Zakariya Muhammed became one of those filmmakers I really like, with his first venture Sudani from Nigeria itself, although I overlooked how in the movie, the director ignored the inherent racism of our people in the quest to create a too good positive narrative. Halal Love Story is another such beautiful slice-of-life story, which had the potential to be a feel-good yet thought-provoking tale of a group of people from the Malabar region of Kerala. The decision of the creators to play it "safe" just as in the story of the movie unfortunately did affect the potential of the movie to be a memorable one.
Frustrated by the 2011 terrorist attack in the USA and the consecutive
intolerance towards the Muslim religion and also the fact, there aren’t enough “halal”
movies (morally and ethically acceptable movies) to watch, the group decides to
create a home-grown television film, with "better" representation. How they
manage to fulfill their passion project, amidst being restricted by the conservativeness of the community and financial constraints form the crux of
the movie.
It’s beautiful to see how the storytelling of the duo, Zakariya and Muhsin Parari (who also worked together to create Sudani from Nigeria) along with co-writer Ashif Kakkodi, this time also recreate the magic of bringing in the reality aspect of the characters and their surroundings on point. Another interesting aspect of the movie was the many nuances included to subtly express the kind of politics, we all need to be reminded of. The sleek and on-point remarks made throughout the movie, do hit the right spots. Two common villagers wondering why the film crew stands in silence and later assuming that the national anthem might be going on, while in reality, the process of ambiance capture for sound sync was happening, is one of the best comments on the whole fiasco I have seen, after the iconic scene from Dileesh Pothan’s brilliance “Maheshinte Prathikaram”. A lawyer character’s brief dialogue, “Do you think anyone can win a case by just by telling the truth?” and the conviction of normalcy with which Navas Vallikunnu delivers the line is a brilliant slap, given with utmost love to all our collective conscience and the existing system. It is although sad that these efforts got reduced to few one-liners than portraying any perceivable change in the character arc of its protagonists.
Zakariya proved his caliber of bringing together brilliant performers who left a lasting impression in the hearts of audience in his first film; remember the adorable sisters Jameela and Beeyumma played by the wonderfully lovable, Savithri Sreedharan and Sarasa Balussery? The same effort has amplified the beautiful storytelling in this movie too, when an ensemble cast, of talented actors, are brought together to play lead roles and some even cameo appearances. Each of them ensured to give us impressionable and organic performances with what was given to them, not just the main characters but even to an extent that you can look out for the expressions of the character Aslam (I couldn’t find out his real name) and his team, who runs around the village to control background noises. Halal Love Story is a good example of how intensely funny, natural incidents and aspects of characters can be and how to write and execute jokes from the same with sensitivity. The perplexed exchanges between characters, Rahim Sahib and Thoufeeq while searching couples from the village for casting, few minutes of laugh riot set ablaze by a hilarious Soubin Shahir and the innocent expressions of various characters throughout, forming naturally funny sequences, all will make you laugh out loud in real. Look out for the really funny scenes of bizarre complications that arise out of the conservative mentality of the community or Abhiram Pothuval having a taste of the herbal trip or the scene where Sharafudeen casually tries to hide his horror after being shout at unintentionally by Joju’s character.
If I start to write about impactful performances, this write-up will never end as each and everyone performed so organically along with the narrative, although few special mentions are unavoidable. Starting with the woman who will keep you captivated throughout her performance, Grace Antony. The same woman who became everyone’s favorite Simi, with a stark climax dialogue in Kumbalangi Nights, gets more to work with, as Suhra and she excels remarkably.
This leads to our next star, Indrajith
Sukumaran, who effortlessly portrays the role of a typically conditioned man,
blinded by his privilege yet with enough soft corner to better himself. His
love for art particularly acting or let’s say over-acting, which could have
been easily a caricaturish portrayal if done by anyone else, Indrajith handles
the role without any overdoing. I wish the creators gave his character a little bit more of a narrative with depth.
While both the leading actors playing a couple competes in terms of performances individually, the chemistry and the conflicts between Grace and Indrajith are also well captured in the film. A touching discussion about a past grievance or an achingly funny discussion about a hug, are few examples of the same.
Joju George is so naturally talented and versatile that he shines every time he is on screen as Siraj, the director of the film project. Look out for a scene where his expressions will make you crumble down with him, in response to a very heart-breaking remark. His performance in each film proves the point that he is a criminally underrated actor in the industry.
Sharafudeen continues to positively
and steadily evolve as an amazing performer with each film. His scenes with the
Rahim Sahib, the wise muse of the group played effectively by Nazar Karutheny feels
genuine and funny. One of Rahim Sahib’s interactions with Suhra to understand a
core conflict is also so touching to watch.
Parvathy Thiruvothu in the cameo appearance does full justice to the role of an acting coach where she supports the actors to shed their inhibitions and use art as a medium to express their feelings. So does the cameo appearance by Mamukkoya as Abukka, steals one of the best scenes of the film, a discussion on capitalism and the hypocritical nature, humans tend to take based on circumstantial biases.
With all these positive aspects,
I wish I hadn’t had to say this, but the movie is not without its flaws.
Malayalam movies in general need to go a long way ahead in creatively progressing
a conflict and finding a proper resolution to the same. Many conflicts and
subplots generated throughout the story are either left to the audiences’ imagination
or given a hasty conclusion. The strong performances by the cast do hold the
narrative together but after the movie, few questions might puzzle you. Also treading too carefully when it comes to sensitive issues of conservatism within religions, does take out the emotions and convictions the creators probably wanted the audiences to feel. It's a fact that like in the first venture, the director doesn't ignore nor does he romanticizes the conservatism in this one, yet he doesn't openly criticize any of those blatantly regressive aspects either, except for the sarcastic remarks. It kind of felt like very subtle deceptiveness on a second watch carefully packed under sarcasm and organic performances.
In conclusion, Halal Love Story
is a good one-time watch and it is so heartening to witness, talented people, coming together on and off-screen for such amazing collaborations, keeping
their egos aside and giving art, the utmost importance. While the older
generation of actors in the Malayalam industry, seems to be on the wrong side
of everything possible currently, the younger generation seems to be following their
own paths of genuine creativity. Cheers to the hope that the future of the
industry will be safe and better, in their hands.
