When the character posters for Prithviraj starrer Theerppu were released via the actor’s social media handles a week ago, a meme fest erupted in the Malayalam internet space. Is this a meeting of the Nair Service Society, many pondered, as posters featuring Indrajith Sukumaran as Kalyan ‘Menon’, Hannah Reji Koshi as Prabha ‘Nair’, Vijay Babu as Ram Kumar ‘Nair’, Sreekanth Murali as simply a ‘Nair’, and Shaju Sreedhar as ‘Menon’, all came out one after another. Right on track came the posters featuring Saiju Kurup as Parameshwaran ‘Potty’, which denotes another Upper Caste surname like Nair, and Prithviraj as Abdulla ‘Marakkar’ — a Muslim for a change, but an ‘elite’ one nonetheless.
However, Theerppu makes one thing clear early on. This Nair-Menon overplay is no ‘Priyadarshan lite’ (his films well-known for lining up UC characters) move by Murali Gopy, who wrote the script for the film. Rather, it is an on-the-nose hint towards the several socio-political subtexts the script carries. The surnames, among many other symbols peppered throughout the movie, are basically screaming out, “Hey! In case you did not yet understand that this film is a metaphor for contemporary Hindutva politics and the systemic erasure of Islamic legacy, please notice us.”
Ranging from gunshots on ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s spectacles’ and ‘Safdar Hashmi’s pen’ to a one-liner comparison between Adolf Hitler’s speeches to that of “our bhaiyo aur behno”, copious amounts of such symbolisms and references, sometimes bordering on overindulgent, can be spotted in the film. In this manner, similar to director Rathish Ambat’s previous collaboration with Murali Gopy, Theerppu becomes a commentary on revisionist history and political appropriation, with no points for subtlety.
On its most superficial level though, Theerppu is a story of four childhood friends — one of them haunted by a traumatic childhood, caused due to an act of treason committed by fathers of his friends. As they come together years later (not everyone is welcome) and recount their past, the one who bore the brunt wants to arrive at a theerppu (judgement) — shouldn’t the one who reaped the benefits receive a punishment?
Unfortunately, it is at this level that the film is most ineffective. Aided by the backdrop of an extravagant beachside resort, cinematographer Sunil KS makes sure to turn Theerppu into a visual treat. The art design is also grand. But the loud settings and overt focus on theatrics constantly take viewers away from the story, lending little depth to the pain of the protagonist. At one point, the film makes a sudden shift in genre from revenge drama to black humour, which helps it gather some steam (especially with the entry of Indrajith’s Kalyan), only to close with a disappointing climax act.
Prithviraj is charming as Abdulla, but often inconsistent in his tone. In one moment, he is drunk as a skunk, unable to walk a straight line, and in another he is delivering lengthy mass dialogues without a hiccup, hitting ‘sixes’ with acuity. Indrajith shoulders the final portions of the film with his balanced act as a crafty police officer with a sense of humour. As Ram Kumar Nair — an entitled, rapacious and womanising Monson Mavunkal knock-off, actor-producer Vijay Babu is, well, fitting. Saiju Kurup is effective in the role of Potty, a rather simple man, the ‘centrist’ of the lot, who becomes a source of comic relief for Ram due to his ‘naivety’. The two women characters — Prabha and Isha Talwar’s Mythili as the ‘wives’ — do not have much to do than be spectators in the background.
Theerppu has a lot to offer ‘between’ the lines, in political and metaphorical terms. Unfortunately, the lines themselves have little solid to offer.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.