One of the many fascinating aspects of Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal remains its characterization. It is layered and laced with a purpose to take the plot ahead. In the absence of the father-figure and with the eldest member of the family laying on her death-bed, Viswanathan remains the patriarch of the family often being a man of subtle dominance while boasting of the value system engrained on him. This value system of his is also one of the turning points in his equation with Bhasker, who had fallen in love with a girl from another religion, married her and later settled in the US. The rift between the two brothers was more from an ideological standpoint with respect to an inter-religion point of view. In a scene, you are witness to Viswanathan calling off a deal with a character who seemed to be emotionally attached to the piece of land. When confronted by Bhasker, he was quick to dismiss the argument with pointers of how their father had to work hard to earn that land, while the supposed character’s forefathers were already rich enough to pass on their wealth to future generations. This did reflect on a sense of authority that Viswanathan would impose on characters around him, something that is reflective on his daughter Aathira (Garggi Ananthan) and Sethu, whom he often dismisses as an illiterate.

Sethu on the other hand, remains unmarried and left to live in solitude while having to take care of his mother while his brothers were away. We are told that despite having a learning disability, he remained the sole caretaker of his family while single-handedly taking care of the medical needs of his mother who is shown to be in coma. In a scene, Sethu overhears the filthy words of his brothers about him during a fight, but he doesn’t react in the moment, choosing to ignore the voices in his head. This trait is also reflective in his love life, of falling in love but never pursuing it due to the threat of his elder brother and his family traditions that saw Bhasker moving out (implied thoughts). Sethu is someone who is known to care but failing to express his emotions. Therefore, it hardly came as a surprise that he was the one who initiated the reunion of his brothers, while being heavily engulfed in a sea of solitude and loneliness. Hence, Sethu is essentially the glue of the family, doubling up as a bridge between the older traditions and the new-age thinking. In a scene, you see him catching his niece and nephew smoking a joint but instead of ratting them out, he joins them in the session. And In the same scene, he mentions a line that essentially defined the drama- Relationships are ephemeral, which means they don’t last forever. The context is of Aathira’s previous relationship while the same also extends to Sethu’s rocky relationship with his brothers.

Bhasker remains the most subdued and confused of the three brothers, in terms of his priorities in life. You see him being in two minds about his stake in the property, while also being in a dilemma between staying back for his ailing mother (whom the family is ‘hopeful’ that she will die soon) and heading back home for his job given that his promotions are due. This trait resonates from the fact that he is the youngest of the lot, and hence probably the most pampered growing up. Hence, you also see a new-age streak in him when he consoles his son after his breakup by citing his own example of heartbreak. This trait also overpowers the traditions of his family because he is the one that opts to head out after an ideological difference with his eldest brother. Clearly Viswanathan, Sethu and Bhasker resemble the different lights of a traffic signal that are never on the same page!

Interestingly, the drama mostly unfolds through the gaze of the first cousins Aathira and Nikhil (Thomas Mathew), who get to witness a sense of awkwardness between their parents. These are individuals that are young and hearty who weren’t aware of each other’s existence recently, and so this dynamic of theirs remains an interesting one. Aathira comforts Nikhil after the latter confesses about being in a ‘bad space’ after a breakup, Nikhil feels a sense of comfort with Aathira, and their closeness does double up as a potential conflict in the tale. There are tones of an incest relationship here but the gaze that the writing offers isn’t that of morality. In fact, the contrasting dynamics of the characters from different generations are reflected here – Viswanathan is more traditional with his values, while Nikhil and Aathira have a modern outlook to life. While one opposes love based on religion, the other side fuels it while blurring the boundaries of conformism. Both might be wrong in terms of morality, but the equation of Nikhil and Aathira is reflective of the discreet but liberal way of thinking that goes beyond the realms of rules and morality. And the writing never breaches the thin line that it treads on.

There is a meditative outlook as far as the characterization is concerned that never loses the soothing tonal consistency at any given point of time. As an undercurrent, even the character of the ailing mother lying on her death bed is symbolic of the unity of the family. In a couple of scenes, you see the doctor asking the brothers to be mentally prepared, on how she won’t survive too long. Yet, it is the body of the mother that continues to fight past death, almost being content in seeing her children together for the last time, sub-consciously speaking. Hence, the delay in her departure is also symbolic of her last wish, of wanting her family to be together. So after the final clash and a potential reveal when Bhasker decides to return back home, there is a brief moment wherein you witness the consciousness of the mother, just after Bhasker bids her an emotional goodbye. And hence, the final scene is also symbolic of the same, on how the passing away of the mother is bittersweet – her subconcience allowed her to recover, until her body had no will to live any longer after her children’s departure. Yet ironically, her death would also be the final occasion when the family reunites again. The ending is ambiguous but subtly profound with its storytelling that doesn’t believe in closures but instead chooses to focus on its characters and their incomplete character arcs.