Nadhi Karayinile
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Showing
Cast:
Suvalakshmi, Ramji, Rajan P.Dev, Hanifa, Shanti Williams.
Director: Ponvannan
 This celluloid version of popular Kannada novelist Sara Abubaker's work comes to the screen a couple of years after its completion, having made it to the international film festival circuit meanwhile. Centering around a Muslim family's trials and tribulations, it’s about a father’s machinations that leads to his daughters' ruin, touching on the concept of ‘talaq’ whereby a man can get divorce from his wife by calling out ‘talaq’ thrice.
After his first daughter Jameela (Suvalakshmi) is happily married to small-time textile shop owner Naseer (Ramji), Mohmad finalises his second daughter’s marriage. When Naseer refuses to help during a financial crunch, a furious Mohmad takes away the unsuspecting Jameela with him on false pretext. Selling her jewels, he manages to get his second daughter married.
Getting deeper into debt, Mohmad agrees to a suggestion to get Jameela married to a wealthy old man who would pay off his debts. But before that Jameela has to get divorced (get talaq) from Naseer.
 Realising that it is an impossible task since Naseer still loved Jameela, the scheming Mohmad tricks Naseer into believing that Jameela does not want to return to him, and manages to get Naseer to give talaq to
Jameela.
When a shocked Jameela learns about her farther’s machinations, the dutiful daughter, for the first time, vents her anger and hurt on her father. Struck by remorse, Mohmad now tries to set matters right but finds it a difficult task. For, if Jameela has to re-marry Naseer, she has to first get married to another man, get a talaq from him and then re-marry her first husband. Mohmad now has to hunt for a second husband. The son-in-law of his second daughter suggests a man who is mentally imbalanced and would pose no problem.
 Bedridden and guilt-struck, Mohmad sees a ray of hope. He is back on his feet and enthusiastically begins work to reconstruct his daughter’s life. But he had not reckoned with fate playing its final trick on him. There are a couple of unanswered questions like why Naseer, knowing his father-in-law’s machinations, doesn't make more effort to get his wife back. It’s a little high on melodrama at times. Again, commercial considerations must have dictated the director to include the comedy track of Hanifa, which stands out like a sore thumb in this otherwise well-crafted, directed film.
Ponvannan has extracted some good performances from his artistes. For Suvalakshmi, a consummate actress with an abundance of emotional talent, the role of Jameela is a cakewalk. Ramji fits in with natural ease as her husband Naseer. Rajan P. Dev as Mohmad, short-tempered, reckless and arrogant, plays his part to perfection.
Produced by V Sunder, the film (earlier titled ‘Jameela’), off-beat and touching in its portrayal of the goings-on in a Muslim family, was the only Indian entry at the Shanghai Film Festival 2001.
Malini Mannath
Published on 2nd Dec, 2003
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