The genius of the film is that — by shunning conventional cause-and-effect melodrama — its active “plot” about communalism gets relegated to the sidelines, and we focus on the individual.
Spoilers ahead…
You can read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/nasir-movie-review-arun-karthicks-superb-second-feature-about-a-coimbatore-muslim-is-a-political-film-about-an-apparently-apolitical-man/
“What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And Brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.” Erich Segal’s Love Story opens with these lines, which suggest that a person is best defined through instantly discernable neon-highlights — the girl’s beauty, her brilliance, her love for Mozart, Bach, the Beatles. It’s what Alfred Hitchcock said: “Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” Then there are others like the Belgian director Chantal Akerman who prefer to define a life with the “dull bits”. One of the most telling scenes in her most famous film — Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels (1975) — is that of the protagonist in her kitchen, peeling potatoes.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Anu Warrier
March 2, 2020
I held my breath at the visuals!
(Damn you, BR! 🙂 )
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AdhithyaKR
March 3, 2020
Is there any way to access these movies? Apart from viewing them in film festivals that is
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rsylviana
March 3, 2020
Is / Will the movie be released here ? Really wanna catch this one because of your review. Exceptionally written (as always) !
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Honest Raj
June 4, 2020
This Saturday from 7:00 PM IST:
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brangan
June 6, 2020
Reminder to watch this, if you can.
It will will be live for 24 hours from 7pm today (Saturday) on this link (see comment above).
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doctorhari
June 7, 2020
An impactful film with an unusal, unhurried film language. But with deep ideological flaws, imo.
Firstly, I’m a Coimbatorean and, to be sure, such stray incidents (though I’m not aware of them) might have occurred. There is no dearth of idiots anywhere in any country. But the deep Islamophobia portrayed here is certainly not the ground reality in Coimbatore. In the view of portraying Islamophobia, films like these end up spreading Hinduphobia unconsciously. Accentuating the polarisation in society, even as they satisfy the taste buds of a certain kind of audience.
Nandita Das’s FIRAAQ is one example that comes to mind. Though thematically similar, how beautifully she had brought in the layers such a story demands. That is a balanced and complete film this director could learn from.
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Ananth
June 7, 2020
@doctorhari: I didnt see the film as commentary on Coimbatore specifically. IMO, it is a simple story about how normal people leading simple lives (and having middle-class probs around health, finances etc.) may become incidental victims of religious extremism from any sect
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AdhithyaKR
June 7, 2020
@BR, caught this movie finally… Brilliant. Thanks for the recommendation.
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brangan
June 7, 2020
Guys, another reminder – in case you want to watch this. See my comment above for details.
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Kay
June 7, 2020
What a wonderful movie! It was a treat to watch uppukinaru lane and reminisce my own memories of it. Although, as doctorhari mentioned above, all along there was this nagging voice saying ‘but, this is not my Coimbatore’. But that’s a minor quibble when considering the bigger picture. Thanks for the link Honest Raj and BR.
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Karthik
June 10, 2020
I couldn’t help but look at this movie through the lens of the Covid times we live in. Ideologies like racist or religious supremacy seem no different from a dangerous virus. They always exist in some shape or form, some more rampant than others. They thrive by exploiting the very social channels that keep us connected. A WhatsApp forward here, a blare from a loudspeaker there. Some of us are immune to its impacts, some of us are carriers, knowing or unknowing. The antidote is to stay safe within our chosen cliques. Even then, some ideologies cannot be contained and the most ordinary amongst us end up falling victim.
I apologize if this comment sounded bleak. Some movies also tend to be more parasitic than others, lodging themselves in you long enough, till there’s an urge to puff something out for others to intake.
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brangan
June 10, 2020
Karthik: I don’t find your comment bleak. It’s reality, sadly.
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