POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by Mari Selvaraj, Bison Kaalamaadan has the unique ability to blend different themes with intercutting scenes. In an early scene, you spot Kittan being reprimanded in school while being asked to run around the school compound. And even as he begins his run and continues and continues and continues, you spot an intercutting scene of him running behind a car from his childhood. That scene tells you a thing or two about his family dynamics, his oppressed caste inherent in his family (read: he is shirtless), and the symbolism of running – something that he has been doing from his childhood with respect to the problems at hand. It is almost certain that running for Kittan is a distraction, often resorting to it in order to separate his current reality from his goals – even while aspiring to be a Kabaddi player against the will of his father Velusamy (Pasupathy).

It is interesting how a fleeting scene defines the life of Kittan in the wake of his father’s decision of not wanting his son to pursue Kabaddi. It is an anti-thesis of sorts given that the scene unfolds at a local hotel wherein Kittan’s ever supportive teacher takes him out for a meal. Soon after a series of events, you see Kittan hiding behind a wall even as bloodbath ensues in the hotel – an important scene given that it defines the helpless nature of Kittan in the midst of violent feuds in the village. In another world, Kittan would be on the other side – even being the one yielding a knife or worse, the one being stabbed. The scene also defines on how there are other Kittans like him who aren’t as lucky.

The characterization in the drama also remains an important cog in the screenplay, particularly given how grey the characters are. The approach isn’t binary too – even as you are introduced to two warring lords belonging to separate castes – Pandiyaraja (Ameer) and Kandasamy (Lal). In a scene, you witness one of them stating on how no one really remembers on how the feud actually started, but as things stand – one is witness to a bloodbath amidst multiple occasions of wanting to kill each other in the chaos. And the war isn’t restricted to either of these individuals only – it also extends to people who support them. So on one occasion the ones supporting would hug them, and on the other hand, the ones opposing would hunt them. It isn’t easy to pick sides, something that Kittan experiences – often being sandwiched between the two even while just wanting to participate in the game of Kabaddi.

There is a dilemma for Kittan even with respect to his own identity. In a moving scene, you see Kittan expressing his angst on how he had form enemies even before being born, referring to the caste that he belongs to. In another, you see him wanting to retaliate amidst locals who happened to kill their bison as a form of retaliation. Bison for Kittan is sacred and a Godly figure that he refers to as Kaalamaadan, so when his God is killed, there is retaliation only for Kittan’s father to stop him. The dilemma then remains on whether to be aggressive or be passive, particularly in a land where his God is dead!

The same sentiment is played out in two folds – one during his Kabaddi matches wherein he is often looked down upon, and the other being his tryst with love with a local girl called Raani (Anupama Parmeswaran), someone who is from an upper caste. The two struggles remain in parallel, even as Kittan remains focused on his game despite being at the center of multiple fights and sequences of violence, while staying away from Raani, perhaps given that he sees no future with her. This, despite his liberal elder sister Raji (Rajisha Vijayan) being the centre of the emotional support – between her father and Kittan, and between Raani and Kittan.

You do know that this isn’t your typical sports drama when you don’t see the transformation of the character through a montage of gym shots played against an inspirational soundtrack. In fact for Kittan, it is one battle after another – fighting his way into the Tamil Nadu state team and layer having to keep performing against all odds for the Indian National Team call. This, even while being at the receiving end of the rovering eye of doubt from the villagers who are divided on their support for the two warring lords, particularly following an incident. And in a scene when you see Kittan’s father pleading in front of cops who are about to arrest Kittan, you feel the emotions percolating inside your system. As they say, it takes an entire village to raise a child, even as Kittan has previously gotten support from both Pandiyaraja and Kandasamy separately. The final act can be argued to be cliched in terms of the sport in general, given its predictability and knowing how Mari Selvaraj always likes to end with a lot of hope. But you see how the frames shifts from the box at the start to a wide one, accomodating the games – something that adds texture to the screenplay that goes beyond a regular sports drama.