Kazhcha: Worth A Million Looks

I recently had the good fortune to see probably one of the best movies I have seen in recent past. The movie is called "Kazcha" (meaning Sight). It is a Malayalam movie starring Mammootty. This is a 2004 movie which I hear was a success in Kerala. But all that is irrelevant. It is the story of a man who makes a living showing roadshows of movies around a small town in Kerala. He stumbles upon a little boy who somehow lands in Kerala after the earthquake in Gujrat 2002. He is become a streetside urchin and is found by the character of Mammootty. Both of them do not speak in langugages each can understand (the boy speaks in Kutch and Mammootty speaks in Malayalam) too but develop a bond after the boy rescues Mammootty's daughter from drowning. He becomes a part of the family but beauracracy intervenes and he is to be sent back to Gujrat. What follows is the search for his parents and the heartbreaking conclusion. That is the story part.

Although this movie is on the surface about the relationship between the boy and , it is a thinly veiled attack on the corrupt system in our society. One gem of a scene involves Mammootty and his family visiting the boy in the government hospital, they have to wade through a narrow alley in hospital of hazardous substances thrown. Mammootty's daughter even complaints about the stench. Other than that they don't mention too much about the horrendous conditions in the government hospital but is there for all to see.

It has been a long time since I have seen a movie that works well on so many levels. It is also one of the most beautiful looking movie that has come in sometime. It is well acted by all the lead and supporting actors. There are minor quibles I have about the movie, like the opening sequences (the editing and sound was a bit jarring) and of course the songs which I feel are not necessary for a movie like this (the songs by themselves were pretty good). But then again, these are minor quibles.

The film's director is Blessy. I hope to see more of his work in the future (his latest movie "Thanmatra" is about an alzheimer's patient). I had been disillusioned that new movies these days (and I mean all languages) that I really like and could identify with. Finally, I have found one that did.