'Lalanna's Song' review: This Parvathy, Rima Kallingal surrealistic short prods us to think deeper

In 'Lalanna's Song', a scene shows two women hastily heading to a supermarket in a car. The moment, marked by joviality, carries an underlying tension—two emotions that remain palpable throughout the short film directed by Megha Ramaswamy. After a successful festival run, the film is now streaming on MUBI. It follows Shoby (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and Miriam (Rima Kallingal), two women who have relocated to Mumbai from their native place in Kerala. Their camaraderie and intimacy are established from the very beginning.

Megha Ramaswamy is among the few woman directors who have successfully portrayed Mumbai—the backdrop of countless films—in a distinctly different tone, following Kiran Rao in 'Dhobi Ghat' and Payal Kapadia in the more recent, critically acclaimed 'All We Imagine as Light'. Megha’s Mumbai is stripped of skyscrapers and glass towers; instead, it resembles a coastal town in Kerala. This illusion works in favour of the film, which flows seamlessly in Hindi and Malayalam.

Ramaswamy’s shorts and features span a range of themes—from gore and violence to stories that explore the human psyche and its insecurities. Her work often embraces the surreal, which takes centre stage in 'Lalanna's Song'. At first glance, the film may appear to comment on religious discrimination and the oppression of women. But as it unfolds, it ventures further inward, exploring the shadows of the human mind and the discomfort in accepting difference.

Miriam is a Muslim woman who knows the world may not be kind to her—even in a city like Mumbai. Shoby stands in solidarity, donning the burqa when they step out together. Yet the two women view the burqa differently, a contrast that surfaces vividly during a tense encounter at the supermarket.

Kuldeep Mamania’s frames add visual beauty and artistry, capturing the emotional undercurrents that director Megha Ramaswamy weaves into each scene.

Parvathy and Rima—last seen together in Aashiq Abu’s 'Virus'—reunite in 'Lalanna’s Song', and their off-screen bond (they are both members of the Women in Cinema Collective) translates well on screen. Nakshathra Indrajith plays the titular character Lalanna, a figure who comes across as enigmatic. Nakshathra brings out the subtle layers of this strange character with quiet conviction.

Overall, 'Lalanna's Song' blends surrealism with grounded emotions to offer a compelling look into the human psyche.