Readers Write In #841: A minimalist framework for film reviews based on ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’, applied to “Narivetta”

By Srinivas Sridhar

Malayalam cinema has done it again! With almost depressing regularity they keep churning out movies that are unlike any other in mainstream Indian cinema. The plots are rooted in an Indian context and evolve organically. The character arcs are believable and anchor your attention. All these elements are there in Narivetta. The movie is set in 2003 and is based on the Muthanga tribal incident.

But to get to the plot: The hero is an idealistic if somewhat lazy youth, Varghese Peter, played perfectly by Tovino Thomas. He is intelligent and passes competitive exams but is on the lookout for the perfect job. He is in love with a local girl, who along with his best friend keeps goading him to take up any available job to improve his marriage prospects. Meanwhile, her father drops not-so- gentle hints as to his unsuitability as a groom.

All this drives him to take up a menial job as a police constable out of desperation. He hates the job. This also puts him in direct conflict with the tribal community protesting for their rights. In a hasty impulsive, youthful manner, he assaults an old tribal and is put on notice by his superiors. The rest of the movie involves his posting in a dangerous assignment and his evolution into a mature young man, who eventually comes to side with the tribals and their cause.

He is lucky to find in Basheer, played by a superb Suraj Venjaramoodu, a mentor who guides him in a menacing situation. Basheer’s murder and how this is avenged forms the crux of the story. I really warmed up to Basheer’s performance as a cynical elderly campaigner, patient enough to show Varghese the ropes. I would not like to reveal more for fear of spoilers. The rest of the movie plays out in the expected fashion.

Without hesitation, I would give the movie two thumbs up for both logical consistency and giving pleasure.

I take more of connoisseurs’ view than that of a strict reviewer as my intention is to cast as wide a net as possible. I first rate by logical consistency followed by romantic beauty. In doing so, I am much indebted to the frame given by Robert Pirsig in his seminal ‘Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance”.

‘Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ written in the seventies was the author’s attempt to bridge the gap between “hip” or romantic/sensuous and “square” or classical/logical ways of knowing. Robert Pirsig, the author, who felt that both ways of knowing were important gave the analogy of the romantic being the leading edge of the train and the classical being what followed. This, he described was the scientific method used in a variety of ways including in motorcycle maintenance.

I have reversed this order as I am seeking to understand a work of art. I look first for the classical, the hidden structure of the piece, e.g. the plot, character arcs, followed by what gives me immediate gratification; acting, cinematography, etc. In doing so, I take more of a connoisseur’s view and try to understand in what way the movie satisfies me as a consumer rather than how utilitarian it is from the point of view of society.

Also, the concepts of logical consistency and romantic beauty are heuristic in nature and can be tweaked to address the special needs of Indian viewers. We cannot expect that a Rajnikant/Superhero movie follow the ordinary rules of logic that govern regular movies or even dare suggest that his act of lighting a cigarette is anything but the epitome of cool. The idea is to more inclusive rather than discriminatory. I hope this will eventually provide a common platform to appreciate films along a diverse spectrum.

In this particular movie, by logical consistency, I refer to the organic character evolution of Verghese vis-à-vis the tribals and his consequent disillusionment regarding the role of the state. In terms of romantic quality, I was highly attracted by the character of Basheer, who plays a cynical yet fond mentor to Verghese, and the beautiful cinematography. Basheer’s death and the callous way it was carried out was for me one of the darkest parts of the movie.

If there is a shortcoming, it is this that while it is admirable how carefully and methodically Malayalam cinema sets up its plot, the use of songs in this regard seems a bit of overkill. Also women characters seem to be relegated to the background, the only exception being that the tribal leader was a woman.