest pleads with Isai to recruit him for the job because he is in desperate need of money, and she signs him up. Soon, Honest starts to develop romantic feelings for her. However, it is hard to understand why he would fall in love with her because she looks down upon his status and job as a housekeeper not once but multiple times. The film does clarify that every job has a dignity of its own through Ilavarasu’s character, Honest’s father. But when the protagonists themselves do not address this, it distances us a little bit from them. While you can interpret the film as a study of a man with an uncontrollable urge to love, it fails to fully delve into this aspect of his character. Further, the introduction of another character to make the film a love triangle seems convenient and leads to many cliches.

These flaws aside, Mr Housekeeping works as a decent entertainer, with Hari Baskar and Losliya delivering performances that make us care for their characters throughout. Hari Baskar has an endearing quality to him that makes him instantly likeable. He brings all the right emotions wherever necessary and hams it up to a hilarious effect on occasion. The film also recognises Hari’s YouTube roots with a scene that does not feel forced into the narrative. On the other hand, Losliya delivers a confident performance as a woman who is unsure of whom to choose as her future partner. It is a treat to watch Losliya swiftly change from an aggressive woman who treats her lovers with disdain to one who is vulnerable and apologetic about her actions.

Another plus point of Mr Housekeeping is how it delivers its messages about the role of consent in love with some subtlety. At some level, it is a film where characters realise the folly of their ways and come of age gradually. While it does not break new ground in terms of plot or narrative, how the film sets up Honest’s character and his equation with Isai keep it from being too easily predictable.