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Kumbalangi Nights is a heartwarming tale of four brothers that form a dysfunctional family. They are all outcasts abandoned by their only surviving parent and therefore, in a way rejected by everyone in the society. But as we see, in the end, dysfunctionality triumphs and real relationships- both romantic and filial- are what matter instead of farcical illusions of perfection.
Introduction
Movie Name: Kumbalangi Nights
Director’s Name: Madhu C Narayanan
Genre: Drama
Language: Malayalam
Synopsis
We follow Frankie the youngest sibling who studies at a boarding school and plays football. When vacation time arrives, Frankie is ashamed to invite his friends to his home and lies about everyone at home having chickenpox. We see him return to a dishevelled house by the river in a small hamlet outside of Kochi. Despite being the youngest, he is the most responsible and cooks and cleans for his brothers' yearning for some sense of belonging to a family.
The second youngest sibling is Bobby. He is aimless and carefree and constantly at odds with the eldest brother- Saji. They bicker constantly which almost always ends in a fierce physical fight. The last brother is Bonny who, on the night of their father’s remembrance day, comes and sees his brothers fight and leaves immediately. Perhaps, he is disappointed by them.
The film progresses smoothly with scenes that deftly establish the intricate relationship between the four siblings. One day, Bobby meets his former junior Baby through a friend. One thing leads to another and they fall in love. They are ready to get married.
The only obstacle in between is Baby’s brother-in-law, Shammy (played by the fantastic Fahadh Faasil) who being the patriarch of the family strongly disapproves of the union. According to him, Bobby is just an aimless, jobless fellow. He agrees to reconsider the proposal if Bobby gets a job which he does.
Meanwhile, when a sudden fight breaks out between Bonny and Saji, Saji takes to drinking with his business partner Vijay. Because of feeling humiliated, he tries to commit suicide. Vijay, while trying to save Saji, dies after the roof falls on him.
This is the turning point in the film for Saji who cannot even process this series of events. Haunted by remorse, he takes in Vijay’s wife and newborn child into his home. Bonny also brings a girl he’s dating- Nylah- into the house. This situation at home creates even more problems for Bobby who is conscious of his family’s reputation in front of Baby’s family.
When asked again about the proposal, Shammy brusquely and humiliatingly refuses. This prompts Bobby and Baby to come up with a plan to elope. However, Shammy gets wind of this and tries to talk to Baby in the middle of the night. The conversation quickly becomes an altercation as Baby firmly maintains her stance. Shammy starts acting strange by standing in the corner facing the wall for fifteen minutes.
While things become progressively worse at Baby’s house, Bobby worries about her because she doesn’t respond to any of his twenty-odd calls. Suspicious of the situation, all four brothers set out to Baby’s house to find that Shammy has gagged and tied up everyone in the house. After a long brawl, the four brothers manage to restrain him and free the women.
The film ends with Baby and Bobby getting married and everyone living harmoniously in a now decorated home of the four brothers.
About the Director
Madhu C Narayanan is an Indian film director, who works predominantly in the Malayalam movie industry. His debut movie Kumbalangi Nights received high critical acclaim for its realistic and poignant portrayal of a dysfunctional family
At the beginning of his Visual media career, Madhu C Narayanan collaborated with several Advertisement companies as an Associate. Madhu made his entry in feature films through
Analysis
The charm and heart of the film is the fractured relationship between the four brothers that turns into a warm bond by the end of it all. The condition of the house- messy at first and then decorated in the last scene- can be seen as the progression of the relationship between the brothers itself. They go from being crude to genuinely supportive of each other.
Of course, every character has their own arc and growth too. Saji goes from being an angry and frustrated man to a caring matriarchal figure for the family. Bobby goes from being aimless and shallow to someone capable of depth, vulnerability, and love.
There is an absolutely heartwrenching scene where Bobby truthfully tells Baby of complicated family history (two of the brothers aren’t related at all, some are half brothers) and how he feels abandoned while shedding a tear. Frankie and Bonny go from being ashamed and disappointed in their family to really being there for them and feeling a sense of belonging.
The most important theme in the film is the contrast between Shammy and the four brothers. Shammy is more of a concept. He represents toxic masculinity. He calls himself ‘the complete man’, laughs at men who cook, is obsessed with his ‘macho’ moustache, and cannot tolerate if someone does not listen to him. He is both laughable and really, really eerie. On the other hand, are the four brothers far away from any of this toxicity and more real.
In many ways, Shammy also represents the society – a society that loves the pretence of perfection but underneath is as ugly as it gets. This society cares too much about people’s status, their own reputation and other such meaningless things.
It hides its flaws and imperfections until a volcano of repressed emotions erupts (similar to Shammy trying to kill everyone at the end). Meanwhile, the reality is the dysfunctionality of the four brothers. Every relationship is somewhat dysfunctional and everyone would relate to these brothers. Even though they are mistreated and humiliated, they don’t hide anything and still have a heart of gold.
Conclusion
This film has a heartwarming depiction of the fragile relationships between siblings which will make you feel many emotions. It has lovely romance and the beauty of Kerala captured in vibrant colours. Need I say more?
My ratings for the film- 4 out of 5
You can watch this on Amazon Prime Video
Written By – Anika Sharma
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