Rachiyamma – Short Movie Review

“Rachiyamma” is the second story in the three-story anthology film- Aanum Pennum released on Amazon Prime on the 30th of June 2021.

Review written on the 7th of July 2021 by Dr. Anoop Prathapan.

One of the movies in an anthology – directed and cinematographed to perfection by ace cinematographer/director Venu – starring the most prodigious female actor in Malayalam Cinema – Parvathy Thiruvothu – the movie was superb in every aspect of its making and content. The word superb would describe only a minuscule of what is actually there in the less than 35-minute narrative.

It is the story of a tough, fearless, and independent village milk vendor, Rachiyamma, who meets a young man Kuttikrishnan (played by Asif Ali). Kuttikrishnan had come down to her place with a new job. She develops a liking for him and takes care of him when he is sick. She does it with exceptional love and tenderness, but in her characteristic dominating style. She loves him truly and deeply, However, he leaves her due to what is portrayed on screen as her sexual orthodoxy. He soon gets married to another woman and eventually fathers a child. Later when he visits the same village again on the death of his earlier employer, he visits Rachiyamma again. That is when he realizes that Rachiyamma loved him, had been waiting for him, and later when she heard that he married, she put all her savings in a bank account favouring his daughter and continued living alone. Kuttikrishnan leaves the house heartbroken, leaving Rachiyamma in her solitude.

Rachiyamma loved him and wanted to have him by her side but when she realised she could not achieve that, she did not stray and find another man to replace him. She lived the rest of her life with the pleasant memories of her emotional bond with Kuttikrishnan.

A portrayal of true love that might have been possible during the time when Uroob penned this short story, but not in 2021 when finding the earliest available safest replacement is the prevailing norm, if a relationship does not work out.

Parvathy Thiruvothu essayed the role of Rachiyamma as narrated in the original story by Uroob. I just do not care if Rachiyamma as described in the original story was fair or dark, nor am I interested even one bit in the ensuing controversies initiated by dumbheads. Parvathy has yet another time proved that she is an actor with brains and that she is here to stay. I am stunned by the effortless chameleon-like-ease with which Parvathy transforms from the tough woman to the subdued. She made Rachiyamma look, sound and feel so believable. The way Parvathy delivers each dialogue in a peculiar Malayalam accent heavily influenced by Kannada from Rachiyamma's hometown Mysore, is so perfect that one could watch the movie again to just listen to Rachiyamma - if not for anything else. Parvathy truly deserves National acclaim for this fantastic performance.

Asif Ali is okay in his role. The technical aspects are all above average. Subtitles were good..

This is the best story in the anthology. Please do not miss it.

My rating 9/10

© 2021, Dr. Anoop Prathapan

anoop.prathapan@gmail.com