Neelira Movie Review:
The Indian government, buoyed by its success in the creation of Bangladesh, decided to intervene in the Sri Lankan civil strife by deploying the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). It is a tragedy of epic nature that the Sri Lankan Tamils, who were already pushed to a corner by the Sinhalese-led Sri Lankan government, also had to resist the IPKF that had initially landed in the island nation to safeguard them and broker peace between the majoritarian Buddhist-Sinhalese government and the Tamils. Sri Lankan Tamil poet and head of the arts and culture department of the now-defunct and proscribed LTTE, Puthuvai Ratnathurai, in one of his poems, would have evocatively written that the IPKF had come to adorn them (Tamils) with new clothes but ended up stripping even the loincloth they were wearing. Through Neelira (A Long Night), filmmaker Someetharan attempts to capture this blood-soaked history—and largely succeeds.
Neelira begins in a nondescript village in war-torn Northern Sri Lanka, where a family prepares for their daughter's wedding. As the conflict between the IPKF and the Tamil rebels reaches their doorstep, it has become uncertain if the wedding will take place as planned. The film explores one of the many personal stories of the filmmaker as a war child and the theme of celebration during war.
Despite its short runtime and a screenplay centred around one particular incident that explains less, Neelira sends across the points on the go. The film is set in 1987, months after the IPKF goes rogue and begins its campaign against the Tamil rebels. The film captures our interest with the very first scene, where the father of the bride seeks permission from the army to hold the wedding ceremony in their home. Many of us who planned our weddings during the COVID-19 lockdown would be familiar with the strictures and permissions sought from the authorities. Making us realise that the discomfort we went through due to the spread of the contagion was something normalised in a place that isn't very far from ours for years or even decades comes as a punch in the gut.
In this intense chamber drama, Someetharan also takes time to introduce us to the pop culture of Sri Lankan Tamils. That, however, doesn't deviate much from the film's core. The depiction of a huge fan following among the neighbouring Tamils for Vijayakant, who crusades against authoritarian injustice in films, is both a pop culture reference and a telltale of how the politics of Sri Lankan Tamils has shaped their taste in cinema. In these spaces, the film also lays bare the constraints placed by the administration on the minute level. People have to take CDs of Tamil films secretly, as the Tamil rebels' message for the unification of Tamils against the fascist Sri Lankan state is placed as inserts between the films. The writing and picturisation of the underlying bleakness and a muted celebration involved in the wedding effectively redefine and defy the colourful portrayal of weddings in Tamil films.
Director: Someetharan
Cast: Naveen Chandra, Roopa Koduvayur, Sananth, Rohit Kakate
Once, after a company of IPKF led by the character played by Naveen Chandra takes refuge in the wedding home, the dialogues between the inhabitants and the soldiers are incisive. The dialogues unpack their political differences while revealing how Sri Lankan Tamils remain a deeply misunderstood community. In the narrative that unfolds in one night, the screenplay also points out the differences between officers speaking Tamil and Hindi. Apart from Naveen Chandra, other actors Sananth, Roopa Koduvayur, and Rohit Kakate have been impressive within the scope of the story.
Neelira is not free from shortcomings. The film runs a risk of finding limited takers, as it assumes people have a deep understanding of Sri Lankan Tamil politics. With a large number of characters involved in this close setting, their tensions with the IPKF soldiers, and their differences are mostly expressed through dialogues; some explanation of this conflict by any of the characters would have been a useful primer to those who aren't aware. This slip could very much result in the total obscuration of the film. Also, the interaction between the family, the rebels, and the IPKF soldiers, though helped by strong dialogues, looks performative and their transformations artificial. The economy of the duration should not come at the cost of a sense of contentment and completion in the film. Someetharan should have instead taken more time, given actors time to live through their roles, and smoothed their transformations.
Ultimately, Neelira stands as a poignant reminder of a bleak history that remains underrepresented. While its narrative economy and lack of contextual hand-holding may distance some viewers, its emotional sincerity leaves a lasting imprint. Neelira may not offer easy answers or closure, but it compels us to sit with discomfort, ensuring that these stories are not forgotten.