Ain Review – Ain is a Malayalam drama film released in 2015. Maanu is a lazy and aimless youngster living in Malabar area. He has a weird interest towards the smell of blood from the slaughtering of animals. Things change when Maanu happens to witness a murder which makes him flee from his village. This movie has won the National Award for the best feature film in Malayalam.

Director Sidhartha Siva has painted the life of a jobless youngster very well. He has brilliantly used the canvas of local political situation. The movie questions the responsibility of an individual towards the society. While there are organizations fighting for rights of animals there are a lot of human slaughtering that goes unquestioned. Thanks to Bengaluru Film Festival, I was able to see this on a big screen.

The tone of the movie is very realistic and takes you into the life of an aimless youth in the region. The nativity of the region is very well covered in the movie. The script has a very good sense of humor built in which makes it a very interesting watch. In particular, the dream sequences of Maanu are well done. The lead actor Musthafa has portrayed the character of Maanu very well.  There are no dramatic turns in the movie. The movie just captures the coming of age process of the lead character.

High Points: The performance of Musthafa, a very realistic tone, the nativity of the Malabar area, the dream sequences

Low Points: If you are not aware of the Malabar area you might miss many subtle things portrayed in the movie

Overall Ain (The Eye) is a movie made sincerely. Although about an aimless youngster, the movie has an aim in questioning some of the social injustice that happens and emphasizes the duty of the citizen to stand up for it. If you are interested in watching good cinema without the usual song and dance then this one is a must watch.

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