After The Great Indian Kitchen, Malayalam OTT platform Neestream has managed to nab another much anticipated Mollywood flick, Vaanku. This Indian drama was expected to drop in theaters back on 13th March 2020, but had to be rescheduled due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the Indian Government after the coronavirus outbreak. Like The Great Indian Kitchen, this movie touches on another, socially important women’s issue which has been ignored by society for too long.
The Malayalam movie industry has been bringing change to the Malayali community through their movies in the past decade. Talking about moral conundrums, social issues and everyday life with the help of good acting, great story and brilliant direction has been “clicking” with the younger generation than the old-school macho-man, bad-assery flicks (although some good ones do go through once in a while). And the younger generation of storytellers are actively trying to make movies of the first kind, rather than the second, hence helping in the moral/ social progress.
And that is what movies like The Great Indian Kitchen and Vaanku are trying to do – talk about women’s issues from a woman’s point of view without being preachy (well not being overly preachy). The Great Indian Kitchen speaks of a more broader issue that most women face after marriage – a loss of self-identity in most patriarchal households. Vaanku follows a smart young woman, who is the topper of her college, and she has only one dream – to be a Muezzin like her father and call the ‘Vaanku’ (Adhan).
A Muezzin is a person who calls people who follow the Islamic faith to prayer. Traditionally, and in most sects of the Islamic faith, a Muezzin is usually (and can only be) a man. In this movie, a young woman who follows the teachings of Allah wants to be a Muezzin and challenges the patriarchal dominant society she is in, to do something that she has been dreaming about for a long time.
Obviously this subject matter won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but challenging different views is something to be encouraged, even if said view isn’t “hurting anybody”. A regional film/ media industry which continues to challenge society’s norms without being negative or preachy will help to create dialogue between people, which will only lead to the society’s eventual social/ moral progression.
Vaanku is premiering on Neestream today, on 5th February 2021.