This post first appeared on Totally Filmi on May 14, 2019.
Pallavi Raveendran (Parvathy) is a smart, vibrant young woman who, from a young age, wants to become a pilot. Pallavi’s father, Raveendran (Siddique) is loving and supportive, taking on work so that he can pay for the things Pallavi will need to achieve her dreams.
Less happy about Pallavi’s choices is her boyfriend Govind (Asif Ali). Govind is sullen and controlling – the more he struggles to find a decent job, the more he seems to resent the choices that Pallavi makes about her life, the more possessive he becomes about her. We wonder why the vivacious Pallavi would want anything to do with someone like Govind – in fact, even her father questions her choice, but Pallavi tells him that Govind was the only person to be a friend to her after the death of her mother, the only person there for her when she went through a difficult time. Pallavi is someone who values friendship and loyalty, and she returns it in equal measure. But when Pallavi finally is admitted to flight school in Mumbai, Govind becomes more angry, more possessive, calling her to check up on her at all hours. Pallavi’s friend and roommate in Mumbai, Sariya (Anarkali Marikar) questions Pallavi’s relationship with Govind, but Pallavi brushes it off – at first. However, when Govind turns up in Mumbai (ostensibly to go for a job interview), and confronts Pallavi angrily about what he feels is her inappropriate behaviour (Pallavi, heaven forfend, wants to make her own choices about what to do with her life, about what to wear, about how to wear her hair), Pallavi realizes, finally, that Govind frightens her, and she decides to break off the relationship with him. Govind decides to retaliate, attacking Pallavi with a bottle of acid, shattering her life in an instant.
Once Pallavi recovers enough physically, she then needs to figure out how to recover psychologically – telling Sariya early on in her recovery that she needs to find a reason for living. Sariya encourages Pallavi to return to her dream of becoming a pilot – and although Pallavi manages to pass some of the medical tests, it becomes apparent that she does not have enough peripheral vision in the eye on the side of her face burnt by the acid to be allowed her pilot’s license.
At the same time, Pallavi files a case against Govind for the attack – but that turns into a bit of a “he said/she said” in the courtroom, since there were no witnesses to the attack. If it weren’t galling enough that the judge seems to side with Govind (who lies about his involvement), Pallavi must listen to them talk about how this case might ruin Govind’s future. And if you think it couldn’t get worse, she also has to face Govind’s offer to marry her to make up for what happened to her.
Despite all the heartbreaks and setbacks, though, Pallavi manages to slowly come to terms with her life after the attack – Sariya takes her to meet other acid attack survivors, and we see Pallavi even decide to gradually uncover her face and even take a selfie. Her confidence, though, is short-lived when, on a flight back to Kochi, a family insists that she be moved because her appearance frightens their child. By chance, she ends up seated near Vishal Rajashekharan (Tovino Thomas), whose family owns an airline company. Pallavi and Vishal had met briefly before, at the flight school – but Pallavi really wants nothing to do with his breezy small talk, and when he asks what’s new, she takes off her scarf and shows him her face. Vishal is, naturally, shocked – but recovers his composure and offers her his card, as well as his willingness to help her in any way she can. Pallavi angrily asks if he can make her an air hostess – she chooses the most unlikely and seemingly impossible profession, given her circumstances. But Vishal proves Pallavi wrong – going against his father and others at the airline in order to give Pallavi a chance to turn her life around.
In fact, the friendship between Pallavi and Vishal is one of Uyare’s strong points – it stands in stark contrast to Pallavi’s relationship with Govind. Govind sees Pallavi as an extension of himself, and wants to control her. Vishal sees Pallavi for who she really is – smart, capable, resilient – and wants to help her achieve her potential. And when Vishal seems to be wanting to take their relationship beyond friendship, he is accepting when Pallavi tells him she values him as a friend and wants nothing more than that. Vishal respects Pallavi and her choices.
Perhaps one of the most refreshing things about Manu Ashokan’s debut directorial (written by the scriptwriting team of Bobby-Sanjay) is its lack of melodrama – refreshing, especially, given the film’s hard-hitting subject matter. Parvathy is – as usual – pitch perfect as Pallavi, a sensitively written character. Ironically, for someone who longs to fly, Pallavi is an incredibly grounded human being, and Parvathy shows us her depth – her strengths, her moments of doubt, her anguish, and her triumphs. Asif Ali, too, brings something to Govind I hadn’t expected: yes, Govind is a troubled, angry man – and that’s how Asif Ali plays him. In his hands, Govind isn’t an overwrought, melodramatic monster. Ali’s Govind is brooding, angry, tense, and yet, we also see that he’s broken somehow. I don’t think I felt sympathy for Govind at all – but I think that Asif Ali made me wish Govind had been someone different, someone who could appreciate Pallavi for who she is, and could see that his life might be better or happier if he could only let go of his need to control her. A small corner of me felt sorry for the things that made Govind the way he was, even as I reviled his actions. Siddique as well brings an understated approach to his character – Raveendran is a quiet, stable, supportive presence in Pallavi’s life, listening to her concerns and ideas, but knowing when to step back and let her handle things as she wishes to.
Mostly, I appreciated how sensitively Uyare has been created – even as I knew the acid attack was coming (the film’s trailer only hints at it, but the film’s promotions clearly positioned the film as being about an acid attack survivor), I was bracing myself. And that moment is horrific – but carefully shot, as are the scenes that follow that reveal Pallavi’s disfigured face. Everything about Uyare truly rises above expectations, allowing us to experience Pallavi’s grace and determination in the face of difficult challenges.