Picture this: you’re mindlessly scrolling through your social media feed when suddenly, a video of an elderly couple finding joy in small moments like holding hands as they walk or leaning on each other’s shoulders pops up. Next thing you know, you’re smiling or even wiping away a tear or two. That’s the effect Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu has throughout its slightly over 100-minute runtime.
Gouri Teacher (Leela Samson) is an old-age home resident who feels unwanted by her uninterested son. Apart from his intermittent visits, she has nothing to look forward to in life until Shivan (Jayarajan Kozhikode), the retirement home’s caretaker, invites her into his house and by extension, his life.
Isolation and companionship are some of the many themes Abijith Asokan the writer, director and producer of the film touches upon while spinning a heartwarming tale of two elderly people choosing to spend their sunset years with each other. One is a teacher from an educated background who seems to have come down the ladder for some reason; the other is an illiterate farmer. But all these are mere details right now because what matters most is that they’re both lonely.
Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu wears its progressiveness on its sleeve but doesn’t slap it on your face. Both Shivan and Gouri are children of their times; so it only makes sense when Shivan proposes to Gouri by saying “I’d love to have someone make tea for him”. Similarly, after being caged up at a retirement home for over three years, Gouri can’t wait to play housewife again. She moves in with him and happily cooks for Sivan while he sweats it out on his farm.
The film is packed with such lovely moments that celebrate love in all its glory. In one quick shot, you see Gouri checking if Shivan ate the food she packed for him and realizing his love for spicy dishes. Their intimacy buds like that of any other newly-married couple and composer Govind Vasantha enhances these sweet moments with his soulful music.
Generally in films about old-age romance, it’s almost a rule to show at least one of them having had a terrible past relationship. But in Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu, both Gouri and Shivan were madly in love with their previous partners and still hold them dear even after death. They don’t shy away from talking about their pasts or cherishing those memories. And at the same time, they embrace the present their beautiful, respectful relationship.
Besides the lead pair, there are some interesting characters too like Sudhi (played by Noby Marcose). There’s a recurring joke in the film about him not being able to find a match but he’s not just reduced to being a comedy sidekick. He is everyone’s go-to-guy for everything in this close-knit community. In fact, almost every inhabitant of Ezhumanthuruthu village is shown as warm-hearted people who are always welcoming and never judgemental when it comes to Shivan and Gouri teacher’s unconventional union.
Abijith’s piercing reality is at home in what might seem like an overly idealistic setting. For instance, when Sivan mentions offhandedly that he has never been called ‘sir’ in his life and mistakenly thinks such respectful address was reserved for good-looking people only, everything falls into place. Jayarajan Kozhikode sells Shivan’s naivety and genuineness well enough; there is a certain ease about the performance – from dialogue delivery down to body language. On the other hand, Leela Samson doesn’t flow as much with her portrayal of Gouri – it comes across mechanical on few occasions if not graceful all throughout. Maybe it could be an unfamiliar terrain and language that had/has affected her acting abilities.
Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu is Malayalam film industry’s answer to M.T Vasudevan Nair’s Oru Cheru Punchiri (1969). The warmth, comfort and hope are all here too; it gives you those exact feelings.
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