The unhurriedness of a story, calculatedly written, can be its charm. In Sarkeet, director Thamar KV builds up the few characters that matter, until they become familiar to you, before their paths cross. It takes a skilled writer to keep you engrossed as daily lives — complete with trials and tribulations — unfold, even as their stories appear familiar. The struggles of the expatriate Malayali, their fears and unshared agonies, have been told many times before. But Thamar’s writing and the affecting performances of the cast, especially by child actor Orhan and lead Asif Ali, make Sarkeet something special.
In their private lives, the child’s parents — the inimitable Divya Prabha and a reliable Deepak Parambol as a couple ostracised by their families — act like the frustrated pair they are, not succumbing to filmy portrayals of doting and sacrificing parents. The child, Jeppu (played marvelously by Orhan), has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder aka ADHD, and this detail is conveyed in a tastefully directed opening sequence. Visuals of layers of a cake being prepared with cones of icing and cream interject the scene of a birthday party the family visits. Jeppu is unnoticeable until the dinosaur atop the unveiled cake excites him, prompting him to smash it to pieces.
Thamar’s filmmaking does not allow for stray shots — it was not a random cake that fell, but the one we saw being artistically made. The film follows the principle of Chekhov’s gun, which says every detail has a purpose in the story. Even the routine act of the family leaving their house key in the shoe rack matters.
Asif’s role of Omar is a more familiar one. He plays a struggling young man, failing to find a job after coming to a Gulf country with loads of hope. The actor lets the desperation to show in his face and markedly high voice, without the slightest hint of exaggeration, disallowing Omar to become a cliche.
The meeting of Omar and Jeppu is a given. While its quiet thrills, building over the course of a night, are engaging, the movie does not quite move you with its emotional outpourings the way it is meant to. Somewhere, it lacks depth in its telling. Not because it lacks material — you keep spotting facets of the Gulf Malayali’s life you may have given little thought to, including passing scenes where overworked employees tussle with bosses to finally be allowed to go home. The anger becomes all too understandable. Only, the script could have indulged a little more in making the bond between the boy and the stranger in the night more captivating.
The music of Govind Vasantha, strangely pleasant, helps a little with the bonds and untold emotions. And Aeyaz’s cinematography is effective in capturing the claustrophobia of a locked room and the moods of a hyperactive child.
But the film hinges on its actors — all of them, including supporting cast members such as Remya Suresh, Prasanth Alexander, and Gopalan — who remain wonderfully restrained. The prize will still go to Orhan, for never going overboard when, easily, he could have.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.