GUNS AND GIGGLES

Malayalam cinema is rediscovering itself in blood, gore and black comedy

- SAJIN SHRIJITH

"The more one suffers, the more, I believe, has one a sense for the comic." -Søren Kierkegaard. Danish theologian and philosopher

Having just survived a close-range shootout, two hitmen get philosophical about their neardeath experience on the drive back. In the car with them is another survivor, a young black man. One hitman believes it's a "freak occurrence" that saved them, while the other believes it to be "divine intervention" The former, irked by his colleague, asks the black man for his opinion. "Man, I don't even have an opinion," comes the reply. The hitman turns around and says animatedly, "Well, you gotta have an opinion. Do you think God came down to...," Bang! The hitman's gun accidentally goes off, followed by a crimson splatter on the rear window.

This was one of the most-discussed scenes in Quentin Tarantino's iconic Pulp Fiction (1994). It made some viewers uncomfortable-the idea of accidentally shooting a black man and then casually arguing about it in broad daylight. The majority that got the humour, however, turned the film into a cult sensation. The Pulp Fiction brand of humour was a first for many viewers unversed with the concept of 'dark comedy. It was the same for me; I watched it first in high school and realised the film's genius after several viewings.

The new Malayalam comedy hit Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam, just out on Netflix, features a similar accident. Only this time, the victim is not a good guy, and "divine intervention" gets a whole new meaning.

In the most shocking scene, the lead actor Saiju Kurup is happily juggling a milk packet on the way home, unprepared for the gruesome murder he is about to witness. What makes the crime acceptable is that it was committed by a family trying to protect itself from malicious threats.