"Ullozhukku": An Emotional Undercurrent!

The torrential rains play as important a role in "Ullozhukku" (The Undercurrent) as do the two female leads. The 2024 Malayalam film shot on location in the backwaters of Kerala soaks the viewers not only in floods of water, but also in an outpouring of emotions as they witness the journey of Anju and Leelamma, the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law portrayed wonderfully by the very talented team of Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvashi respectively. The story of the duo's intertwined relationship is at the centre of this brilliantly crafted film.

The pounding rain has been used very effectively by writer and director Christo Tomy. The continuous onslaught of sheets of water drenching Leelamma's house and its surroundings makes the viewers uneasy. The rain also serves as an apt metaphor for the emotional turmoil of the two lead players. It starts moderately, turns into a huge downpour and then starts clearing towards the end. 

What makes the film stand out is the fact that this is Tomy's debut feature film. It has received critical acclaim and awards. It won the National Film Award for Best Malayalam Feature Film. Urvashi bagged the same for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film also won Kerala State Film Awards in several categories.

Anju works as a saleswoman in a saree shop. She is in love with Rajeev who does not have a secure job. Anju is married off to a well-to-do Thomaskutty by her parents. As she is trying to come to terms with her new life in this loveless marriage, Thomaskutty's failing health makes her take on the role of a caretaker for her new husband. The couple lives with Thomaskutty's mother Leelamma in a comfortable house in a flood-prone area. The two women linked by the ailing Thomaskutty get entangled in a stormy relationship where secrets tumble out changing the dynamics of the equation between them multiple times. 

Tomy has handled this part with a lot of care, giving each character enough time to project themselves. Also, he has written his characters very well. At times, the narration may seem to be slow, but then the characters are so well fleshed out that it is a pleasure watching them on the screen. No scheming, no plotting, no exaggerated expressions, no melodrama...pure storytelling at its best. The narration is layered, the characters are neither black, nor white, but a graceful grey and hence very believable. The verdant landscape of Kerala is a treat to the eyes, although at times the water in and around the house is unsettling. The boat trips the characters make to get to the mainland are a visual delight. 

The two male actors playing Rajeev and Thomaskutty have smaller roles and they are good at it. The cinematography is superb and the music is appropriately understated. 

I recommend this film to those who enjoy meaningful cinema. It is streaming on Prime Video. I watched it in original Malayalam with subtitles in English. If I could follow the dialogues in Malayalam, it would have added another dimension to my appreciation of the film. 

And finally, some trivia. Parvathy Thiruvothu was seen with Irrfan Khan in the 2017 romantic comedy "Qarib Qarib Singlle" and with Pankaj Tripathi in the 2023 psychological thriller "Kadak Singh". Urvashi acted in 1988 political thriller "New Delhi". Both of them have worked largely in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu cinema.

Face To Face With Kathakali At Kalakshetra!

The beats of the maddalam and the chenda can be heard from a distance. They mean that a Kathakali performance is about to begin. The drummers (not seen in the accompanying picture) are standing in the portico of the beautiful Rukmini Arangam at the Kalakshetra in Chennai. 

Photo by Lata

Now, watching Kathakali is a multi-layered experience. You have to decide whether to be completely taken in by the elaborate make up and colourful costumes of the actors, or to listen to the wonderful verses in Manipravalam (a mix of Malayalam and Sanskrit), or be mesmerised by the energetic accompanying music, or to pay attention to the exquisite hand gestures, or to follow the movement of eyes and facial muscles of the artiste, or to absorb and appreciate the spectacle in its entirety. 

For people used to watching other dance forms, it may take a while to appreciate Kathakali. But once you get past the initial awe, and overcome the unfamiliarity; Kathakali opens up to you and embraces you in its majestic grandeur and subtle nuances. And when you realise how rigorous and demanding the training that the artistes undergo is, you simply bow to them with reverence.

Kathakali (literally meaning story play) is drama, dance, storytelling, folk art, and mime all rolled into one. Ideally the training should start when one is in early teens. There are excellent residential schools in Kerala imparting lessons. In fact the initial training to get one's body adapted to this dance form is very similar to what students of kalaripayattu (traditional martial art from Kerala) go through. The aspirants work hard for years to get complete control over their bodies including eyes and facial muscles. And then they have to learn to be comfortable in the make up, costume and jewellery all of which weighs several kilos if put together.

I watched some videos to get an idea about the process of wearing make up, costumes and jewellery for Kathakali. And the two words that came to my mind on watching those were: patience and surrender. An actor must have these qualities in abundance to be a good practitioner of this art. It takes between three and five hours to get ready, with the actor lying down flat on the floor to get his or her face painted by an expert. There is a prescribed colour code, and colours are used according to the character being played.  All the ingredients are natural and the coloured pastes are prepared freshly before the performance. Then putting the costume and jewellery on oneself is again an arduous task. The striking face paints, the bold headgear, the exaggerated eye make up, the curved extensions stuck from the chin to either side on the jawbones, the shiny discs that hide the ears, the ornaments around the neck and on the arms, the umbrella-shaped skirt held aloft by layers of pleated strips of cloth tied around the waist with a rope, the metallic nail extensions making fingers of the left hand look longer, waist-length hair extensions, the pleated pieces of cloth worn around the neck with their knotted ends dangling in front, and the red eyes make for a larger-than-life image of a character. I found that actors insert a part of a particular flower in their eyes to make them red. The reason? Else the eyes would look pale compared to other bright colours on the face.

Now the artiste is all set and ready for the act. Almost all the Kathakali stories are derived from mythological texts, so the plays are often long and go on for several hours. The stage is mostly bare other than the mandatory kalavilakku (oil lamp) placed in the front. The major characters usually enter the stage from behind a curtain held by two men. They pay their respects to the drums, drummers and singers before starting their performance. And then the story unfolds to the tune of the songs, the clang of the cymbals, the beat of the drums and the precise gestures and movements of the player. The dedication and devotion of all the performers is amazing. The actors bear the weight of their costume and accessories, while the drummers bear the weight of their drums, for hours and in a standing position. They bring alive a delicate romantic scene and a ferocious war scene with equal ease, the drumbeats reaching a deafening level during depictions of combat.

Kathakali was an all-male domain until some time ago. Female characters were also enacted by men. Now with women entering the world of Kathakali, the scene is slowly changing. 

Photo by Lata

It is always a pleasure to watch a Kathakali performance at Kalakshetra. Kathakali is traditionally performed in the open air, so the open and informal theatre suits it completely. The totally natural ambience, the lovely students in traditional sarees and veshtis, the fragrance of sambrani, the kolams, the floral decorations, the oil lamps, the picture of Rukmini Devi Arundale standing gracefully,  and the image of Nataraja all add up to make the experience magical and memorable. The five-day Kathakali festival which concluded last week was a perfect way to inaugurate the recently renovated performance space--Rukmini Arangam. Thank you Kalakshetra and Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan for putting together this fabulous treat!

Read my previous post on Kathakali here.

Kerala Kaleidoscope

Kerala---the land of coconut trees, backwaters, elephants, Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, Onam, pookalam, banana chips, avial and much more! When you visit Kerala, your eyes feast on the colour green all the time. White clothes sported by the local people and red tiled roofs of houses and buildings present a beautiful contrast. I returned from a short visit that took me to the port city of Kochi, to the mountains of Munnar and Thekkady and to the backwaters of Kumarakom. Sharing a few images here.

The Chinese fishing nets are one of the tourist attractions in Kochi. We got to see them being operated on a warm Sunday morning not very far from the St. Francis CSI Church in Fort Kochi. The horizontal nets that were held in place by huge rocks used as counterweights were being pulled out of the water by a group of several fishermen hoping for a good catch. They did get some catch part of which was promptly snatched by the birds hovering nearby!

Fishermen enjoying a break on a routine working day!

St. Francis CSI Church is the oldest European Church in India. It was originally built in 1503. When the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524, he was laid to rest in this Church. His remains were moved to Lisbon 14 years later. Hordes of foreign and Indian tourists flock to this Church because of the historical importance attached to it.

A doll resplendent in Kathakali finery in one of the street shops in the Jew Town in Kochi.

Typical Kerala cotton sarees in cream and gold! Very elegant!!

From the coast to the hills! Mattupetty (1700 metres) is just a short distance away from the hill town of Munnar. Blessed with tea estates, treks, forests, a dam and a lake...Mattupetty offers a lot to nature lovers.

The tree estates in Munnar are simply stunning. As far as the eye can see, the earth is covered with a lush green carpet of rich velvet. The smoky blue hills in the distance and the mist in the atmosphere add a dreamy look to the landscape. As you stare out of your bus window, you are treated to this lovely spectacle. And you wish the bus ride would never end!

Eravikulam National park...the first national park in Kerala. It is home to Nilgiri Tahr. Offers spectacular views of clouds, valleys and hills.

Another view from the park!

A tranquil moment in the expanse of the sprawling Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.

A submerged tree in the Periyar lake. You see many of them when you take a boat ride in the huge lake.

Another submerged tree with pretty colours in the trees along the shore.

The scene changes from the hills and the lake to the backwaters. We are in Kumarakom!

A boatman trying to earn some money by offering rides to tourists in the bird sanctuary in Kumarakom.

Daily life along the backwaters. Houses, small boats, clothes hung out to dry. What looks exotic to us is routine for the locals.

As if the greenery all over is not enough, the boats are painted in green too! In Kumarakom.

A ride along the picturesque backwaters in Kumarakom!

A hurried parting shot of the last of Kerala landscape before reaching Kochi to return home!