Do you still relish the taste of steaming food your grandmother cooked for you? Want to see the temple festival holding her hands? Still wishing to go and take a dip in the river? Are you someone who misses playing with your naughty bunch of friends, loitering around every nook and corner of the village throwing stones at ripe mangoes? Is there a little kid in you still trying to remember the multiplication table? Then yes, Olappeeppi is the movie for you.
A narrative, subtle and slow, rolls out the past life of Unni, played by Biju Menon. He is back at his own Tharavadu after a gap of 30 long years, the same Tharavadu, where his grandmother sleeps.
Olappeeppi has much to offer you. We bet the solitary life of Unni and his grandmother, portrayed by Punasseri Kanchana, will take you to your childhood days. Each scene is carefully crafted in love, and you can see all her love at once, when she cooks, even though they are nothing great, for Unni when he returns home after school. She accompanies him to the river for a bath, takes him to the temple, sleeps with him, eagerly watches what he draws and what more. She raises Unni, whose father turns a blind eye, and is very proud of him.
At first look, it's a gripping tale about the selfless love a grandmother has for her grandchild, but Olappeeppi has a little more to it. Set in a 1970's village in Kerala, the movie is a narration of the impacts of the Land reform Act of the 1970.
A wealthy landlord family once upon a time, Unni's family is lined with the cobwebs of poverty today. The 1970 Land reforms act had taken away the power of the Zamindars. Once and for all, the dominance they had over the lower sections of the society is no more.
Unni's mother is married to a Namboothiri, and her plight is no different from what Nair women in the past experienced. Sambhandham is all that is on the Namboothiris mind, who cares less for his own children. A submissive wife must answer to all his needs relentlessly.
The emotional turmoil that the reform has brought upon Unni's family is indeed harsh. The grandmother, as someone struggling to make both ends meet, dosen't seem cliched, and Punasseri Kanchana is unmatched in the role. A tale of friendship transpires in between, when we meet Jayan, the selflessly devoted childhood friend of Unni. Jayan's love for him, and the little things he does for Unni, be it sharing his food or clothes, are timed right when your heart is filled with sorrow.
The character essayed by Sreejith Ravi has done justice to the role. Now a rich land lord, Sreejith Ravi is heartless and has no gratitude to the family that he once worked for. But time revolves, and he has to offer the same land he once illegally confiscated back to Unni's family. Unni also puts an end to the suffering endured by his sister ( Anjaly Aneesh) owing to a drunkard husband.
The plot is simple and direct, and it gradually winds up with a satisfied Biju Menon who returns back abroad discovering a new meaning to his life.
Paris Laxmi, as Helena, is the lovable companion of Biju Menon, who is enthralled to experience life in a village. Anjaly Upasana does the role of a wailing wife impeccably.
The only song in the movie will offer you a fresh and native scenic scape.
Olappeppi demands an empathetic you in the theatre, who will traverse with Unni and his life. The grandmother and her love will make you leave the space with a heavy heart—the best thing about the movie. Keep aside all the fun, frolic and comedy you expect from a normal Biju Menon flick, you can enjoy debutante director Krish Kaimal's Olappeeppi if you are ready for a walk down the memory lane.
Onmanorama rating: 3/5
