96

 96

A Film Review

I do not usually watch Indian movies and certainly not on a big screen at a cinema but I was intrigued to watch this new, foreign movie in Tamil language titled 96 which premiered on the 4th October, for a number of reasons: Renay’s cousin who resides in India, Envernathan Enver Govender had seen the premiere and said to watch it as it was good, the movie was mostly set in Chennai where I believe my ancestors originated from and lastly because I visited North India last year and keen to do a South Indian trip and thought the location of this movie would give me a taste of the area of India I wish to visit. After checking that the movie had English subtitles, Renay and our lovely friends, Prashanth and Mini Shetty (who hail from Chennai, India) made the trip to Brisbane to view this movie. I am so glad I went as the movie was excellently crafted by cinematographer turned director, Prem Kumar, in his debut film.

The opening scenes shot in various natural locations in India and which features the protagonist, Ram (played by Vijay Sethupathi), establishes the main character as a wildlife photographer and also suggests that he is a loner as he cuts a solitary figure in these visually, breath-taking scenes. It then shifts to his work where he comes off as grumpy photography teacher urging his students to capture memories instead of taking photos. The storyline of this movie kicks off when he visits his old school in Tanjore and the visit to his old classroom where he lovingly caresses the front desk positions the audience to expect that he has some strong connection to the past. He calls an old schoolfriend who adds him onto the social network of WhatsApp that virtually spreads like a forest fire in reconnecting this elusive schoolmate with the rest of the friends from the class of 1996. A school reunion is announced to take place in the more convenient locale of Chennai where most of the present-day class of 96 resides.

We are then taken to a series of nostalgic flashbacks into the past where the attraction between the 15-year old sweethearts of Class 10, young Ram and Janu are built up. In seemingly mundane school scenes of roll calling, biology lessons, lunch breaks and assembly time, the beautifully touching love relationship is constructed. Without a single word expressing their love for each other, the fabric of their magnetism is stitched so endearingly with bashful looks between the pair, Ram being rendered speechless whenever addressed by the feisty Janu and the pained countenances when the other is absent from class. Then suddenly the relationship is cruelly severed by Ram being transferred from the school.

Fast forward to the present time and Janu(Trisha Krishnan) who has travelled all the way from Singapore, and Ram meet each other after 22 years and it seems time has not helped in maturing Ram who still comes across as the awkward, stuttering teenager. Even the more assertive Janu is experiencing strong emotions as she meets her long, lost love. In the course of a single night (as Janu has to board the morning flight back to Singapore) Prem Kumar succeeds in painting a truly heart-rending picture of the pain of loss, suffering and hopelessness. Cultural norms dictate that this is never going to be easy as Janu is a married woman and mother of a daughter and while we as the audience fervently wish that something can be done to make these two hearts beat as one, we also realise this is not a Hollywood movie.

Twenty-two years of longing materialises in the ensuing scenes where flashbacks further fills in the gaps on how fate intervened in placing obstacles to a fairytale ending. In this one night that they have together, lovingly exchanged looks, the sorrow in their eyes, the long silences and the melancholic strains of the flute and the violins in the background as the pair try to catch up on the lost years cuts through your heart and involuntarily activates your tear ducts.

This 2018 movie defies all the expectations of being a blockbuster whether in Hollywood or Bollywood: there is no handsome hearth throb; the main character is paunchy and has no dress sense, the costume department has hardly been taxed; the heroine wears the same pants, pashmina and yellow tunic for almost the whole time she is on screen, there are no big band orchestral scores; the character, Janu, sings a lot without any musical accompaniment and where there’s no dialogue, we have long silences or the occasional flute or violin, there’s hardly any exotic locations; besides the opening scenes to establish Ram as a photographer, most of the movie is set in dull, commonplace sites like the classroom, schoolground, Ram’s apartment and a desolate carpark. Yet, in spite of the absence of the formulaic elements that decrees a runaway silver screen success, I anticipate that this 3-hour long movie is going to hit all the right notes. Big time!

What constitutes a good movie? To me, when I walk out of the cinema and I am still thinking about questions that the director has posed, then it lies in the realms of a movie well done. There were many, many thought-provoking dilemmas that were showcased in this film. Firstly, what is infidelity? Is it just a physical liaison between two people or is the emotional attachment that the main characters find themselves inextricably entwined in, could be construed as infidelity as well? Should we deny ourselves personal happiness in the interest of adhering to societal norms? Should the head rule the heart? Is it okay to cherish an ideal that is so firmly entrenched in the past?

The nostalgia dished out on in this movie makes us go back a long time (for some of us a very long, long time) and think back to the period of our teenage or adolescent years when a split second decision altered our destiny in terms of the life partner we share today. It makes us wonder what could have been if we just answered that call, received that message as intended, chose to go this event instead of that or dug our heels in and insisted to our parents that this is our true love and we are going to damn well pursue it.

All in all, the romantic 96 which is devoid of commercial movie clichés, and with the age-old storyline of eternal longing of love that is not to be is bound to sit well with all types of audiences.