Arun Kumar Aravind's 'Left Right Left' is a daring, warm and thought
provoking piece of film making that moves beyond the routine realm of
politics. In shaping this hard-hitting and persuasive thriller, the
director along with writer Murali Gopy deploys several inventive gambits
that send formalistic structures of film making flying away in the
winds.
Kaitheri Sahadevan (Hareesh Peradi) rises to the stature of the most
venerated and feared Communist leader in the state, after having been
through a despondent childhood that saw both his father and uncle being
slain by oppressors. The year is 1976, when on a dark night, another
attack leaves young Roy Joseph stranded on the street, with his bleeding
dad breathing his last on his lap. He grows up to be Che Guvera Roy
(Murali Gopy), and is hacked left and right by a bunch of assailants on
the campus, rendering him incapacitated for life
Ten years later, in 1986, a desperate boy watches the oxygen mask being
snatched away from his sister's face, to be provided to a more affluent
patient. He learns that the world around him could be mean and unjust
and vows to be a cop one day to seek justice. At the police department
he earns the nickname Vattu Jayan (Indrajith) for his reckless ways, and
remains equally obsessed with Jennifer (Remya Nambeesan), a young girl
on the run from her abusive husband and Anitha (Lena) on whom he
develops a sister fixation.
'Left Right Left' is a ferocious exploration of the hard-hitting
realities that we see all around us. Never purposefully sentimental or
theatrical, it's made of raw emotions that make up human lives. The
candid and intimate investigation that leads to a cathartic finale makes
us realize that possibly the truth is not out there, where we believe
it to be. It delivers those slaps, left, right and center, and almost
all of them land right on place.
The four chief women characters in the film have in common only the
period in which they live, and the fact that they are all survivors.
Proclaiming herself to be both Aleida March and Hilda Gadea, Anitha is
much more than a wife to Roy, while Jennifer doesn't think twice before
crushing a few lives under her heels to get away from a life of torture
and gloom. Deepa (Anusree) lives in constant dread and terror of an
impending tragedy, while Jayan's mother (Sethulakshmi) refuses to break
down, even as the last bit of hope is snatched away from her.
The directorial flair that had made 'Ee Adutha Kalathu' one of the best
films that we had seen last year further finds expression in 'Left Right
Left'. In a spectacular move, Arun Kumar Aravind lands the audience in a
blackout at the most crucial moment in this genre twisting film,
depriving them of an emotional release, and the restlessness that
accompanies it has to be experienced, since no description would do
justice to it.
It's refreshing to see that 'Left Right Left' keeps those banalities
that one normally associates with a political film at bay. This is on
account of the fact that it's a film that intricately dissects the
political scenario of a state, never for a moment losing its focus on
the tales of human struggle that lie almost concealed behind it. And
this makes it a film that is as much about the individual as it is about
the state.
Murali Gopy is a man I'm tremendously impressed with, and he seems to be
getting better with each film of his. It's almost impossible to
conclude if it's Murali the actor, or Murali the writer who bowled me
over in 'Left Right Left'. Perhaps the grittiness in his razor sharp
words that slice through your thoughts as a knife through a slab of
cheese, prompts me to hand over the honor of the day to Murali, the
writer. But the meticulousness with which he brings to Roy to life is
too painstaking to be left ignored, and his remarkable performance lands
the actor in him just a notch behind the writer.
Equally striking is Indrajith in the role of the vagrant cop who is
taken for a royal ride before being thrown into the puddles of life.
Hareesh Peradi is imposing as Sahadevan and without the flex of a muscle
flouts menace straight out of his flaring eyes or his clenched jaw.
Lena hurls another shocker at us, with her blast of a performance as
Anitha, while Remya Nambeesan affirms yet again that she has an immense
potential to deliver the goods. But the real rock star of 'Left Right
Left' is none other than Sethulakshmi, whose whopper feat could only
perhaps be acknowledged by a long, standing applause.
Shehnad Jalal, the man behind the camera keeps the gimmicks to the
minimum, and instead with his invigorating frames slings the dirt, sweat
and blood straight across our faces. Gopi Sunder's enchanting musical
score is remarkably put to use, skillfully adding to the coherence of
the narrative.
'Left Right Left' has a rare, melancholic poetic power that is magical
in more ways than one. It invites the audience to delve deep beneath the
rugged, craggy portrait of the society that we live in. A glorious tale
on perseverance, struggles and survival, 'Left Right Left' enters the
pantheon of must-see movies with grace.
