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Showing posts from July, 2021

Not exactly: Don Palathara responds to my views on Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam

The biblical context of   Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam   (Joyful Mysteries) is hard to miss. Even before the curtains rise (anachronistically speaking), the title evokes the nativity tale: the annunciation of divine conception by the angel to Maria, mother of Jesus. As the film rolls one is not disappointed - it’s a modern day tale of an unwed woman named Maria (Ah!), who tries to grapple with an impending life-churning announcement. Maria (Rima Kallingal) is on the way to the hospital to confirm her pregnancy. Her partner Jitu (Jitin Puthenchery), who drives the car, seems to be as uncertain as Maria about what’s in store. He’d rather read his phone chats than worry about the future while Maria obsessively dwells on it. (Spoiler Alert: The film is about to be discussed threadbare.) The camera, the unblinking eye, immovably fixed on to the dashboard, picks up the minutiae- the tensions, the dread, the teeny weeny facial expressions, while the complex questions of nurturing, ...