A molested woman seeks revenge in Rosshan Andrews’ powerful ‘Prathi Poovankozhi’, aka ‘Manjuvinte Prathikaram’

Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/opinion-prathi-poovankozhi-manju-warrier-rosshan-andrews-baradwaj-rangan

What happens to the villain is a writing masterstroke not just in terms of how we regard the man by the end but also in how it makes the heroine’s journey more “realistic”.

Spoilers ahead…

In Prathi Poovankozhi, directed by Rosshan Andrews, Manju Warrier plays a no-nonsense clothing-store employee named Madhuri. There’s a briskness to the woman, even in her walk. She doesn’t stop still for conversations. Even as she talks, she continues to do whatever she’s doing. Some people would call it a lack of people skills. Others would call it efficiency. She’s a working woman, the sole earning member of the family, and time is precious. In any case, she may be curt in her replies to her mother, who wants her to get married, but when the situation demands it, she can be caring.

At work, she sees a young girl try on a sleeveless dress. When the girl’s conservative father yells that she’s showing her armpits to the world, the girl is devastated, in tears. Escorting her back to the changing room, Madhuri says crying is so old-fashioned. She advises the girl to be strong, work hard, get a job and buy the dress on her own. That’s what Madhuri would have done had she been this girl – for she, too, has problems, like a bank loan hanging over her head, thanks to her father. This is when you see how good the writing is. The bank loan has nothing to do with the movie, or with Madhuri’s character arc. But it helps flesh out the woman. It helps us realise that life is multi-dimensional, and just because the plot is about one thing, it doesn’t mean the character can’t have other things happening to her.

Continued at the link above.

Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.

Posted in: Cinema: Malayalam