Director Lijin Jose, who made a promising debut in 2012 with Fridayhas picked another hyperlink film for his comeback. Herwhich streams on ManoramaMAX, revolves around five women from the same city and how their lives intersect on a particular day. Debutant Archana Vasudev’s screenplay gives equal prominence to all these women, but the issues they deal with are not entirely new or unheard of. Particularly in this post-Covid era where there has been an increased interest in telling her stories.
Director: Lijin Jose
Cast: Urvashi, Prathap Pothen, Aishwarya Rajesh, Lijomol Jose, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Remya Nambessan
Streamer: ManoramaMAX
Her begins with Anu (Aishwarya Rajesh), a government job-aspirant, prepping up for her final interview. A cold phone conversation suggests that she is in a messy relationship and her day only gets worse as she steps out for the interview. Through her story, the makers try to highlight the lack of accessible public toilets for women and the discomfort caused by intrusive staring.
We then move on to the story of a film producer-cum-content creator named Reshma (Remya Nambessan). Rather than opting to show the struggles endured by a female entrepreneur, the film unabashedly presents Reshma as a shrewd opportunist, who knows all the dirty tricks in the business. In a satirical tone, we see Reshma as a producer keen on casting only local actors to save accommodation costs and as a social media celeb, who doesn’t mind faking her personal life for views. It is a relief to see a female protagonist with grey shades, which is also why it’s the most interesting segment in the entire film. Remya Nambessan seems to have had absolute fun playing the character and her spirited performance is one of the standout features of the film.
The screenplay of Her isn’t divided into chapters per se, but the shift from one story to another isn’t smooth either. And unlike most films of this format, there isn’t a common thread connecting all the characters. Just five women, some of whom bump into each other, and their diverse lives. There’s also Guru Somasundaram making repeated appearances as a perverted auto driver character.
Her is also not a typically dramatic and heavy ‘issue film’. Take, for instance, the light-hearted segment featuring Urvashi and Prathap Pothen. The writing doesn’t bother to show us their backstory or children; we meet them as a middle-aged couple, happily enjoying each other’s company. Though technology briefly threatens to cause tremors in their paradise, they wade through it like pros, sans any melodrama. The two veteran actors are at ease playing their parts, but ultimately, it feels like the makers could have delved more into exploring the couple’s dynamics.
The final two segments in Herfeaturing Lijomol and Parvathy, talk about women’s autonomy, but in different contexts. Though Lijomol’s segment touches upon a pertinent but rarely discussed topic of sexual compatibility, it isn’t fully developed to match the potential. Parvathy’s Ruchi, who makes fleeting appearances in a couple of other segments, is a techie, battling familial and societal expectations. At one moment, we see her warmly exchanging pleasantries with her neighbour and security guard but she turns all snobbish when stressed. Archana has deftly sketched Ruchi’s vulnerabilities and anxieties, with Parvathy also handling the role effectively.
Her has some memorable filmmaking touches like the fourth wall breaking in the opening and climax portions, suggesting women’s frustration in constantly confronting prying eyes. The fourth wall break in the final shot is also a fitting homage to the KG George classic, Adaminte Variyelluthe ending of which had women running out of the frame, or say, freeing themselves from society’s gaze.
All said, Her works better as standalone stories, but as a film, it lacks coherence. It also doesn’t dare to push beyond what’s already familiar. Maybe if the film had been released a couple of years back as planned originally, it would have been a far more engaging experience.
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