*spoilers on the movie Kappela ahead* I wanted my first blog to be more pertaining to the present status of the world , but this movie I watched has been haunting me for days now. If you haven't watched the Malayalam movie 'Kappela' stop reading this blog there are spoilers ahead. This isn't a review, but the thoughts or discussions the movie sparked. Kappela is, by far, the best movie I have seen this year. This simple movie shows the intricacies involved in the perplexing nature of love in a subtle manner. Very few movies have ventured into the possibility that the protagonist (girl or boy) can fall in love with the wrong person. Kappela boldly takes it's viewers on a nail biting ride despite not being a thriller. It's realistic approach to people making wrong judgements is the beauty of the film. The first half shows the main two actors Anna Ben and Roshan Mathew falling in love. Both the young actors are really promising and brave enough to experiment with their roles. They are definitely the cream of the crop of new actors entering Malayalam cinema. The moment Sreenath Bhasi enters the scene, the movie takes a 360 degree turn. And then, Sreenath Bhasi walks away with the film. He absolutely surpassed all expectations and proved that no matter how small the role is, there is a reason why he is in all the good movies like North 24 Kaatham, Kumbalangi nights etc. Roshan Mathew too delivers. At first, we fall in love with him and then when the movie plot changes, we start hating him. Only a good actor can evoke these emotions in us. Here, the story plays an important role too. What I liked best about this movie is that it doesn't shy away from the reality that sometimes our judgements or intuitions about a person are off. The fairy tales we have grown up listening to and reading always shows that the princess finds her true love easily and then they live happily ever after. But in real life, we have to kiss a few ugly (read wrong/bad) frogs before it turns into our prince charming! This realistic part needs to be embraced in the stories we tell our kids now, mentally preparing them for the future, so that they don't go into depression every time their heart breaks! If falling in love with the wrong person is a norm then women will not continue to stay in abusive relationships. Our girls need to know they can move on and lead beautiful lives. This movie toys with the idea of the millennial way of love, where boys and girls meet online and fall in love without actually knowing him or her and then blindly walking into traps. There definitely are exceptions. I myself, met my now husband online and that is why I empathized with the girl character portrayed by Anna Ben. Once you're in love, everything seems right. You do not expect anything to go wrong! Sudhi Koppa and the girl who plays Anna Ben's friend have all played their part well although small. I love it when movies push us to think and Kappela does just that and how! Kudos to the newbie directors Muhammad Musthafa and Suresh Babu. This was truly a treat!
