For the past 150 minutes Bharmaram made me stick in a single place and watch it. (Believe me, many a time I watch a movie in phases). I am of the firm opinion that a good movie, "Must make one think". That doesn't mean I don't like entertainers but movies are a very powerful medium and if used, rightly can bring about a change in the lives of people.
Bharamaram is a damn good movie. Blessy, the director, doesn't just keep you glued to your place, he also succeeds in implanting a few seeds of thought in your mind. Though I was able to guess the plot to some extent during the halfway marks, the screenplay was riveting and there were a few surprises at the end. As usual Mohanlal has fitted into the poignant character of Sivakutty with ease. Though the story was a tard slippery in a place or two, they can be termed as minor glitches. The way of story telling is realistic, intriguing and emotional. At the end of film you might wonder why our media doesn't showcase films of these sort. (Maybe I am not noticing).
The most immediate thing which came to my mind after seeing the movie was Papillon. Though Papillon doesn't have any thing in similar with Bharamaram, the reason for which the Papillon came to my mind was that in both places the main character was a person who was wrongly convicted. I have only read Papillon, never even thought of seeing the movie, for the book was so engrossing and didn't want to commit the mistake of watching something which wrecks the book. The Count of Monte Cristo also came to my mind, however it was a movie which was unrealistic and fantasized.
Thought of going to sleep but Sivankutty and Lakshmi kept on coming to my mind and made me write this. Going to sleep with restless thoughts about the thousands of people who were accused, convicted and punished for no harm of theirs. There is a saying in Tamil, "கண்ணால் காண்பதும் பொய்; காதால் கேட்பதும் பொய்; தீர விசாரிப்பதே மெய்", never miss to follow that.
If you are a movie enthusiast or somebody who wants to see a good movie don't miss Bhramaram.
(PS: Youtube has got the entire movie with subtitles.)
