Premam
An entire generation lost their shit over “Aaluva puzhayude theerath” and the music channels made the most of it by playing the song every ten minutes. But I always waited for them to play “Pathivaay njn avale kaanan pokarunde”, because that song showed more of George and his friends than “Aaaluva puzha”. And I wanted to see more George, Koya and Shambhu, than George-Mary; Malar and Celine were still a secret at that time.
Premam means
love- romantic love, but to me, it always represented friendship more than
romance. Even before George, his friends Koya and Shambhu arrive at the tea
shop to ‘support’ George in wooing Mary. They accompany him, fully knowing
Mary’s father would beat them into pulp if they were caught. And when Mary
seeks George’s help for her George, both the friends are with him. Even though
Koya and Shambhu’s love life is not shown during the Mary part of the movie,
they are in as pathetic situation academically as George.
In
college, they are doing the same course, sitting on the same bench, living in
the same house and even wearing the same clothes. Koya and Shambhu contributed
to the black shirt and white mundu craze amongst college students as much as
George did.
After
the initial disbelief, the two friends fully ‘ship’ George and Malar, the way
those two root for their friend in his unconventional relationship, is the most
beautiful love.
But the
best part and the part that made me cry every time I watch it, is the scene
where George breaks down after Malar fails to recognise him. Though Nivin Pauly
looked beautiful as the helpless love-lost lover, it was the way in which his
friends just held him and let him weep that made me cry most. Yeah, I cry a
little more every time I see Koya hug George after throwing his (v cool) bike
down. And the scene afterwards, when Koya and Shambhu yells at George, for
going on and on about going to see Malar and tell her family that they were in
love, to just stop and move on and tells him it hurts them to see him this way.
And they still go with him to see her get married.
When the
extra handsome George, with just a moustache instead of the heartthrob beard,
reappears on the screen, for a moment he looks like a man who’s forgotten how
to smile; snapping at everyone in his beautiful Café Agape, throwing away three
fourth of a cigarette in exasperation, yelling at his friend and employee Jojo
for arriving late for work. But exactly like a switch getting turned on, his
mood shifts and his pretty smile and flirty demeanour comes back- especially
when he sees the girl who came into the café bit late to get a birthday cake. And
until he realises that he like this new girl, Koya and Shambhu doesn’t re-enter
the screen, physically. (When a college-mate calls him to invite him for his
wedding, we hear the guy at the other end asking for Koya and Shambhu’s contact
details to George- I still melt a little whenever that scene comes up, reminds
me of how my college friends ask about me to my friend and vice versa.)
Every
time I see the scene where George starts a random conversation about love and
the other two immediately realises that their buddy is in love, again, I
remember how my girls sniff out my lou-scenes. And the way they make him just
go for it and support him and the way only they are able to cheer him up when
his heart gets broken again, all of these instantly remind me of my people.
Couple
of years back, I saw a random post which said “Girls made George cry, but Boys
made him smile” or something along that line; made by some sexist sadboi, but
if I replace the “Girls” and “Boys” with “Friends” and “Love interests”, I
might conditionally agree with the statement. I mean, if you have five friends,
it means five less people who’ll make you cry, right?
So
yeah, Premam would always be the best buddy movie to me- for it always
reminds me of my girls who were there for me, with me, through my “kaalam
kettupoi” phase and my both sad and happy “Malare” phases and my “Scene contra”
phase and my “Ith puthan kaalam” phase.
Comments
Post a Comment