Review - Abu, Son of Adam

Pretty Pictures and Endearing Characters Do Not An Engaging Film Make...

In an impulsive attempt to get out of a mid week funk, I decided to watch Abu, Son of Adam, which opened the South Asian International Film Festival yesterday. This lack of planning enabled me to enjoy what has become a rare experience; watching a movie without knowing anything about it. So in I went to watch this multi national award winning film with an open mind and no preconceived notions. I came out of the cinema impressed by the stunning visuals and painstakingly crafted characters, but quite underwhelmed by the weak, one dimensional plotline.

Story:

Abu, Son of Adam revolves around the lives of the two central characters, Abu (National Award winning Salim Kumar) and his wife who he lovingly calls Aisu (Zarina Wahab). The couple lives very modestly in a small village close to Kozhikode in Kerala, but their unquestioning, disciplined practice of Islam and quiet love for each other keep them happy. The only things that they seem to crave for are the return of their son (who abandoned them for Dubai a few years ago) and a chance to do the Hajj pilgrimage. The first desire is a futile one; the second a distant dream. Sensing that this is one of their last opportunities to fulfill this lifelong ambition, though, the couple decides to try to do the Hajj. What follows is Abu and Aisu tapping into all their resources, material and otherwise, to satisfy the requirements of the travel agency and be able to achieve this dream of a lifetime.

Review:

The cast of Abu has more than enough acting prowess to pull off their roles comfortably. They fall easily into character and blend well into the stunning backgrounds. Salim Kumar deftly portrays sadness, fear, confusion, and even mischief through his twinkling eyes. The only jarring issue with his performance is that his physique appears much younger than his mannerisms (the character is supposed to be in his 70s, and Kumar is only in his 40s) which threw me off a little at first, but was ignorable after a bit. Zarina Wahab, a seasoned pro, is at first assigned to a fairly dull role, but soon lights up the screen with a few moments of cinematic magic as Abu's loyal, loving wife.

Abu succeeds in portraying a peek into what life is like in the lusciously green, slow moving, religiously diverse, modest but content countryside of Kerala. This is not the Kerala from the familiar 'God's own country' ad campaign; there are no backwaters or Kathakali dancers. It's instead a snapshot of rural Kerala that is beautiful, but in an unassuming, untouched way. Cinematographer Madhu Ambat frames his scenes against breathtaking sunsets and along narrow roads bordered by dense forestation. (Here I have to put in a special mention for the opening sequence of the film that is a slow montage of various seemingly mundane household items that gain significance through the course of the movie.)

This sense of pristine, innocent beauty is conveyed through the characters too, all of whom are honest, hardworking people who lend a hand to each other when in need. In fact, this depiction of a model village with no semblance of vice, is perfect to the point of harming the storyline. Overly virtuous characters make for poor climaxes. And therein lies the problem with this movie. You're left sighing at a beautiful film, but yawning at a story so blemish free that it doesn't even move you.

In the post movie Q&A, someone asked Mukesh (who plays a small role as Abu's spiritual guru) if the movie had any ties to reality. He responded that the director had indeed grown up in a small village and knew of an old man who had tried relentlessly to make the Hajj pilgrimage. "Did he make it?", asked the audience member. "No", responded Mukesh, and the audience hushed silently. Now, if only this movie had been able to elicit the pathos generated by that one syllable...

Rating: