What happens when a person experiences lust, morality, guilt and love all at once? This is the question that director Shyamaprasad's new Malayalam film Ore Kadal tries to explore. The film is an adaptation of Sunil Gangopadhyay's Bengali novel Heerak Deepti, starring Mammootty, Meera Jasmine and Narein.
Deepti (Meera Jasmine) is a harried housewife tending to her sick son in the absence of her unemployed husband in an alien city. Her frantic pleas for help to her husband over a public telephone are overheard by Dr Nathan (Mammootty), a renowned social scientist, whose current interest is the unemployment among middle class youngsters. He helps Deepti with her son, and takes the child to a hospital.
Nathan is an alcoholic, who does not believe in emotional attachments. He is so haughty that he explains to his female companion Bela (Ramya Krishnan) that he helped Deepti not because he was attracted towards her but her husband and child made an interesting subject.
Eventually, he has a fling with Deepti. Nathan likes to believe that it just a physical thing, but Deepti desires something more. She is devastated when she learns about his feelings, and starts distancing herself from Nathan. What happens next forms the core of the film.
The way the director tackles this sensitive subject is fascinating. He does not try to superfluously bridge the chasm between the intellectual Nathan and the naïve Deepti. But he gives them space to find a common ground for themselves without making it look too far-fetched. The other factor that enthrals us is the way Nathan deals with the loss of Deepti. It is never clear whether he feels guilt on hurting her or is he experiencing the throes of love.
The husband's character -- played by Narein -- is not well-etched. But that may be intentional as his frivolous attitude towards his wife and child may be one of the reason why his wife seeks the love of an older man, whose words do not make sense to her.
Bela, on the other hand, is mirror to Nathan's heart. She explains things that are beyond his comprehension or the things that he refuses to acknowledge.
Mammootty, as Nathan, seems to be living the role -- the drunken swagger, the slur, the intellect all complement the snobbish characteristics of the protagonist.
Meera Jasmine as Deepti, the young mother and wife, who is expected to be mature before her age, is aptly cast. Deepti behaves maturely, yet maintains her adventurous streak.
Ore Kadal is a tale that refers to love that is not pure and pristine as films want us believe, but love that includes lust and guilt.
Rediff Rating: 
