Vidheyan

Adoor Gopalakrishnan's 1994 Malayalam film follows Thommy, servant to a cruel landowner. Pattelar uses violence arbitrarily and Thommy obeys every time; it does not occur to him to resist. The subject is how obedience is internalised. Thommy submits from habit rather than fear; he counts what his master does to him as normal and at a certain point becomes an accomplice. The narrative does not build this as a story of victimhood. It is adapted from Paul Zacharia's novella and set in the border region with Karnataka. Mammootty plays Pattelar and does not soften the character. Adoor keeps the camera static and does not stage the violence for display. Who it's for: those who like Indian art cinema and dramas about power. Who it's not for: viewers troubled by sexual violence and killing; the film makes them part of the narrative.