After playing in competition at the Locarno Film Festival, the Indian Malayalam language filmAriyippu(Declaration) has found a home on Netflix. The streamer debuted the first trailer for the film, directed byMahesh Narayananand starringKunchako Boban, on Wednesday.
It’s a bit of a departure for the streamer, which usually tends to acquire more mainstream Indian titles. But to be fair, Netflix also released directorChaitanya Tamhane’s acclaimed Marathi language dramaThe Disciple, and directorIvan Ayr’sMeel Patthar— both played at Venice — a couple of years ago.Ariyippufalls in that bracket.
The film tells the story of a Malayali couple living in the outskirts of the national capital New Delhi, hoping to save enough and emigrate abroad. This is a common reality for people from the south Indian state of Kerala, where the Malayalam film industry is based. Inspired by neo-realist cinema,Ariyippualso grapples with themes of aspiration and survival, and how some people are often treated as outsiders in their own country. But the central couple’s plans to overcome the class divide is upended when an embarrassing incident puts the spotlight on them. For the first time in probably forever, people start paying attention to them, but not for the right reasons.
RELATED:‘Beast of Bangalore’ Trailer Documents Cop-Turned-Killer’s Harrowing Crimes
Having established himself as a film editor, Narayanan made his feature directorial debut with the 2017 survival thrillerTake Off, also starring Boban. He followed it up with the computer screen filmCU Soon, and then directed the sweeping gangster epicMalik. His directorial output is emblematic of “New Gen” movement in Malayalam cinema, which has been hailed for producing some of the most acclaimed and innovative films in the country.
For context, India has several thriving film industries that function independently of each other. Some films, like the recent Telugu language blockbusterRRR, have the ability to cross over into different parts of the country. Bollywood, for instance, is a term used exclusively for the Hindi language industry, which is based in the city of Mumbai. The Malayalam film industry is among the most insular in all of India, but also highly admired. Malayalam language movies gained further recognition during the pandemic, when audiences from all across the country were exposed to them on streaming.
Boban, for instance, starred in the acclaimed chase thrillerNayattu, which blew up after landing on Netflix last year. And earlier this year, he starred in the hostage thrillerPada, which eventually landed on Prime Video. Narayanan said that he is thrilled forAriyipputo have “found its home on Netflix.” In his own words:
“Ariyippu’s(Declaration) journey has been absolutely gratifying and fulfilling so far. I am delighted at the response the film has received at various film festivals across the globe and now that it has found its home on Netflix, I am looking forward to audiences around the world watching the film and their reactions to it. The film is about the pandemic and a story of one couple and their fight to survive through it.”
Produced by Shebin Backer Production, Kunchako Boban Production and Moving Narratives, the film will start streaming on Netflix from December 16. you’re able to watch the trailer here, and read the film’s official synopsis down below.
Ariyippu(Declaration) is a story of a struggling couple played by Kunchacko Bohan and Divya Prabha, who work in a medical gloves factory in Delhi, dream to migrate out of the country for a better life but life had other plans which opens up a pandora’s box that threatens the couple’s job and marriage. The film also explores emotional and social imbalances in their relationship.
