My Lord Movie Review: A quirky social satire that has just enough bite

My Lord Movie Review:

Light. As it was famously said by the late Martin Luther King Jr, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.” But how long can someone live with the hope of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel? In a world that is getting increasingly cut-throat and painfully polarising, is the one holding the light seen as a hero, an angel, or a fool? Raju Murugan’s latest, My Lord, headlined by Sasikumar and Chaithra, simply points out that holding that light isn’t about being a hero, or an angel, or a fool, but just a normal human being with a beating heart. 

My Lord has a rather interesting start. It has tight shots to the waist of men and women, and it is not an attempt to cash in on any sexual posturing, but points to a much bigger malaise. If the rich think anything can be bought, the poor are forced to believe that everything they can ever own, including their bodies, is up for sale. Despite this transactional exercise, My Lord points out how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. And through one such shady systemic oppression, we are introduced to Muthuchirpi (Sasikumar), who has been declared dead by the powers that be, and he disrupts a political meeting to attempt to take away his own life to ensure people believe he isn’t dead. From here, there are two paths that a film like My Lord can take. Either be a compelling commentary, and act as a grim and dark reminder of our societal ills, or take the sarcastic route and be a scathing commentary on the same, but making us smile and ponder along the way. Raju Murugan takes the more commercial route, and rightly so. 

Director: Raju Murugan

Cast: Sasikumar, Chaithra, Guru Somasundaram, Asha Sharath

Straight off the bat, director and writer Raju Murugan lays bare all the cards in his hand. The film is going to be a social satire that doesn’t shy away from poking the big, bad bear. However, the filmmaker, who wears his political ideologies on his sleeve and paints the town with a particular shade of red, has also learnt from his past mistakes. He isn’t indulging in complete bashing of anything, but there is tokenism with respect to the representation of the various castes and communities. He pokes the bear, tries to make it laugh, cry, applaud, and even question the status quo, but realises that having a high engagement and decent entertainment factor can give more legs to his films. 

The film revolves around the illegal organ trafficking mafia, but doesn’t involve corporate honchos or international conglomerates. My Lord points out how the power-hungry and influential people are all around us, and it doesn’t require someone from outside to come and exploit us. But more importantly, the film points out that the greatest need of the hour for a country like India is affordable healthcare. Almost every seemingly well-settled family in the country is one devastating illness away from bankruptcy, and through the characters of Muthuchirpi and his wife Sushila (Chaithra), Raju Murugan argues that a self-sufficient and satisfied lifestyle is a bubble that is waiting to burst. There is also the added layer of two orphans wanting to be a family, and be recognised by the government by receiving their Ration Card. This need for validation has multiple layers connected to the fight for identity across the world, but these are pointers that the makers strew all over the film. The discerning ones can connect the dots, and the not-so-discerning ones can still smile and reflect on the completely random happenings in the life of Muthuchirpi. 

And honestly, the curious case of Muthuchirpi gets more curious with every passing minute, and it is purely the smart writing of Raju Murugan that doesn’t complicate proceedings. Sushila suffers from medical complications that make them move in and out of hospitals in the hope of a permanent solution. There is a cricket-loving loan shark (Vasumithran), who traps them with his honey-soaked words only to exploit and harass them. Their livelihood is affected, and their identities are quashed. They are constantly exploited, and yet, their belief system, based on the teachings of Vallalar, keeps them together. In fact, these are some of the highlights of the film since we are served with the Sasikumar brand of naivety and optimism. Throw in a political bigwig who needs Muthuchirpi’s help to live, and the entire machinery supporting her in the endeavour, and we have My Lord. 

Despite the heavy themes of trafficking, donor list manipulation, and corruption flowing through every vein of our society, Raju Murugan treats the film with levity that reminds us of his very own Joker. Just like that National Award-winning film, here too, even when laughing at the predicament of Muthuchirpi and the people surrounding him, not once are we allowed to forget that we are having front-row seats to public and systemic empathy. Points to Raju Murugan for never getting too preachy, and it is clear that satire is his strong suit. There are some incisive dialogues, which stand out because there is so much honesty and truth to them. There is no subtlety in My Lord, and hence, no space for ambiguity. 

Both these aspects shine through courtesy of the consistently good performances by the ensemble. Interestingly, every single character in the film is asked to dial up their ‘performance’ by a notch or two. Except for Chaitra, who is exceptional in a role that should have gotten a lot more to do in the overall film, other characters are, consciously, not grounded. Be it the ever-dependable Sasikumar’s Muthuchirpi, or the quirk-loving Guru Somasundaram’s Kathirvelan, Ramkumar Prasanna, who is slowly becoming a crowd favourite, and the dynamic Asha Sharath as a powerful political voice that is forced to measure not just her words but also her water and food intake, every character is slightly over-the-top, and it works tremendously in favour of the film. And with Raju Murugan reuniting with Sean Roldan for the film, everything seems alright in this world because the composer knows what such a film needs, and gives it with such love and elan. 

Of course, the film has its fair share of pitfalls. There are overlong portions, especially one involving a hospital and a ritual. A legal recourse that aims to add drama, but only adds to the runtime. Multiple detours that, unfortunately, take away the focus from Muthuchirpi and Sushila, whose love story is a beautiful culmination of belief systems, trust, romance, and the need for companionship. It also questions whether the idea of revolution can ever be a one-size-fits-all kind of movement. And in certain portions, you crave a sense of subtlety because everything is not just in your face, but also comes with subtitles. 

As Guru Somasundaram’s firebrand communism-leaning journalist points out, it is important that the people in the highest echelons understand the power of a simple common man, and when that happens, that will be the true judgement day. Now, that is a biting satire in itself, but My Lord also has a lot of heart, and asks an even more pertinent question: If it is indeed judgment day, and you have the power to decide the fate of someone else… 

Can you find it in yourself to be the light… the arut perum jothi?