Film: Tiyaan
Genre: Drama
Director: Jiyen Krishnakumar
Cast: Prithviraj,
Indrajith, Murali Gopy
The overpowering and contentious of all our systems has to be the supreme institution of religion. Here, questions are rarely asked but orders blindly taken. Faith-addled brains prostrate before logical thinking. In this system, religion reigns. Jiyen Krishnakumar’s Tiyaan roots on this psyche and it picks the perfect bait to nail it, the trend of god-men culture. But, has it hit the mark? Mostly yes. In this intense take on Indian realism, Murali Gopy-scripted Tiyaan takes off quite predictably, albeit smoothly, but totters towards the end, when the makers possibly decided to compromise for commercial gains.
Tiyaan is set on the barren lands of Uttar Pradesh or the heart of Hindi.
A Hindu pandit Pattabhirama Giri (Indrajith) finds his serene life and beliefs at stake when he is threatened to submit his land for setting up the ashram of self-styled godman Mahashay Bhagwan (Murali Gopy). Pattabhiraman, armed with his thorough belief in God, refuses to bow to the threats and suffers the aftermath. As he faces failure, Aslan Mohammed (Prithviraj) comes to his rescue. Together they fight the dark and manipulative side of religion.
A perennial debate topic, godman culture comes under scrutiny here. Mahashay, clad in a garish attire, runs the show. He is merciless, inhumane and has the world (read the rich men) under his feet. But, even he is super-controlled by the land mafia, who uses ‘his magic’ to to mint money. Apparently, ideologies and beliefs are not at war here, rather the quest is for money. Tiyaan makes it look that simple. Remember, this happens in religion-obsessed India and we aren’t convinced.
But, otherwise Tiyaan has flashes of brilliance. Murali Gopy’s script reigns supreme here and nothing surpasses it, not even the brilliant act by the cast. The characters are layers deep and he has taken the pain to create an aura around them, especially Aslan Mohammed. Mouthing some philosophical verses, Prithviraj plays Aslan with his innate charm. Indrajith is Pattabhiraman, torn between his ideologies and realities. Murali Gopy as Mahashay steals the show as he builds around him a dark and dingy world. Cinematographer Satish Kurup has set the mood with some raw and rustic visuals and Gopi Sunder’s BGM perk up the tensions.
Tiyaan starts off well. It manages to expose the underbelly of godman culture and the hapless laws of the rustic Hindi land, but we wish it had been more daring. Nevertheless, Tiyaan’ is engaging and can keep you hooked. This one belongs to Murali Gopy.