‘Njan Marykutty’-a sincere story told honestly

Sankar’s sensitive narrative and Jayasurya’s pitch perfect performance leaves you overwhelmed

By Mythily Ramachandran

Njan Marykutty’ is a soulful story that touches your heart while unfolding the life of a woman   trapped inside a man’s body-of a journey that seeks liberation and realisation of dreams.

A first of this genre in Malayalam cinema, ‘Njan Marykutty’ is shorn of the usual ridicule that often accompanies the characters of transgenders portrayed onscreen. Director Ranjith Sankar’s  writing is marked with sensitivity and devoid of melodrama- yet most poignant, leaving you misty eyed.

Right from the word go, ‘Njan Marykutty’ stoked curiosity online once Sankar posted pictures of actor Jayasurya piercing his ears to play Marykutty. 

What does it feel to be a woman trapped inside a man’s body?
Ask Mathukutty, (Jayasurya), a software professional, who strongly believes that he is a woman. He leaves home one night after writing a note to his parents refusing to marry the girl they had arranged. 

After undergoing a sexual reassignment surgery, Mathukutty becomes Mary Kutty. From then on, it’s the life she stakes claim to- as an individual who is trying to achieve her goal solely on the merit of her talent. But is Marykutty’s family and the society around ready to embrace the new person?

The writing is solid. It’s not just Mary Kutty but every  character in the story is well-detailed, making them believable.
Jayasurya’s Mary Kutty stands dignified as she dares to fight against her birth identity. While there are enough enemies to thwart her dreams, Mary Kutty’s life is not bereft of good samaritans-her schoolmate, the single mother (Jewel Mary) with a daughter who takes in Mary Kutty; the church priest (Innocent) who is the pillar on which Mary Kutty leans upon and the understanding district collector (Suraj Venjaramoodu). 

It’s clearly a career defining role for Jayasurya who carries Mary Kutty gracefully within him. Be it in her sari clad attire, or in her gait, you notice the woman yearning to find her own place. Despite the barbs thrown at her by people around, Mary Kutty is never embittered. Neither is she holding any grudge against anyone nor angry with God, her creator. That’s what is most beautiful about the character and the writing.
The moment where she breaks down inside the prison following a humiliation brings out the finer aspect of the actor Jayasurya.

Safe in  Jayasurya’s hands, Marykutty’s tale comes with her feelings respected, her ambitions understood, eventually becoming the voice for the other Marykutty’s around, who are grappling with their identities.

 Keeping pace with him is actor Joju George. As sub- inspector Kunjipalu, he is out to take a vengeance on Mary Kutty. Wth a supportive subordinate he indulges in crass jokes, while revealing the highhandedness of the police force. George is brilliant.  

As for people around, they are visible in the gazes averted, hushed whispers and references of ‘ee Sadhanam’ (this thing) when Mary Kutty walks amidst them. 

One scene stayed with me-the moment when Mary Kutty needs to use the loo and she does not know whether to enter the male or  female  room- she eventually walks into the one meant for disabled persons.

‘Nyan Mary Kutty’ breaks out of the mould of Indian cinema stereotypes and a film that finds a place in history. Tip my hat to Sankar and Jayasurya.  

Will this bring home another national award for Jayasurya like it did for Kannada actor Sanchari Vijay for his portrayal of a transgender in the film ‘Naan Avanalla Avalu (I am a He not a She)?

‘Pathemari’ will strike a chord with Gulf Malayalis

Pallikal Narayanan’s role reminds us of the Mamootty we have always admired

With director Salim Ahamad, you can expect a good story that will be told sincerely.
Be it his maiden venture, ‘Adaminte Makan Abu,’ the national award winner or his second, ‘Kunjananthande Kada,’ Ahamad’s protagonists is the common man with small dreams. 
‘Pathemari,’ his third film and with Mammootty in the lead again touches you with its simple tale told without frills.
It is set in the seventies and early eighties of the boom time in UAE, when Malayalis migrated here  for a better life. Travelling in dhows (pathemari) without proper documents and saddled with an uncertainty about reaching the shores alive, the Malayali found strength in his dreams.
‘Pathemari’ holds a mirror to the saga of many Malayalis of this era.
Pallikal Narayanan (Mammootty) and close buddy Moideen (Srinivasan) board a dhow helmed by Velayudhan (Siddique), who deals in this business. Despite a journey marked with hardships and uncertainty, Narayanan and Moideen reach Khor Fakkam island and sneak into the mainland. In no time they find employment and their families live comfortably.  
But what about Narayanan’s dreams of building his own house in his native town and settling there someday with his family?
Striking a chord with many expatriates in UAE, ‘Pathemari,’ could remind them of their parents or an uncle working in the middle-east and returning home with a huge box of gifts. The first half of the story is slow, very much like the pathemari but picks up speed in the second half.
Lots of moments in Narayanan’s life tug at your heart. One scene is where Narayanan makes a phone call to India on the day of his niece’s wedding and waits eagerly to hear all news, but the busy family members cut short the conversation. Another time, when he calls home, his two grown up sons, not keen on talking to him, tell their mother to inform him that they were sleeping.
Yet, Narayanan holds no bitterness, in fact given another life, he says he would do the same things again. Raising a toast to his life, Salim salutes the magnanimity of the average Malayali lives frugally so that his family is comfortable back in India.
Narayanan’s shoes fit Mammootty perfectly and the veteran with a subdued performance brings an endearing Narayanan to life onscreen. This is the Mammootty we fell in love with in the eighties. Supporting him is Srinivasan as Moideen. Siddique’s role though brief is memorable. A mature performance is noted in Jewel Mary, as Narayanan’s wife, who goes through different stages of his life. Tamil actress Viji Chandrsekhar makes an impressive debut as Mammootty’s mother.   Complementing Salim Ahamad’s story is the brilliant visuals of Madhu Ambat.
‘Pathemari’ is an emotional family drama that bares the harsh realities of life.