This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
Mathukutty leaves home when he is being pressured to get married. He knows that he has been born in a wrong body and goes for sex change operation to become Marykutty. The problems and predujice just begin when she moves back to her native town. Disowned by family, the town parish priest gives her all the support. She is determined to become a sub Inspector and joins a coaching institute to prepare for the exam. In between, with the help of priest she also works as a Radio Jockey hosting a popular show "Hapiness Hour". A lot of the film is focussed on how she is most mistreated by the local police authorities and she continues to be strong and determined to pursue her dreams despite all the obstacles that are thrown to her face in the shadow of bureaucracy. Eventually with the support of local District Collector, 2-3 of her closest friends and well wishers, Marykutty eventually succeeds in making her parents proud of her achievement.
When a man plays the role of a female, it is so easy to cross the line of making it weird and vulgar but the grace with which actor Jayasurya plays Marykutty as a man is truly marvelous. his portrayal is relatable and every action is just real. Even all the reactions and emotions are done with a poise. The film truly stands on its own strictly because of the lead actor's performance. I liked the fact that the character is not shown weak or feeble. Instead she is determined, even though she is sensitive as a person. She is ready to fight for her rights. For her, making her dream a reality is more important — like she says, “It’s not a lost cause. We can always fight till we actually lose.” Having said this, even though the subject and treatment is done with respect, this film could have done something lot more. The film is a bit high on melodrama and that could be toned down a bit. The film could have used more conflict and avoided cliche of the sister asking Mary to not come to her wedding. Make this film a bit crisp, reduce some of the melodrama and this film could have had the potential tom make a huge difference in the way much of Indian society perceives and treats transgendered people.
This film educates you and sensitizes you towards the prejudices faced by transgendered community in India. We all definitely need to be more sensitive and educate ourselves on the subject. (6/10)
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