An idiosyncratic representation of urban reality
Metro Kathalu is originally an anthology of 25 short stories written by renowned writer Mohammed Khadeer Babu who presents real-life in true colours through his stories. His Dargamitta Kathalu and Poleramma Banda Kathalu are some of his other popular works that are prominent for their nativity and regional dialect. Four of his stories from his latest anthology Metro Kathalu which were made into a web film with the same name by Ram Maddukuri and Kiran Reddy Mandadi is streaming now on Aha OTT platform.
Storyline
There are four stories transcending the lives of different people against urban backdrop. Proposal, the first story is about the insecurities of a software engineer Abhirami (Nakshatra) who believes in a practical approach towards life. The love expressed by her colleague Chandu (Thiruveer Reddy) over a cup of coffee made her open up and spill out everything including her first kiss leaving Chandu somewhat perplexed.
Second is Ghatana, Manjula (Sana) is a frustrated woman who is unable to take life in her stride and gets furious over her husband for his indulgence in alcoholism. To vent out her frustration and negativity, she gets intimate with Varun (Ali Reza) which envisages her vulnerability and cynicism.
The third one is Selfie featuring Supriya (Nandini Rai) who never happens to live with her husband feels isolated exposing her longing for a shoulder to lean upon during her ups and downs in life. She shares the truth about her breast cancer through a ‘selfie’ with her husband over the phone and the concluding dialogue by Supriya reflects the essence of this heart touching story.
Rajeev Kanakala and Gayatri Bhargavi’s Tegalu is the final story in this anthology which depicts the middleclass insecurities. Abbas (Rajeev) who loses his father at his younger age gets nostalgic whenever he sees Tegalu. The rationale behind his fondness for ‘tegalu’ is not understood even by his better half who keeps on chiding him for his love towards these ‘palm shrouts’. The actual story behind his love to savour them which he shares with his wife and children in the end leaves everyone teary-eyed demonstrating the significance of relationships in human lives.
Performances
The surprise element is in the form of Nandini Rai who has shown great maturity and perfection in portraying a difficult character. She is fabulous in every frame. Then Sana and Rajeev are simply awesome and their versatility is evident in every scene. Nakshatra, Thiruveer, Ali Reza, Gayatri Bhargavi, and Ram too have done their bit with exemplary performances in limited screen space available to them.
Direction & Technical Aspects
Director Karuna Kumar’s deft handling of all stories by keeping the actual essence of each story intact is the key factor. He retained the same dialogues as they are in the story except a few additions and modifications here and there. This shows his confidence in the story and his respect for the originality. He is successful in translating the stories of Khadeer Babu on to the screen brilliantly and beauty of all these stories lies in their proximity to the reality in urban strata of society.
The changeover of the story from one to another with a blank screen at the beginning with voice-overs is another testimony of the immense talent this Palasa director possesses which emphasizes his creativity bent of mind.
Another beautiful feature of this anthology is the open-ended conclusion given to the stories which many feel that they are incomplete. The ending is left to the discretion of the viewers as every person looks at these stories from different perspectives and ending the story on a single fixed conclusion would have damaged the actual idea behind the story and Karuna has done the right thing by adopting the open ended approach.
The Cinematography by Venkat Prasad is apt and the background score of Ajay Arasada is excellent and the different mood it created for every story has elevated it to the next level.
Verdict & Rating
Undoubtedly, a definite watch. The essence of relationships and idiosyncrasies behind them are very well captured in Metro Kathalu. Love to see other stories in the anthology of Khadeer Babu also on screen very soon which are sure to get more positive response from the audience who always root for subjects that reflect reality and present lives in a true perspective. So let’s hope for another edition of Metro Kathalu by Karuna Kumar in near future.
