Devasuram

I V Sasi's 1993 Malayalam film, written by Ranjith, is a character portrait of the collapse of feudal Kerala. Neelakanthan squanders the inheritance left by his father on drink, women and display; the secret his mother reveals on her deathbed changes the direction of his life. The title names the duality between the divine and the demonic directly, and the character stands at exactly those two poles. Mohanlal's performance carries arrogance and fragility in the same body; in Kerala cinema the role was read as both the peak of the feudal masculinity narrative and its critique. The film's problem is precisely there: Neelakanthan's treatment of women and of lower castes is compensated by the story with an arc of purification, which sits uncomfortably now. A sequel followed in 2008. Who it's for: viewers interested in Malayalam classics, stories about the collapse of feudal order, and Mohanlal in the 1990s. Who it's not for: anyone troubled by violence against women being excused within the narrative, or who will find a runtime near three hours too long.