Kumbalangi Nights: A deeply layered portrayal of life

Kumbalangi Nights is a heart-warming tale of four brothers living in the fishing village of Kumbalangi, Kochi. The film narrates the story of four brothers who share a love and hate relationship until the circumstances bring them closer and heal the wounds of the past. The film tackles the themes of hypermasculinity, familial issues, class divide, patriarchy and true love. The film marks the debut of the director Madhu C. Narayan and boasts of a talented cast of Fahad Faasil, Soubhin Shahir, Shane Nigam, Shreenath Bhasi, Anna Ben and Matthew Thomas.

The film focuses on the four brothers Saji (Soubhin Shahir), Bonny (Shreenath Bhasi), Bobby (Shane Nigam) and Franky (Matthew Thomas) who live in a dysfunctional house and share an unusual relationship of animosity and constant scuffle amongst themselves. The story of the four brothers converges with the family of Baby (Anna Ben) when she falls in love with Bobby. Baby lives in the same neighborhood with her mother, sister and her eccentric and terrifying brother-in-law Shammy (Fahad Faasil).

The film feels like an in-depth character study of the respective characters as we oversee their lives and witness their metamorphosis as they learn the importance of family and healing with their help. We also see the vulnerabilities of the characters which make them the humans they are. On one hand, we see Saji (eldest brother) who takes advantage of his Tamilian friend by putting up a farce of working in a partnership all while he acts as a parasite and using up the resources which should be shared. At home, Saji enforces himself on his brothers and act as the man of the house and sees nothing wrong in his methods or his ideals. But when he realizes how far his hypermasculinity and ignorance towards others can take him, he decides to take medical help and try to heal with the help of his family. Bonny, who has left his home and found family with his dance groups loathes the sight of his brothers Saji and Bobby who are always fighting and make their house a living hell. He also finds how the power of love can heal old wounds and make way for a new beginning as he finds love in the foreigner (Nylah) and regains faith in his family.

Bobby is the one whose actions result in resolving the turmoil; that is the relationship of the brothers and the house. His love story with Baby starts as a fling but develops into a serious relationship for which Bobby can go to the limits of finding a job for himself, something he felt was not respectable. We see the development of his character through the eyes of Baby and his brothers as he develops into a compassionate man, who loves his family and tries to overcome the burdens and hardships in his life. Franky is the youngest of all the brothers but appears to be most mature and level headed, his actions appear to be that of a boy mature beyond his age and knows what he wants; the love of his mother and a proper family.

But the most interesting character that we see is that of Shammy, a deeply layered character whose hypermasculinity or mental health issues can be seen from the very first frame through his demeanor and his antics. We see him trying to put the women of the house in their place and put down anyone who questions his masculinity or his qualifications. While we see Saji trying to take help when he realizes how his condition has worsened and he is moving towards insanity, Shammy is the complete opposite who tries to suppress his underlying mental issues with his make-believe attitude of the perfect man; the hero.

The film also tackles the underlying theme of the class divide as Shammy does not consider Bobby's family to be on par with theirs. He sees them as economically and socially weaker. This issue of class divide is poetically handled by the director who caps it off when Saji, Bonny and Franky use a fish net, a symbol of the working-class to capture the beast; Shammy, who belongs to the so-called upper cast. Throughout the film, we see the portrayal of women who are strong and brave. Both Baby and Nylah (Bonny’s love interest) does not bow down to Shammy, Bobby or anyone else and clearly stand up to the age-old patriarchal system which portrays men as gods who should be worshipped.

The film is deeply layered with both, its storytelling and its imagery. The imagery used in the film not only showcases the beauty of Kumbalangi but connotes a deeper meaning as we see how the director cleverly uses a cactus to represent the lives of the brothers which is laden with thorns but starts to bloom into flowers as women enter their lives and their household. The image of a football helplessly lying in the middle of the river showcases the life of Franky who feels helpless in the house and that of all four brothers who are stuck with their reputation in the village. The scene where Saji brings his friend's wife at his home to help her clearly acts as a parallel with that of Mother Mary who is holding Lord Jesus, who will bring joy and change in the world; lives of the four brothers.

The film is a deeply layered moving tale of four brothers and their journey from hating each other to standing up and act as a family when in need. It also outlines the process of healing and helping others to heal and explore themselves in the process. Kumbalangi Nights emerge as a masterpiece that will be talked about in the coming years due to its breath-taking visuals, somber music, layered storytelling and nuanced performances.

Written by:

Moksh Jindal

---

For more interesting content check out our Instagram page @cinema.explorer