James and Sundara of the Gentiles; A single actor, Mammootty
Spoiler Alert
A group inquires whether a person has gone this way to the woman who was making dung fry after some time had passed since she started dozing early in the day. Many have gone this way, some have died, and the woman asks them back, who are you looking for? Are they trying to bring back the living James or the dead(?) Sundaram inside James? It is through this question that the film travels there later.
Nan Pagal Neret Syamakm is a conflict between James and Sundaram who are different in language, dress, behavior and character. James is a stout. James is an ‘uncle’ who doesn’t value the likes of the people in the group and stops the singing and the band they all enjoy as a nuisance. An average Malayali middle-aged man who doesn’t like Tamil food and doesn’t like its places. He complains that there is too much sugar in the tea he is drinking while eating at the Tamil Hotel. Every Malayali may have met James at some point in their life.
Sundaram’s character is the opposite. Sundaram is a person who interacts with the locals with an open mind, enjoys singing and watching movies, and speaks and acts correctly when he hears the dialogues of the movie. Good sweetness is a must for tea.
Mammootty has played two characters in one film who are diverse in their walk, sit and look. Mammootty’s performance is the main factor that captures the audience in the slow-paced film.
Some of the scenes in the film were true to Lijo’s words that when Mammootty is crying, we are with him. At some point the audience will understand without being told that it is time for Sundaram to leave James. The audience will also unwittingly wish James hadn’t woken up from the resulting trance. Mammootty is the reason why Sundaram has penetrated the audience so much.
When Mammootty portrays Sundaram, who has to claim that the country where he was born and grew up is his own, and who has to face neglect even from his own people, the hearts of the audience will melt.
In his decades-long acting career, Mammootty is not safe by acting in safe zone films, but like a beginner, challenges himself by taking on new roles and experiments.
Content Highlight: Mammootty’s performance is the highlight in nan pakal nerathu mayakkam movie
