Nested Do loop: My Take on Lijo Jose’s “Churuli” (Sony Liv)
It’s a loop within a loop within a loop.
If you've enjoyed and understood abstract artists like Pablo Picasso or Wassily Kandinsky and could make head or tail of their abstract artwork, you'll enjoy this obscurely tangential abstract art film directed by JalikattuWala director Lijo Jose Pellissery. The problem with such 'arty' movies is that when the entire world is going gaga over them and giving them rave reviews, no one comes out in the open and criticizes the "cerebral" content for fear of being labeled as unintelligent.
The best part about such abstract artwork is that no one knows what the movie is about because everyone will come out with their version and give Gyan to others. It's similar to the story of seven blind people 'feeling' an elephant and creating their version of the elephant. So, here's my version (अपून के पल्ले जो पda - apun ke palle jo pada) of this befuddling labyrinthine Churuli.
To begin with, the brilliant cinematography of the thick green forest of the Malabar region, as well as the plot setting of this fictional village of Churuli, will take your breath away. The cinematographer captures various shades of green in breathtaking detail. The eerie night shots and misty early morning shots are works of art in their own right. Second, the entire ensemble cast's performances are simply brilliant. I'm curious how many great actors the Malayalam film industry has. Every time I watch a Malayalam film, I am blown away by the performances of Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Jaffar Idukki (I am watching their performances for the first time), and Joju George, who was the only known face for me.
The plot would have made Nolans, Night Shyamlenes, and the creators of X-Files proud, as it can be described as a sci-fi, paranormal thriller drama in which two cops enter a village in a thick forest to apprehend a fugitive wanted for several crimes. Hats off to Director Lijo Jose for revealing his plot right from the start in the form of a graphical story about a monk who enters a forest to apprehend a devil. On the way, he comes across a curled-up anteater, which the monk misidentifies as a ball and keeps thinking he can give it to his kind to play with. Later, he realizes that the ball is an anteater with the ability to communicate, and this anteater then guides the monk through the forest. According to legend, the monk is still wandering in the forest while being guided (rather misguided by the devil himself who has incarnated as an anteater). Do these two cops succeed in apprehending the culprit from the Churuli forest, or are they sucked into the whirlpool of a time loop? Is the film's main premise.
Even if I elaborate on the so-called spoilers, it will not “spoil” your viewing because my take will be from my perspective while you may see it from a different perspective …. Confusing isn’t it !!! don’t worry so is the movie.
The extraterrestrial angle and Alien presence, eerie BGM, fantastic camera work, long shots, and great use of silence at times, and, above all, extraordinary performances will keep you intrigued in what can be described as a slow-paced tardy yet riveting film.
तुम स्टोरी को धूँड ते रह जाओगे (Tum story ko Dhoond te rah jaoge) and then create your version.
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