Tovino Thomas drives the action in Narivetta, a film that suffers from the point of perspective
The hook of the story is Varghese
This marks a clear-cut statement: Thaami is not angry at one specific police officer because of personal grudges; it is the entire corrupt system that is the main issue. Narivetta, a compelling and gritty new film that dramatises the 2003 Muthanga incident, almost makes a case for itself. It remains narratively propulsive and richly performed, but the film has one crucial problem: it suffers from the problem of perspective. The film pivots from the standpoint of a male protagonist (Varghese) whose story of righteousness and integrity takes the upper hand over the main motivations of a story that is dipped in brutal violence and systemic corruption.
Whose story must the viewer care for in Narivetta? Whose story is it to tell at the end of the film? The answer that is implied from the beginning is Varghese. It is through Varghese that the viewer enters the story; his perspective is the narrative focus of the film, as he reluctantly takes up the offer of a police constable as a last-minute chance to make things better for his family. We see him whiling away his time at the village, and the meet-cute interactions with his girlfriend Nancy (Priyamvada Krishnan) position him as a good guy who wants to do something better with his life. His noble intentions make life a lot tougher as he joins the force, and is then forced to confront the injustices and casualties that occur in the shadows of state machinery.
Meanwhile, the narrative has a parallel track where we see Thaami's lifestyle, as a member of the tribal community, routinely mistreated and humiliated by the village members. He shares the concerns with the tribal populace, who have been residing on their ancestral lands for generations, and now face the call for eviction under the pretext of forest conservation by the state. They have no other choice but to protest, because if they don't fight for their own lives, then who will? He is joined with the rest of the community as they continue a sit-in protest inside the forest, refusing to leave the land until their demands are met.
But in Narivetta, the very concern of this community is dramatised in a way that feels passive and rudimentary in approach. The viewer knows about these people and their demands only through the eyes of Varghese. Therein lies the irony of this story, where a story about the trauma and violence meted out on a community is viewed from an outsider's lens. It almost reflects the real-life loss of control and ownership that the community protested unintentionally. The viewer does not have access to the reality of these men and women except for a few scenes in the beginning, which merely offer a detached and orderly exposition.
The problem of perspective
The decision to centre this story on Varghese highlights the crucial issue of perspective. Is Narivetta a story that is ultimately for Varghese to tell? The righteousness and integrity of the male protagonist are the film's final telling card, a rather persuasive reminder that such men, and such moral consciousness, exist. But this constructed narrative authority makes me wonder why the film, as powerful and necessary as it is, chose this interpretation in the first place. Thaami's story deserved a more nuanced and astute focal point. He becomes a supporting figure in a story that finds its main character's energy through the tragedy inflicted on his own kin.
Varghese's presence highlights the systemic power play and corruption that is deeply entrenched in the state governance at large. The attention to these details could have made for a separate film altogether, solely revolving around Head Constable Basheer's (played by a terrific Suraj Venjaramoodu) fate. That Varghese is able to unpack the bewildering truth behind these acts of brutality inflicted upon the people around him gives his character the direction to lead the story forward. The film bends towards that stamp of responsible proclamation. Nevertheless, Narivetta still remains quite effective, and even as it embraces a rather fundamentally reasonable denouement, it demands your absolute attention.
Narivetta is available to stream on SonyLiv.
This is The Fault in Our Films, where Santanu Das writes about one acclaimed film/series and what stops the 'good' from becoming 'great'.
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