‘Oruthee’ is not just a didactic tale of a victory over adversity, but rather an evocative and emotional journey of a woman who like thousands of others like her in the real world, steers steadfastly across hardships, uncertainty, emptiness and despair. It is an intricate theme that taps into a universally human condition and which even transcends across nation, gender and race.
What transpires in the latter half of V K Prakash’s ‘Oruthee’ might strike you as far from real, until you read about Soumya Babu from Kollam, Kerala and the fantastic story of her rise from an ordinary sales girl at a local shop to an inspirational figure much lauded on social media platforms for her extra ordinary act of courage that took the state by storm.
‘Oruthee’ narrates an account that is stranger than fiction of an indomitable struggle that a young woman puts up in the face of her assailants who appear way too domineering in comparison to her seemingly meek self. It’s a film that is as much about the survival tactics of a woman driven to the brims of devastation as it is about power and politics at work in a social milieu that appears ruthlessly self-centered.
Radhamani (Navya Nair) works as a conductor at the ferry service and yearns for her husband (Saiju Kurup) to be back from the Gulf. A graphic designer by profession, the man had ventured out into the Middle East along with thousands of middle class job seekers like him, and had ended up with a job as a painter and a broken arm.
Back home in Kerala, Radhamani accepts the terrible financial straits that her family is in, tends to her two kids and her mother-in-law and runs from pillar to post to make both ends meet. Optimistic to the core she manages her balancing act brilliantly well until her daughter is taken sick and admitted to the ICU, until she has huge hospital bills to pay and until her visit to the pawn shop reveals that a gold necklace that had been bought a few months back with some hard earned money from a reputed jewelry in town has more wax than real gold in it.
This is the central incident in ‘Oruthee’ that maneuvers the course of action, and along way, the film offers a subtle, yet effectual commentary on what has been happening all around. The TV stations blare out live telecasts of a political coup that is being planned in the neighboring state, and Mega Thiruvathira dances bring in the festival season in the state with aplomb.
Parallel to this alternate elite world lies a universe where the rain and the sun truly matter to the people who scamper around with weighty burdens bending their backs. Living in cloistered houses across the banks of a lake that sports skyscrapers at the other end, they dream of having a better living someday even as life keeps pulling them down further into the muck that they are knee deep embroiled in.
With morality and integrity being thrown to the winds by his senior officers, Sub Inspector of Police, Antony (Vinayakan) is one such soul lost in this big, bad world of malice. He is not one to be put down though, and wastes not a single opportunity that would let him hold his head high in uprightness and comes to Radhamani’s aid on finding her frantic pleas genuine.
When a biker makes off with her bag, Radhamani and her son Appu follow suit on their scooter, and what follows is a chase where she simply refuses to give up. Wading across a shallow pond after him, the mother-son duo run short of breath soon, yet still climbs steep mounts and wallows down slick slopes after the thief, who is astounded at their persistence. Indeed a brilliant metaphor to ordinary woman power that ambles across jagged and bumpy lifescapes, it holds up a beacon of hope in an era marked by uncertainty and gloom.
‘Oruthee’ belongs to Navya Nair, and I wonder if any other actor could have portrayed the helplessness, the anguish and the desolation that Radhamani goes through with as much brilliance. Perhaps yes, but Navya brings in a relatability to the role with her unvarnished performance that is instantly appealing. It is such a pleasure to watch her in action yet again, and she is ably supported with a measured feat from Vinayakan and the rest of the actors.
‘Oruthee’ is not just a didactic tale of a victory over adversity, but rather an evocative and emotional journey of a woman who like thousands of others like her in the real world, steers steadfastly across hardships, uncertainty, emptiness and despair. It is an intricate theme that taps into a universally human condition and which even transcends across nation, gender and race.
Verdict: Good