Here’s why you need to watch Freedom Fight!
Jeo Baby has the knack to get into the deeper layers of social stigmas whose toxic nature is usually neglected. He dares to go where no one has ever gone. His movies are not something that suits the big screens, but work their magic when watched alone, all by ourselves.
There are five different stories in Freedom Fight, each examining different types of freedom. After all, in a diverse and biased country like India, freedom means different things to different people. While the film looks into the larger canvas of freedom struggles, with brilliant making and execution, Freedom Fight digs deeper to introspect the individual struggles of the characters, who, in the end, are our own reflections. It is the realistic excavation of people’s lives and how they react to circumstances and situations, giving the film an artistic flavor.
The film does so with a brilliant and refreshing style of filmmaking. Like Geethu in Geethu Unchained (a wordplay on Django Unchained) can be seen casually making conversations with strangers as she loosens herself from the burden of other people’s opinions. Her struggle to adapt to the changing psychology of men is given a humorous tone but without letting go of the seriousness of the subject. An energetic Rajisha Vijayan breathes life to Geethu.
Asanghadithar sees a documentary-style narrative where a bunch of women modestly struggle for a toilet at their workplace. It is inspired by a true story that happened nearly ten years back in Kozhikode when women had no access to toilets as there weren’t any. With subtle humor and a strong agenda, Asanghadithar from Freedom Fight leaves a mark. Srindaa proves once again that she is indeed one of the finest actors in Malayalam cinema.
The segments Ration and Old Age Home are slow-burn narratives that connect with us instantly making us wonder about when one can be free to finally live their own way.
In Old Age Home, which is directed by Jeo Baby himself, we see an old couple who are held back from their tiny joys due to certain reasons. Lali is finally free from her feminine responsibilities with her kids being well settled abroad. She plans to start an old age home but is restricted to doing so when the same feminine responsibilities find their way back. Joju George as Baby, a retired employee who has started to show symptoms of dementia, is one of the best in the entire anthology. Baby craves sweets like Laddoo but is prohibited to do so due to his health conditions. Their caretaker Dhanu (Rohini) has her own set of struggles. The essence of personal freedom resonates in this segment loud and clear.
The last segment Pra. Thoo. Mu. is something we have never been shown before. Shot in black-and-white for a reason, the film uses stupendous music to dig deeper into how manual scavengers are looked down on in disdain. The near and far-off rustles, squeaks, coughs, chirps, and so on are blended artfully to pull the viewers right into the middle of the drama.
With fearless performances from the state’s finest actors and brave storytelling, Freedom Fight needs to be on everyone’s must-watch list.
Image Courtesy: YouTube
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