JALAM
Ekm sangeetha , status : below 10
Issue based films aren't much explored in malayalam cinema and fewer films that have strayed into the genre often tends to choose a documentry mode . It is where a Jalam stands out .
The story is simple focusing on the life of a young women and her plight to own piece of land in the big bad city , Kochi . Seetha arrives in kochi along with her husband and kid to claim the land offered to them by the government . It was only the begining of their ordeal and during the course of struggle the husband get killed in a accident . Now the women have to fight against all the odds for her survival .
How the system fail the poor in what is a limited desire to have a own roof and how the society make it nearly immpossible for a single hapless mother to push her life forward have been brilliantly depicted in the film . The premise of the story have cliches knocking at all corners but the makers have succeeded in overlapping all those pits making Jalam in to a powerful piece of art.
The plot is a potential tear jerker and there are many instances where it could have stooped to melodrama but the linear narrative is amazingly subtle .
Writing is top class knitting many aspects of serious tone that we see around but not once going overbroad to preach the issues . Direction of padmakumar is surprisingly brilliant carrying a hard hitting theme with much needed maturity .
Priyanka in lead role is superb getting into the grove and not hitting a hyper knote . Support cast of sethu lakshmi , prakash baare and adv of beauitiful are excellent .
There are couple of songs thats been used in background and the one starting with the lyrics "bhoomyile" is fantastic ...super class lyrics
I would recommend this film to be watched not just because it deals with a serious subject but its a good film that is made well and deserves some attention .
Ethu oru art ...award film oke aye miss akanda because its not ...valare enaging aye oru important vishyamduscuss cheythitulla padam anu ethu....