“Natchathiram Nagargirathu” is a contemporary and experimental movie directed by celebrated Tamizh filmmaker Pa.Ranjith. It is contemporary in its representation of diverse characters and experimental in its quest to break the stereotypical take on love stories prevalent in the Tamizh cinema industry. The movie follows an independent Rene and her relationship with Iniya. Rene and Iniya are part of a theatre troupe, and the movie tells the story of their play on love. The movie showcases love on a spectrum: from sexuality to purity.
The film showcases how love is seen differently by society if it comes from a certain caste group or community, from same-sex couples and even independent women. The characters include bigots, radicals, musicians, theatre artists and especially lovers: the movie’s following of multiple threads in the storyline shows that humans, at the end of the day, do love. Love is controversial, and each character is defined by their love for their significant other and their beliefs on love. There are mentions of honour killing, "fake love" (an agenda to disregard love from specific communities), Brahminism, and the apparent purity of love and lovers. In a pivotal scene where the theatre artists have come together to decide their theme for their next big play, we see some insult certain caste groups for“seducing those from higher castes”, whereas some radically oppose this notion. The film is 3 hours long, with several discussions on love and, as Subier, the theatre master, puts it, "the origins of love" and how society explains and views love. Constant reminders and motifs throughout the film bring us back to the trueness of love. However, the audience is brought back to the reality of this trueness by showcasing the characters bringing in their political beliefs to love.
Rene, the film's female protagonist, is shown as a brazen, confident, and stubborn character who is righteous, defensive, and well-read. Another character who plays a similar line of thinking as Iniya, Arjun, seems to be the direct opposite of Rene; He is misogynistic, alienated, and unaware of his privileges. The play they put on in the film represents what the characters face in real life, almost blurring the lines between reality and the play. Arjun is confused by what the other characters do and think and is most confused about Rene. He is unaware of the oppression people around him face and makes rude and snarky comments. He faces significant character growth, but the stark contrast between these roles represents the society around us. These characters are moulded by what they learn, and in turn, they realise how innate castest behaviour has been placed inside them and discover ways to unlearn that line of thinking.
Spoilers ahead:
The play is enacted several times in the movie and is complete at the end when a masked villain appears. He is seemingly hired to ruin the play, and it is unclear by whom. While watching this movie for the first time, I did not understand the sudden and abrupt entrance of the villain, but I only understood his entrance after watching it for the third time. He appears in a mask and formal clothes for the first time and comes in a full costume to the last act. The play is being presented in public for the first time. The movie's audience is not aware of the ending of the play. However, we know that the ending is perpetuated by a character in the movie (the masked villain) who then sets out on the stage and physically abuses the actors. The brilliance of this movie is that this masked villain finishes the play's storyline when the injured actors attack him.
"Natchathiram Nagargiradhu" is a movie that utilises form to bring in caste and politics and question something as important yet trivial as love. Although some dialogues can be childish and prudent, the movie has captured form to explain love and its estrangement from reality. It has given the cinema industry a version of a movie-within-a-play-within-a-play. An excellent recommendation, I would say, to bring in a pinch of politics for your upcoming date.
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