Trust screenwriters Bobby-Sanjay to write a film that can transcend a social issue-based thread into the medium of story, where characters and plot are written around the theme. Their films (barring a few exceptions like Casanova) are issue-oriented but seldom comes across as on-your-face moral science class. Uyare is one such film that conveys optimism with a lot of nuances. Directed by Manu Ashokan, the film stars Parvathy, Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali in lead roles.
Uyare conveys the trials and tribulations of Pallavi Ravindran (played by Parvathy), an aspiring pilot, whose dreams get totally shattered by an abusive relationship. But the universe conspires in her favour as she encounters personal and professional battles. Uyare set the events into motion with a prelude that is set in an airport control room where the crew receives the message of an airplane's technical glitch. The scene was completely free from expositions and we can see some focused and less spoon-fed writing right from the film's initial moments.
The film delves much more into the composite shades of patriarchy, where we see Pallavi's boyfriend Govind (Asif Ali) silently sulk as he fails at a job interview and can't bear the presence of an successful woman like her. The first half is replete with such subtle reflections on casual sexism. Pallavi's characterization is driven by ambition, which makes her more grounded, yet, less ordinary.
The undercurrent of chauvinism displayed by Govind builds into a crescendo that leads to the most ghastly chapter of Pallavi's life. The film shows more restraint in the handling of such scenes, as we don't see Pallavi become a victim to her circumstances. The scenes portraying an acid-attack victim's mental agony might break your heart, but the film doesn't milk that emotion. We see Pallavi rebuild herself. The film gradually builds a beautiful support system around her through her classmate Saria and the flamboyant businessman Vishal Rajasekaran (played by Tovino Thomas), a complete opposite of Govind.
The film consistently carries its uplifting tone without divulging into heavy-duty melodrama. In the latter portions of the film, we see Pallavi emerge victoriously amidst setbacks. The film becomes slightly predictable at the end, but the issue is compensated by the feel-good, idealistic portions without giving you a feeling of change happening overnight. The character and story arcs unfold in a gradual fashion.
The pre-climactic sequence is breathtakingly shot and edited, where we see moments of turbulence being intercut by reaction shots and close-ups of faces that witness the impending doom. This scene makes Uyare feel like a companion-piece to Rajesh Pillai's 2011 film Traffic (also scripted by Bobby-Sanjay), where reluctant individuals take charge of extraordinary situations (or driver seats, for that matter). But unlike Traffic, the vehicle used in Uyare is not a car, it is a ton-sized airplane.
Manu Ashokan visually interprets the story with some fine directorial touches (An example is a scene where Pallavi's phone ringtone is heard as a devilish tune when Govind calls her at an outing). Gopi Sundar's music works inconsistently. There are some moments that are uplifted by the rousing score whereas in some places, the background music rudely intrudes the space that is reserved for performances and ambience.
Uyare is a testament to the infinite range and the towering screen presence of Parvathy, as she lends a great amount of credibility and empathy to her portrayal of Pallavi Ravindran. Asif Ali plays a character that might come across as an extension of his role in Take Off, but his muted demeanor acts as a facade that warps the demonic characterization of Govind. Tovino Thomas lends a lighter, warmer presence to the film. Overall, Uyare lands on a note that leaves you at an emotional high.