‘How Old Are You’ inspires women to dream again

Manju Warrier returns with a bang after fourteen years, reinforcing herself as an actor of great calibre in How Old Are You.

Warrier is subtle and a natural as Nirupama Rajeev, an upper division clerk in the revenue department of the government. Her husband, Rajeev, is a news announcer at All India Radio station. They have a teenaged daughter, Lachu, who is doing well academically.

Nirupama’s story reflects the lives of those Indian women who are taken for granted and often find themselves on the receiving end of a blame game.

When Rajeev is told he must move to Ireland on work, Nirupama hopes to accompany him there. “But that is not possible,” Rajeev tells his wife, “due to the high cost of living in Ireland.”

So unless Nirupama finds a job there, she and Lachu will have to stay in India.

Nirupama attends an interview for a job in Ireland but is rejected because of her age. She is 36 years old, one year more than the prescribed cut off age limit. Lachu is upset having nurtured dreams of studying in Ireland. Holding her mother responsible, she asks her, “don’t you have any dreams?” And with that she cuts off all communication with her mother.

The same morning, while driving to work, Rajeev accidentally hits someone on the road. A case is registered against him. Since this accident could jeopardise his visa process, he asks Nirupama to tell the police that she was the one who drove the car that morning. Nirupama agrees but at the police station Rajeev and Nirupama are in for a shock when the officer points out that Nirupama ’s driving licence has long expired. Rajeev now accuses her of deliberately thwarting his travel plans to Ireland.

Things take a different spin when Nirupama is invited by the President of India on his visit to her town, Kochi, for breakfast with him the following day.

Why me? It’s a question that not only baffles this 36-year-old mother, but her family members and friends too.

There are several amusing moments leading to her meeting with the President. The clean and good humour will leave you chuckling.

Scriptwriting brothers Sanjay and Bobby take a dig at our obsession with Facebook and the influence this social networking site wields over our lives. Director, Rosshan Andrews, adds another feather to his cap after Mumbai Police.

Great care has been taken to give individuality to the characters: Busting stereotypes, Nirupama’s father-in law (Kunchan) understands her better than his son Rajeev. Another well-etched character is her office colleague, Rani, played perfectly by Thesni Khan.

You can’t help remembering an old film, Mitr My Friend, (in Hindi, directed by Revathy Menon) starring Shobana, in which a homemaker is sidelined by her husband and teenage daughter.

Sreedevi’s English Vinglish also comes to mind.

How Old Are You is about Nirupama ’s search for her forgotten self. Egging her on is her school mate, Susan David, (Kanika).

“Who decides the expiry date for a woman’s dreams?” And does age really matter?,” asks Nirupama. “You can still dream,” she tells the women in her neighbourhood as she launches a small business, supplying organic vegetables that are grown on their rooftops.

The best surprise comes from Kunchako Boban. Stepping into the shoes of a married man with a teenage daughter, Kunchako’s mature acting emphasises that he can go beyond playing lover-boys and action heroes. As Rajeev, the egotistic husband, he is just wonderful.

Amritha Anil shows great promise. She becomes Lachu, that teenager we all have to deal with.

How Old Are You will connect with Indian women, especially homemakers who are disregarded by their spouses and children for not being independent and confident.

But then, as Nirupama points out, women put their dreams on the back-burner for the sake of their families.