Immortality can be a bitch, as evidenced by the story of the nameless 8000-year-old character played by Nivin Pauly in director Ram's latest, “Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai” (YKYM). The life of an ordinary mortal itself is heavy to bear. So, how do you think an immortal man is going to feel, what with an overwhelming amount of memories — with the dark and traumatising ones trumping the beautiful ones? This man has seen and known much pain—a multitude of disturbing events across the globe. He has had two losses centuries ago, but believes that there is a chance to revive one of them.
Now, when you introduce a character like this in a story, that automatically lends it a surreal, magical realist tone, but that alone isn't enough. You have to be back it up with suitably poignant and lyrical imagery. Ram has conjured up quite a few of those in YKYM. Unfortunately, many of them are AI-generated, including a few inconsistent ones. Which, it goes without saying, is quite disappointing to see. A rat, possibly the only thing rendered in CGI (or is it?), is one of the principal emotional drivers of this story.
Credit where it's due, Ram makes us feel empathy for a creature that usually evokes repulsion for many. You are more invested in what happens to a rat than a human being. In that regard, YKYM is the second film after Pixar's “Ratatouille” to make a rat a central character. Of course, this one cannot speak, but a form of telepathic communication seems to be happening between the immortal man and the rat.
Obviously, YKYM is not for those seeking pure escapist entertainment. I saw a man dozing off and then waking up during the interval. An expected reaction in this age of brainrot. We are, after all, living in the age of brainrot, aren’t we? I myself found one particular stretch sleep-inducing. And when one background song after another, to the point that makes you wonder why this film needed so many songs, it doesn't really help. And what about Soori saying 'Sir' as many times as Joe Pesci utters swear words in “Casino”? Well, perhaps there is a point there. Perhaps the attempts to create annoyance are deliberate. Perhaps Ram is calling attention to the futility of uttering useless words when you don't really mean it. Soori succeeds at creating a character who is a combination of comical and rage-baiting untrustworthiness at the same time. But this character has reasons for doing what he does.
And then there is the dimly lit confines of a filthy train, of course, where the film spends most of its time. For Ram, this train becomes a microcosm of the harsh world and its numerous problems. He makes it resemble a temporary portal where one character's humanity is put to the test, while another character's humanity is demonstrated. He makes Soori's character a representative of most people. People who resort to lame justifications for doing one “evil” thing while condemning others. Nivin is aptly cast as the immortal man who operates on an entirely different logic. He has achieved transcendence. He is possibly the most divine being out there. He asks the other man why one rule doesn't apply to the other. He asks why the rat and a little child cannot be seen on the same level.
Principally revolving around Nivin's character and Soori's, and, of course, the rat, the film's excursion to wide open spaces occurs only when flashbacks are narrated. Speaking of which, the events are presented through two parallel narrations. A mother narrates the immortal man's story, and the immortal man tells Soori's character about his past. The latter, naturally, views this man as a madman, as one of his worst nightmares. Not for us, though, because the immortal man's story reveals enough moments of tenderness and compassion that, although brief, offer a measure of respite, irrespective of some of the painful moments. It made me feel… something.
But, again, why did they have to use AI? How is one supposed to take the makers' attempt seriously when they go and do something like this? YKYM is a strange film not because it tells a strange story, but because for a film that preaches empathy and compassion, such creative choices dilute whatever message they're trying to convey.
Film: Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai
Director: Ram
Cast: Nivin Pauly, Soori, Anjali
Rating: 2.5/5
