Kayattam (A’hr) [Malayalam]
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s new film A’hr (Kayattam) is one of the strangest entries at IFFK 2021. However, it is decipherable somewhat. Co-produced by and starring Manju Warrier, the film has the actor playing someone whose mystery remains hidden even after the end credits roll, and that’s easily the best part of this experimental film.
One wonders if the mythical connotations wouldn’t have been obvious enough had the makers not given a hint as to the nature of ‘Maya’, the protagonist, in the opening crawl. We also get clues about the character through songs by an indigenous group. Though some of these songs test our patience, the placement of the others makes perfect sense.