Movies I Love: Bangalore Days
It was my third year of college, and I had just got back to Pune from my hometown Bangalore. Since college had begun, I would go to Bangalore once every 3 months, and the goodbyes were always the hardest part. Every time sat on that bus to Pune, I would look out the window and would mentally note down the reasons why Bangalore was better than any other city.
During those bus journeys, I would often listen to songs which reminded me of the city. For the longest time, it was Rinosh George’s “This is Bengaluru”. On one journey, I stumbled upon a song called “Nam Ooru Bengaluru” and the video had me instantly hooked. I searched for the film this song was from and I discovered Bangalore Days.
Bangalore Days, to me is the best representation of Bangalore there is. The coming together of cultures, the hustle bustle of the city, the weather, the food and last but not least, the best people.
Written and Directed by Anjali Menon, the film which released in 2014, became one of the hallmark movies for all the actors who were in it. Unlike other films made about busy cities or metropolises, this particular film touched the right notes with characters that are memorable and capturing the soul of Bangalore.
The movie begins with an introduction of Nivin Pauly’s character Kunjan, and his undying love for Kerala. He talks about the strong bond he shares with his cousins Aju( Dulquer Salmaan and Divya (Nazriya Nazim) and their dreams to live in Bangalore.
Soon, Divya gets married to Das(Fahadh Faasil) and moves to Bangalore, while both Kunjan and Aju find jobs in Bangalore too and they finally begin their dream of living life in Bangalore.
What makes Bangalore Days a lively movie, is the brilliant characterization from Anjali Menon. The starting intro of the film, is the actual childhood photos of the actors themselves adding depth to the relationships they share.
The main story revolves around the three main characters Divya, Kunjan and Aju. Divya is the youngest of them, and the innocence and liveliness Nazriya brings to the character is something really special.
Nivin Pauly as the shy conservative Kunjan is the comic element of the film. His attempts to understand the culture of cities and his utmost respect for his culture and traditions is quintessential of an old Indian uncle.
Finally, Dulquer Salmaan as Aju, is the most complex of the lot. Unlike Divya and Kunjan, Aju has always been a rebel and for much of his life shifted to thing after thing. He has a real passion for off road racing and his raw talent gets him on on a team known as Storm Riders.
Alongside these three, the other characters of the film have their own stories and struggles as well. One of them is Das, Divya’s husband who is mourning the loss of his ex girlfriend through most of the time he is married to Divya. However, his feelings for Divya grow with time, and Anjali Menon represents it through gestures. Like the time he stocks up the fridge with mango juice as it is her favorite, or like the time he makes breakfast for her with a smiley face on a fried egg. Fahadh Faasil carries the role effortlessly, and just through his expressions and gestures manages to communicate so much. There is a scene in the film where he scolds Divya for painting the window and the next morning when he wakes up to the beautiful light that streams the room, he smiles, perhaps for the first time in the film, letting the audience know how much he loved that.
Another character is Sarah, a RJ who catches Aju’s interest. She is on a wheelchair, and it is her relationship with Aju that fills the film with warm moments. Like the time Aju takes a ride on her eletrciv wheelchair or when she slips her hand into Aju’s for the fist time. Like Faahadh Fazil, Parvathy here manages to communicate so much just with her gestures and her expressions.
Kunjan’s obsession with finding a traditional Malayali girl with a traditional name leads him to Meenakshi (Isha Talwar) who is an air hostess and she ends up using him to make her ex boyfriend jealous. Kunjan’s mother also provides for some laughs when she moves into the city with him and manages to pick up the city culture better than him.
What really rounds up the film, is the arc that every character completes by the end of the film. The music by Gopi Sundar, is phenomenal, and each track has its own charm.
Bangalore Days served as my introduction to Malayalam cinema. And there’s been no looking back since then.
