Melvilasom

Plot

The film traces the progress of a court martial of a Dalit soldier, Sawar Ramachandran (Parthiban), who has been accused of killing Capt. Verma and attempting to kill Capt. Kapoor (Krishna Kumar), while on guard duty. There are eyewitnesses who have noted that the incident happened in a fit of rage but are clueless about what actually transpired before Ramachandran used his weapon and even Ramachandran has pleaded guilty without being ready to disclose anything else. Prosecutor Capt. Ajay Suri (Nizhalgal Ravi) has every intention to set the noose hanging and ready for Ramachandran. From the outset, Captain Vikas Roy (Suresh Gopi), who defends the accused, is pessimistic about his chances of saving his client. But, still, he is bent on finding the truth behind the incident. And the truth is apparently an "eye opener" for the army as well as society.

Cast

Play

The film is based on the play of the same name that marked the theatre debut of Soorya Krishna Moorthy. It was staged for the first time at Gorky Bhavan in 2005. It became a major success, and has been staged at more than 400 stages around the world. The play was based on the Hindi play Court Martial (1991) by Swadesh Deepak. It was also inspired by real-life incidents narrated by Krishnamoorthy's mentor Gopi Poojapura, a former soldier in the Indian army. The film also gives credit to Court Martial and Gopi Poojapura.

Filming

The film was shot from in a single room at the University Men's Hostel in Thiruvananthapuram, in ten days.

Critical reception

The film received wide critical acclaim. Sify labelled the film a "welcome experiment in Malayalam". The film is described as "technically brilliant".Film director Madhav Ramadasan giving a good contribution as a dissimilar making style in Malayalam typical film making. This film appears a big blow in film making traditional line of attack in India and Kerala. In regard to performances, the critic praises Suresh Gopi saying he "is absolutely brilliant as Captain Vikas Roy and he scores with his amazing dialogue delivery." Parthiban is appreciated as "he gives subtle acting an altogether different meaning, even though his dialogues are limited to only a few minutes. His lines towards the end can leave you with a lump in the throat."

Nowrunning.com stated, "Melvilasom is a reflection of the staunch belief that a film maker has on his script. It displays a fine sensibility in whatever it has to say, and is peppered all over with real enthusiastic performances." The Hindu also published an extremely positive review stating, "the story is effectively told with well crafted dialogues and riveting performances by the main actors." Rediff rated the film and said, "Melvilasom is exciting as it experiments with new ways of storytelling. Melvilasom is the kind of film that leaves you happy for simply surpassing your expectations."

Awards

Film festival participation

Melvilasom got selected to the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), in Busan, South Korea. The Director was also presented with the 15th Gollapudi Srinivas National Award which is given for the best direction for a debut movie. It has also been selected to the Indian Panorama section of the 42nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), in Panaji, India, and Malayalam Cinema Today section of the International Film Festival of Kerala, in Thiruvananthapuram, India.