Oru Thekkan Thallu Case movie review: How to mock the male ego yet play it safe and normalise domestic violence

Language: Malayalam 

There is a certain kind of men-centric Malayalam cinema that’s a far cry from the middle-of-the-road fare filled with realistic stories and storytelling that this film industry is known for nationally. This other category of Malayalam films features male protagonists played by big stars, often walking in slow motion to the accompaniment of a signature tune, their beings lionised by low-angle shots, the camera sometimes zooming in on their sunglasses, shoes and clothes in a bid to emphasise their coolth, in narratives that marginalise if not downright degrade women while celebrating ferocious masculinity.

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case– written by Rajesh Pinnadan, based on G.R. Indugopan’s story Ammini Pilla Vettu Case – initially conveys the impression that it might be this kind of toxic, formulaic men-centric film about the animosity between Ammini Pillai (Biju Menon) and Podiyan (Roshan Mathew). Stay with it a while, however, and it becomes clear that director Sreejith N. intends to subvert the trend by using some of the same tropes (Ammini whacking his rivals in slow motion, the camera zeroing in on Ammini’s hands picking up dust from the ground to smear on his arms before a fight, etc) while mocking over-sized male egos instead.

Conscious intentions can sometimes go off track under the influence of social conditioning though. Oru Thekkan Thallu Case does well with its aims till it unexpectedly, perhaps even unwittingly, normalises domestic abuse in an extended passage well into the narrative. Uh oh.

Until then, this is an unusual film on the ripple effect of a single act of aggression by one man against another, and the lengths to which men will go to satisfy their seething, inflated sense of self-importance even if it means destroying their own happiness.

Ammini works as a lighthouse keeper in a small town in coastal Kerala. His neighbour Vasanthi (Nimisha Sajayan) is close to his wife Rukmini (Padmapriya Janakiraman). Vasanthi is having an affair with a ne’er-do-well called Podiyan (Roshan Mathew). One day, Ammini and Podiyan clash. The latter vows to avenge the affront, then Ammini swears he will take revenge on Podiyan and his cohorts for the revenge they took on him, and so it goes on.

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case takes a while to take off, but once it does, it is for a considerable stretch filled with delicious irony and wry humour. Men who are lions in the dark transform into whimpering, supplicant creatures in the light of day. Townsfolk start regarding the battle between Podiyan’s gang and Ammini as their primary entertainment. The satirical tone peaks in conversations among Podiyan’s sidekicks about their options in the face of Ammini’s overpowering muscle. And the script smartly throws in swipes at social intrusiveness and the holy cow of religion.

Commercial Malayalam cinema tends to reward machoism, so this film’s sarcasm towards egoistic men comes as a surprise. Just as surprising is that the women characters are substantial and given plenty of space.

Vasanthi is brave, stands up to traditionalism, owns up to her love for Podiyan without getting coy about being sexually active, and does not pin her life choices on whether he will marry her.

Rukmini shares a warm chemistry with her, making this a rare Malayalam film to showcase female bonding. Their relationship is defined by the unstinting support they offer each other, exemplified by the way Rukmini stands up for Vasanthi against a censorious old male relative.

All this is completely diluted when Ammini assaults Rukmini. His act of violence against her is the sort that is usually not considered violence at all by a society inured to spousal abuse, and Oru Thekkan Thallu Case echoes regressive social attitudes by treating it as a minor disruption in a happy marriage. The women themselves are the instrument used by the script to articulate this view, when Vasanthi smilingly asks Rukmini why she is making a big deal of the episode, and it turns out that Rukmini is not furious with Ammini as we thought she is.

At this point, the film becomes a case study of how intimate partner violence is normalised – and rampant – in Kerala, belying the state’s impressive statistics on women’s welfare.

In terms of its sudden arrival in a largely progressive script, this sub-plot reminded me of the slap Prithviraj Sukumaran’s character landed on his wife’s face in Ayyappanum Koshiyum. The difference is that that slap was incompatible with what came before and after, whereas the treatment of Ammini’s physical aggression towards Rukmini in Oru Thekkan Thallu Case– and what it reveals about the writer’s and director’s own troubling, possibly subconscious attitude to man-woman relations – has the effect of casting a new light on everything that the film is trying to say about widely accepted definitions of masculinity.

Ultimately, Rukmini and Vasanthi are a male stereotype of the liberal woman. Vasanthi has sex minus marriage, resists society’s attempts to shame her and frankly discusses the pleasures of sex with Rukmini, all of which make her unconventional, of course, but also conform to a certain narrow definition of feminist advancement held by Indian male filmmakers who are not half as open-minded as they think they are. Rukmini and Vasanthi may be presented as fiery creatures, but care is taken to ensure that they do not challenge the men in their lives too much.

In fact, in the song Pathirayil, Rukmini describes herself entirely in relation to Ammini, which at that moment in the film could be interpreted as an adoring lover’s words, but takes on another meaning following her reaction to his violence against her. This is when it becomes noticeable that Oru Thekkan Thallu Case’s contempt for the male ego is restricted to Podiyan and his friends. Ammini is not the target of the film’s censure. From start to finish, from the animated introduction about his legendary superstrength all the way to the finale, the gaze on him is one of admiration. And in the second half, especially in the end, we see that Rukmini is nothing more than Ammini’s partner in this battle of egos. What then was the point of the film?

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case starts waning even before the brief tension between Ammini and Rukmini. Hilarious though the conversations between Podiyan &Co are, their one-on-one encounters with Ammini soon get repetitive. After a stupendous scene featuring Ammini, the entire town and a snake, even the action gets monotonous.

What remains consistent throughout are the acting and Madhu Neelakandan’s cinematography that is as smashing while shooting the exquisite location as during that scene with the serpent.

It is a joy to see Padmapriya in a role worthy of her immense talent and screen presence. That Oru Thekkan Thallu Case showcases her beauty is a bonus. Why do we not see her more often on screen? Nimisha Sajayan is one of the most important actors of the new generation, and shines here as a mischievous, youthful livewire. Unlike Podiyan’s band of man-children who are overt lightweights, Podiyan’s comicality and immaturity are less conspicuous, and Roshan Mathew pulls off the fine balance required to play him.

Biju Menon’s role here is more conventional than those he’s played in films like Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu (2017), Sathyam Paranja Vishwasikkuvo? (2019), Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020) and Aarkkariyam (2021). Nevertheless, he injects nuance into his performance. I enjoyed the flicker of amusement in Ammini’s eyes when he sees the fear in Podiyan’s friend. This fleeting interlude in the character’s otherwise grave demeanour throughout the film is all you need to know that Biju, like the rest of the cast, is way better than this film. That said, he in particular, in his position as a major male star in this male-dominated industry, needs to tell us why he has been part of so many films that put a stamp of approval on his character’s misogyny.

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is an opportunity lost because the director and writer try to juggle liberalism and conformism, and end up with neither.

Rating: 2 (out of 5 stars) 

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is in theatres

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.