If someone ever asked me to suggest a movie that captures the inner workings of the Malayali psyche, this would be it. The need to have a good time, is common across the world. And in Kerala, travel and booze are integral to this. But never did I imagine that “Ozhivudivasathe kali” (English translation – An off-day game) could encapsulate what Kerala is, so elegantly unlike any other.
Five friends decide to have a good time on election day which is a holiday declared by the state government to facilitate voting. The group has representation from different sections of society. Thirumeni (Girish Nair), Dharman (Nishtar Sait), Dasan (Baiju Netto), Vinayan (Pradeep Kumar) and Asokan (Arun Nair), though bound by the exhilarating prospect of booze, keep their prejudices and allegiances very close to their hearts. They go to a secluded guest house surrounded by natural vegetation. Geetha (Abhija Sivakala) who attends to the keep-up of the place and cooking accompanied by a male caretaker ensure that the group have all that they need to have a good time. Once they have a look around, the group settle down to their drinks. Conversations, songs and the intoxication free them from whatever little inhibitions they might have held. And in a scenario where nothing else could quench their thirst, they decide to play a game.
Choreography starts off by capturing an election campaign more like from a television news coverage. Fixed camera for long durations was a plus as it was aiding the scenes from moving closer to reality than fiction. The wild flora surrounding the guest house is both beautiful and unapologetic at the same time.
Subtitles are essential as some of the dialogues are not audible and that adds to the feeling of us watching what happens in the day-to-day life of few men from a distance. The element of voyeurism makes you want to know more about the characters involved.
The story by R Unni is converted into a great screenplay by the Sanal Sasidharan, whobeautifully weaves in the spontaneous undertakings of such a group of men without any of it looking like an artificial detour. All the groundwork is laid and all characters seem to have exhausted their material when the game is introduced. And that is where ‘Ozhivudivasathe Kali' takes the jibe at everything we know and take for granted as part of the modern civil society.
Padmarajan's “Arapatta Kettiya Gramathil” (English translation – In the village which wears a warrior's belt) in my opinion is in a very similar vein though the livid characterization and the acting is way superior. It has more creative and art value going for it. Dramatization and acting prowess however are not the key in ‘Ozhivudivasathe Kali' as the screenplay and cinematography deliver powerful images which stay with you for a long time.
Men have long left behind the exterior manifestations of wilderness which originated in their ancestors from the forest. The wild have become focused, sophisticated and cynically self-serving. The game is fun for some and not so much for others. And from the looks of it, the game has been around (not just in schools) for some time and does not seem to have any end in sight. As the prejudices of politics, education, money, class, caste, sex and intellect peel off one after the other, what is left behind is the raw image of man and his surroundings which requires a special palette to appreciate.
I would put Ozhivudivasathe Kali in the league of Jean Renoir's ‘The Rules of the Game' and Satyajit Ray's ‘Aranyer Din Ratri' (English translation – Days and Nights in the Forest). A genre the subtle powers of which have been effectively used by the greatest of auteurs.
