A tale of two halves is what I would classify Balan: The Boy as. The first half which left me quite in awe and the second which left me a bit confused and disappointed as I sat in the theatre even after everyone left.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a fabulous movie to watch, granted you like watching the artistic side of the medium of expression. But the fact that it took the non-conventional route in the first half only to circle back to a more conventional route in the second was what left me disappointed, with the small plot holes making me confused.
Two themes stand out in this movie for me, Love and Impressions.
First, I have always stood by my definition of love to mean one thing at its core – Unconditional Care. That is what is shown by the mother here, played by an absolutely magnificent debutant Farzana Palathingal, albeit the methods by which it is conveyed border on or is unethical. But given the position the mother was in (intentionally calling her the mother here since the identity was kept fluid throughout), the actions are justified for her.
Second, it is quite fascinating to see how much a young child can grasp and recreate from the impressions made from an early age. The younger version of the Boy, played by a starry eyed Adisheshan, expresses a lot, not through his words, but through his eyes and demeanour. The fact that he picks up on social cues and portrays the intelligence required in different contexts almost instantly, was just reinforcing the fact that children are as smart as any of us are, if not more, in such situations.
The journey that these two take covers a lot of emotions: the joy of being together – just the two of them, the loneliness of separation, the anger it brings, the persistence of holding on and making it through and so much more. Chidambaram has an innate sense of bringing out these emotions through his lens (Though I wasn’t a big fan of Manjummel Boys, the reason it worked for many was the portrayal of these emotions). To that, Shyju Khalid has complemented his vision through his frames from heaven. Music is typical Sushin Shyam, with “Thakkol” being a nostalgic yet hauntingly powerful score.
Quite notable supporting performances as well with Dolly June taking the cake for me over Tovino. Portraying the character of the old woman with such aplomb just added that much more of an oomph factor to the movie. Tovino seems to be enjoying the different styles of characters that he’s being made to do and that shows here.
The second half is where this film loses some of its sheen. I somehow did not feel that gripping sensation like it did in the first half. Perhaps the route it came back to just did not sit right with me. Performances were still class and the cast has given their best with whatever they were tasked to do. But I felt the story could’ve gone another way, carrying on the unconventional route it took in the first place.
All said and done, Balan : The Boy wanted to focus on two things, how far a mother will go for her child and how wonderfully a child’s mind works, all in a setting that would challenge even the toughest soul out there. It strikes us in ways more than one, with the line – “Ethra vaikiyalum, Amma varum.“ (No matter how late it gets, Amma will come) – striking right at our core. Perhaps that is what Chidambaram wanted to do with this movie, perhaps it was something else altogether, who knows.
Rating – 3.75/5