Laptop

Cast: Suresh Gopi, Padmapriya, Shwetha Menon, Urmila Unni, Madhuben, Harikrishnan
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Mother Movies
Director: Rupesh Paul
Producer: E.A. Joseprakash
Camera: V Vinod
Story: Subhash Chandran
Screenplay: Rupesh Paul
Dialogue: Rupesh Paul
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahmed
Music: Sreevalsan J. Menon
Year: 2008

Debutant director Rupesh Paul's My Mother's Laptop talks about the strong bonding between a mother and a son. The film is based on writer Subhash Chandran's short story called Parudeesa Nashtam, the title obviously meaning ‘Paradise Lost’. Subhash's original story is no less than a gem but the film is painstakingly pretentious and prosaic.

Ravi (Suresh Gopi) has gone back to his mother (Swetha Menon) after a while but is shattered to see her in an ailing state in the hospital. Payal (Padmapriya), who is madly in love with Ravi, is amazed by his love for his mother. At one instance she even calls him an Oedipus, which means a lot in the mood of the film.

As the deliberately done confusion regarding the title that has perhaps no connection with a computer but means the lap of the mother, Laptop generally fails to connect with today’s audience. The repetition of the same visuals and the long silences could have been added to create an effect, but it evokes a negative impact on the contrary. The film lacks a tight screenplay and certain scenes have been contrived to give the whole exercise a serious look.

Like, for instance, the issue of the poor mother and child who sits on a pavement to protest against imperialism and Special Economic Zones. If the intention was to convey certain messages to the viewers, the screenplay fails miserably in that attempt. Laptop has been structured in a manner which was in existence long back and was dubbed then as the so-called “parallel cinema”. But it would be important to note at the same time that the inefficient handling of such a line has weaned the Malayali audiences away from serious cinema itself!

Sreevalsan J. Menon's entry as a music director is perhaps the redeeming factor in Laptop. Three songs in the film are good but find even greater relevance as it brings in some activity to the insipid pace of the movie. Vinod's camera too has etched some refreshing visuals.

Suresh Gopi has a single expression throughout and groans often to express his anguish. Padmapriya is rather convincing in her brief role as Payal, the girl who is besotted with her love for Ravi. Swetha Menon has just to look good in her flashback scenes and then play the ailing mother, which she does pretty well.

On the whole, Laptop is evidently cliched and seems to have been presented way too seriously than its actual merit. Sadly, the warmth provided by the book is completely lacking in this film version.

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