Film Review: ARIYIPPU: A Heavy Drama from India Which Raises a Lot of Important Issues [Locarno 2022]

Ariyippu Review

Ariyippu (2022) Film Review from the 75th Annual Locarno Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan and starring Kunchacko Boban, Divya Prabha, Faisal Malik, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Loveleen Mishra and Kannan Arunachalam.

From India comes the intriguing workplace drama, Ariyippu (Declaration). Filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan has crafted a superbly layered film about a couple who must struggle to overcome the obstacles they find happening in their workplace. This picture is anchored by two fine lead performances by Kunchacko Boban and Divya Prabha as both the stars keep the movie feeling authentic and of great urgency to today’s audiences.

As the film opens, we see how gloves are manufactured in a factory and how they are tested for quality assurance. Machines are shown doing the work but soon we see that there are humans behind the scenes who have the job of making sure that all the product is effective and efficient. Set around the beginning stages of COVID-19, Ariyippu focuses on a couple who want a better life for themselves. Hareesh (Boban) and Reshmi (Prabha) work for the glove factory but in different capacities. Still, the thing they share is their desire to do better for themselves. They’re financially strapped and have spent a lot of money trying to get a visa.

What happens in the movie is that a sex video surfaces that will serve to tarnish Hareesh and Reshmi’s reputations within the company they are employed at. Unless, they can prove that it is not legitimate. And, it seems that it is not. Early in the movie, Reshmi is asked to remove her wedding ring while she is working but it will not come off. The wearing of the ring could be affecting her job performance but there’s no certainty that it is. However, it is clear that Hareesh and Reshmi are truly struggling to find some sort of happiness in life and getting out of their dead end environment is the key to their dreams coming true. This sex video throws a wrench in their plans and becomes like a can of worms threatening the future for them both.

Boban is very well cast. He plays his role with much emotion intact as he tries so desperately to escape the circumstances he finds himself immersed in. Hareesh gets violent towards Reshmi in a key scene in the picture and it’s to Boban’s credit that the audience can still respect him after the poor behavior he exhibits in the film which derives from the unfortunate series of events that transpire. As corruption within the workplace seems to unfold, we’re never quite sure how Boban will react when he discovers key elements of the movie’s complex plot.

That being said, Prabha gets the audience to sympathize with her character Reshmi every step of the way throughout the movie. It’s truly a phenomenal piece of acting by Prabha who becomes this character who is suffering without any visible signs of hope. Eventually, Reshmi’s salvation will come only from the revelation of the truth surrounding the sex video and the key details behind how and why it was actually made. Prabha runs away with the picture especially in the concluding scenes. It’s a delicate performance but an excellent one nonetheless.

Of the supporting cast, the best turn is given by Loveleen Mishra as a professional who wants to set things right for the struggling couple within the film. Mishra’s character wants both the company they work for and the couple themselves to feel that some sort of compromise can be achieved regarding the discomfort felt as a result of the events that transpire during the course of the movie. Mishra is a fine character actress who adds dignity to the film through her work.

Ultimately, Ariyippu works best as a character study. It is not perfect. Perhaps the movie is too realistic and doesn’t go some places a more conventional movie would go in terms of unveiling and expanding on more of the corruption that occurs in the workplace. But, still, it is a very good movie. When Reshmi finally gets the ring removed from her finger, it will leave audiences wondering what that will do for the character. Will she now be free or hold on to the love she has for Hareesh? Narayanan’s film offers no easy answers to some difficult questions but rather makes the viewer look within themselves to find their own answers.

Rating: 8/10

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