Motion pictures falling into the coming-of-age style, centred on the themes of rising up and maturation, typically incorporate a stage of romance—usually portraying the protagonist’s first romantic experiences. The younger protagonists in coming-of-age dramas are proven grappling with their one of many earliest life dilemmas or bear their first main awakening.
Daayam (Inheritance) belongs to this style, but it surely deviates from the standard narrative by exploring themes of ‘loss’ and grief as an alternative of counting on widespread tropes like teenage romance and humour. Daayam makes use of them as catalysts for the protagonist’s transition into maturity and her journey of dealing with new realities and realisations caused by the loss.
Directed by Prasanth Vijay, Daayam narrates the story of Kalyani (Aathira Rajeev), a young person whose life is upended by the sudden demise of her mom. Within the subsequent weeks, Kalyani grapples not solely with the grief but additionally confronts harsh realisations concerning the patriarchal and hypocritical nature of the society surrounding her.
Vijay, a self-taught filmmaker from Kerala, explored the same theme—disappearance of a guardian—in his debut characteristic movie The Summer season of Miracles (2017), too. Whereas the internationally-acclaimed movie used a younger boy as its protagonist to look at energy dynamics in interpersonal relationships, Daayam extends this exploration with a 17-year-old woman at its coronary heart.
The director attributes the genesis of the movie to author Indu Lakshmi’s private expertise of shedding her mom at a younger age. “The ache of these recollections, channelled into the script, turned the inspiration of the narrative. Having a feminine author has offered the movie with views that I may not have been in a position to discover in any other case.”
In Daayam, Vijay employs a deliberate, unhurried tempo to assemble the narrative. The strategic use of silence, pauses, and a minimalist setting successfully immerses the viewers in an environment of a “marippuveedu” (home in mourning) making an attempt to deal with loss. On a regular basis family chores, coupled with the tumult that arises when an inexperienced father and daughter try and handle them, function tropes to scrutinise how patriarchy operates inside the dwelling, tilting the steadiness in favour of males.
The movie delves into the ache of confronting the hypocrisy of an “idol”, unveiling the true nature of the character and the ensuing insecurity it instils within the teenager. In direction of the top, the viewers witnesses her resolution to not submit however to confront these challenges. Nonetheless, Daayam adopts a delicate strategy in encapsulating these themes, intertwining parts of casteism and misogyny, crafting a compelling narrative that invitations reflection.
Having had its world premiere on the MAMI Mumbai Movie Competition 2023, Daayam is at present featured on the Worldwide Movie Competition of Kerala. Aathira Rajeev delivers an excellent efficiency marked by distinctive display presence. Her capability to convey a spectrum of feelings with grace is noteworthy. Should you admire movies that delve into the dynamics of energy inside a family, Daayam is undoubtedly a film value watching.
Movie: Daayam
Language: Malayalam
Director: Prasanth Vijay
Solid: Aathira Rajeev and others
Score: 3/5