I've been wondering what to write about. It has been a long time since I last blogged, and it sucks that I did not prioritise Four Eyes enough. I kept telling myself that I had bigger things to deal with, but amid everything, I didn't really give enough time to the things that fulfilled me, such as blogging. So here I am, back at it with this post—but it isn’t just another movie review. This is more than that because Meiyazhagan (2024) stirred something deep in me, bringing up memories, emotions, and a sense of yearning that I thought I’d tucked away for a while. Watching it reminded me how much I miss home, in ways I hadn’t really thought about until now.
Synopsis
This Indian Tamil-language film follows Arulmozhi Varman (played beautifully by Arvind Swamy), a man who returns to his hometown after twenty-two long years away. He reconnects with people from his past and we witness him undertake an internal journey of rediscovery. He stumbles upon an overly cheerful man (played by an in-form Karthi) who showers him with an overwhelming amount of affection because (apparently) they go way back. Here's the humourous and heartbreaking thing: Arulmozhi does not remember who this man is.
I had been waiting to watch this movie because it is directed by C. Prem Kumar (famously known for his 2018 film'96). If you know me well enough, I'm all for slice-of-life films, and nothing gets better than a movie that spans a conversation over a single night. Like '96 (2018), this movie has the same heart-wrenching, nostalgic pull that lingers long after the credits roll. Technically, this movie is terrific with beautiful shots and background score (an on-point Govind Vasantha) that capture the essence of what it feels like to be home but also filled with emotions of guilt and melancholy.
What is home, really?
This was the first movie I watched after I returned home from my boarding school after six weeks. Needless to say, I missed home. However, the time flew by and I was so occupied with school stuff that I did not have the luxury of realising it. Watching this film, I couldn't help but think about what "home" really meant for me. Is it the comforting sense of familiarity? Or is it the people, memories, and feelings we have attached to certain places?
In a month, I'll be flying to India, and there is a sense of both excitement and apprehension. While I am beyond thrilled to revisit my family and places from my childhood, there's also the lingering question: Do I belong in the way I used to? Has the passage of time, especially in the past two years of not visiting home, changed the way I fit into that world?
Homecoming: A reflection on time and belonging
His return to his hometown is tinged with bittersweetness. His joy of returning is coupled with the inevitable comparisons of what's changed and the life he left behind. The many scenes of him trying to piece together the fragments of who he was and who he's become made the movie the brilliance that it is. That's somewhat the feeling I have. Each visit to India feels a little more distant - a familiar yet different experience each time. To be frank, I don't know if I am simply just a visitor, passing through familiar streets and beloved memories. There is a part of me ridden with guilt for potentially forgetting details of the home that my family back there would never forget. This fading of people and memories is scary, and I don't know if we acknowledge this enough.
That is why this movie hits close to home.
I know for a fact things have not changed much back in Hyderabad but, even if they have, the beauty in familiar sounds, smells, and streets is forever unchanging. I guess it also scares me slightly that it might be quite a while until I next visit since I might be going abroad for university next. Two years ago, I visited Chennai for the first time since I relocated from India to Malaysia. Visiting my childhood house and school, and meeting all my school friends engulfed me with the same feeling.
Regardless of these conflicting emotions, I can't wait to go home after what feels like ages. I might still be hungover from the movie, but I hope to have a trip that is filled with acceptance, emotional healing, and reconnections just like it was on screen. Now, just for the sake of being a bit cliched, I think I should quote Djo: You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man.
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
I can't promise I'll be consistent with future posts, but I'll try.
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