Care of Kancharapalem

I walked into #CareOfKancharapalem with high expectations. The film doesn’t shoot out of the stable at lightning speed. Rather it ambles slowly, taking us through the narrow lanes of Kancharapalayem and the people who habit those lanes. There’s a lot of heart in the writing of #CoKancharapalem’s writing. I was merely fascinated at the start, by the sleepy little village and the unusual protagonist we get in Raju. But the village slowly charms you with its honesty and innocence. It’s the writing that enamours you even when the performances have an rehearsed air to it.

We get four love stories between people from different walks of life — but there’s a connecting thread. All these stories don’t let the women what they want to do; all of them have their run-ins with faith and religion. It’s a piece-meal story that evolves beautifully, with the climax being one of the best of recent times. In the opening stretch, a lady opens four small window doors, leaving us with a frame of a grill-less grid. The film’s story unravels in a similar way. And the view from the window at last, is poignantly beautiful. And that title, couldn’t have been better.

There are so many things I loved. I noticed that women were predominantly doing household chores at the start, but we get to see that these women have a character, and also a sense of smartness. When one story begins with the man saying ‘I fell in love with her even though I’ve only seen her eyes’, I was skeptical. But how that relationship evolves is one of the best narratives in the recent past. It subverts several stereotypes, and the proposal scene is the cutest ever. The ‘progressiveness’ in Kancharapalem is quiet, and very organic; the way it should be. However, I wish it had sidestepped the ‘gay’ comments, even though they weren’t potshots at the community per se.

I’m leaving you all with my favourite line from the film, “I don’t believe in God. I believe in people. They have done more for than any God has”. When the film ends, you will know how true this line rings. Don’t miss this one.