Spoilers Ahead
During an entrance examination for my journalism institute, I remember telling the panel I'd happily take a bullet to my head, like Gauri Lankesh was killed. I am not sure what made me say it, but it was earnest.
That's what made me empathise and understand when Gauri Shankar (Vijay Sethupathi) faces his assailants with a smile on his face in the Malayalam film 19 (1) (a). It is a no brainer to understand that Gauri is killed in the opening sequence because of the cliche trope the debutant director Indhu VS uses to convey the message.
But what follows surprises all viewers pleasantly. Indhu, who's also written the film, unravels the story layer-by-layer which makes almost two-hour-long film seem like a slowly-brewing cup of coffee. Unfortunately, it also is a factor that compels a user to focus ardently on the film.
19 (1) (a), as Indhu tells The News Minute, is a political film. Named after Article 19 of the Indian onstitution pertaining to freedom of speech and expression, the film follows the life of Gauri and Nithya Menen whose name is not revealed in the film.
Menen's character owns a xerox shop and her first encounter eventually becomes the last. Four days after Nithya first meets Gauri who leaves his manuscript to be photocopied, she learns about his death. The news shakes her violently and forces her to interact with him and somehow she forms this intimate relationship with him and his words.
She attempts to get in touch with Anand (Indrajith Sukumaran), Gauri's closest friend to give him the manuscript of his last novel.
It'd be an injustice to compare the film with any other made in the era where curbs on dissenting voices were far less than today. Yet, I can't help but draw comparisons with Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti which was also made on a different budget scale than Indhu's film.
Produced by Anto Joseph and Neeta Pinto, 19 (1) (a), has its political essence in the right place but the film at certain moments dwells more into the life of Menen than Gauri's which can make the audience lose focus.
Sub-plots are woven in the film which explore Gauri and his rebellion against the current political scenario [the current state of communal animosity due to the peddlers of Hindutva ideology], the remark on the same is milder.
Moreover, the film at times loses focus; it starts following Nithya who is seen engaged in mundane activities--packing lunch, travelling on her two-wheeler and exchanging pleasantaries--in the sleepy town.
Indhu deploys the most talented actors of the South Indian film industries like Sethupathi, Menen and Sukumaran and it certainly does save the film from being a flop. Her camerawork and vision of capturing this scenic beauty and slow-paced life of a Kerala town makes the film aesthetically beautiful.
Although the plot is cliched and the film moves slowly, it still is worth a watch.
19 (1) (a) is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
