Farhana Review: Bold and taut!

FARHANA

Director: Nelson Venkateshan

Cast: Aishwarya Rajesh, Selvaraghavan, Aishwarya Dutt, Jithan Ramesh and Kitty Raja Krishnamoorthy

Platform of Release: Theatres

Rating:

By Jyothi Venkatesh

At a time when a film like The Kerala Story is making waves, renowned filmmaker Nelson Venkateshan comes up with a story that introduces us to Farhana (Aishwarya Rajesh), a devout Muslim woman, whose family struggles to sustain their small footwear business and in dire circumstances, religious Farhana, with her family’s consent, decides to join a call centre, though her father doesn’t believe in women working outside the home.

Though handicapped with her infant kid’s critical health condition, the devout and traditional Farhana, who has the staunch support in every way from her jobless husband (Jithan Ramesh) who is a progressive Muslim guy unlike his staunch Islamic father transitions herself to a different team in the all centre that promises better incentives.

Farhana discovers that her new agenda as part of her duty entails engaging with lonely, pervert as well as sexually driven strangers on a daily basis. Things take a very different U turn when she encounters a unique individual (Selvaraghavan) who captivates Farhana with his approach. However, their decision to meet, disregarding her family background and company protocols, gives rise to greater trouble in Farhana’s traditional life almost scaring her of death, like, it happens to a colleague of hers who is killed.

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Though the offbeat film is quite bold and taut as far as its treatment is concerned, The viewer is bound to be confused as I was for instance when this swift initiative on her part to meet a total male stranger despite her religious reservations feels less convincing and does not manage to convince him logically. Though the conflict in the initial sequences is genuinely engaging, and is complemented by sensible writing, you will feel let down.

As far as the performances are concerned, I should say that Aishwarya Rajesh effortlessly embodies the character of Farhana and succeeds in enriching the script with her portrayal of a devout Muslim woman who grapples with unusual struggles and hardships to give her family consisting of her jobless husband, religious father and their infant.

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The character of Jithan Ramesh, who portrays Aishwarya Rajesh’s husband Karim, is well-etched as a progressive Muslim man with his own insecurities, and Jithan delivers a commendable performance, though his role has its own limitations footage wise. The best thing about the director is that he does not attempt to pass judgement on people who use these facilities, nor does it vilify those who work in such companies. Kitty Rajam Krishnamoorthy lives his character as the father. It is very rare that we get to see a mainstream movie with an empowered Muslim woman character in times of virulent Hindutva politics and hence do not miss catching a glimpse of this different film.