Eeda mourns the loss of personal space as the political narrative of violence pans out.
The personal space that is being crushed is that of the lingering romance of the protagonists played to perfection by Shane Nigam and Nimisha Sajayan.
The narrative of political violence necessitates a dark aura, which overshadows the romantic hues of the plot. The shady underbelly of violence woven into the plot has permeated the script. The classic interplay of romance and political violence has stretched the 2:30 minute movie to a great extent.
The romance itself is triggered by a hartal, which again can be construed as an intrusion into the personal space by a political narrative. So it is only natural that Eeda begins and fades into a hartal.
The script, by the director B Ajithkumar himself, has been stretched a bit too much by the compulsions of syncing in a starkly realistic and romantic plot into a political narrative. And that results in a lengthy first half--a tiring prospect.
The Kammatipaadam editor does the job in Eeda too and perhaps that is why we shouldn't be surprised if we spot a subtle element of rustic violence throughout the plot.
Perhaps, overwhelmed by the multiple tasks of scripting, editing and direction, Ajithkumar may have spent less time at the editing table, which is reflected in the stretched uneasiness of the movie.
By casting Shane Nigam and Nimisha Sajayan as lead characters, the filmmakers have infused an element of raw freshness to the movie. Shane Nigam has all the looks that can portray the bland helplessness of a romantic protagonist trapped in the vortex of political violence.
Nimisha Sajayan can subtly portray the varied hues of a protagonist ripped apart by the angst of a lost romance, again necessitated by the mindless political narrative of hostility.
The songs that waft into the romantic interlude as well as after the violence takes a dark grip on the movie and the music by John P. Varkey and Chandran Veyattummal deserves a round of applause for its subtle understanding of the plot. The brilliant camera work also gels with the dark mood of the plot.
As the work of a debutant director, Ajithkumar's Eeda deserves a welcome space in Mollywood's new scheme of things.
Rating 3/5
Read more: Entertainment | 'Aadu 2': aimless trajectory of a meandering plot