Wow!. Review on Terrorist

Santosh Sivan's Terrorist reinforces your belief that he is a visionary film-maker - one to be admired and concerned about. Always a superb cinematographer, as a director he asserts his versatility with this investigation into the heart and mind of a young woman being prepared to carry out the suicidal mission of a human bomb.

Avoiding sensationalism and gimmicks, Sivan has created a compact, consistently rigorous 90-minute film which gives substance to the contention that Indian cinema is coming of age - of our age. Working on an astonishingly sparse budget of under Rs20 lakh, he narrates a story which seems to have been culled from the pages of real life. Frequently employing ultra-tight close-ups which take you right into the deceptively focused psyche of Malli (Ayesha Dharker), Sivan sets up a world where everything appears to be normal. The chlorophyll green forestlands of Kerala, old-worldly mansions, placid farmyards, gurgling rivulets and trains chugging through a bridge, add up to a backdrop of wonderful pastoral beauty. Violence, however, explodes intermittently in the environs contaminated by politics and subversive conflagrations. Possessed with the idea of redressing wrong and, in a way, wreaking revenge for the slaying of her martyred brother, the 19-year-old girl volunteers to blow up a ''VIP visitor'', never mind if she has to pay the price for her bravado with her own death.

In the course of her mission, she encounters people of various ages and temperaments, making that vital human contact - as she does with a puckish boy who serves as a forest guide for the terrorist groups. In addition, Malli finds surrogate parents in a blabbering, philosophy-spouting, old-as-the-hills landlord and his bed-ridden wife who speaks with her silent eyes.

Cleansing herself with water continuously, Malli's fragile state of mind is expressed through various rituals, be it her daily morning baths, frugal rice-and-sambar meals and those near robotic rehearsals for the assassination. Determined to achieve her mission, she remains unswayed right till the zero-hour. That's the moment she must decide whether to sacrifice herself for a larger ''cause'' or spare a thought for the unborn child in her womb.

Mercifully, Malli's fleeting physical relationship with a wounded compatriot is delineated in almost-telegraphic flashbacks. Also, the dialogue is kept to a bare minimum, the pauses speaking much more eloquently than words. Brilliantly shot, the outcome is a visual marvel - even tiny drops of water on a strand of hair or an etching on the trumpet of a brass band are clearly visible. Style segues into the strong content seamlessly, accounting for the best little big film seen in years. It's searingly humane and as believable as life itself.

There are some jarring elements though: the terrorist leader remains unnecessarily shadowy, being glimpsed like a stereotyped mafia boss, stirring a hot brew of tea constantly. And although the dubbing from Tamil to Hindi is serviceable, you can't help wishing that you could have seen the original version with sub-titles. Despite such blemishes, nothing can finally whittle the effort's walloping impact. The ensemble acting is of the highest order. Parmeshwar Nair, as the ever-optimistic old man, is absolutely endearing. And your thumbs-up go out to Ayesha Dharker, whose unflickering gaze haunts you long after the movie is over. From her, Sivan has extracted a performance of dignity, intelligence and a compassion that is simply engulfing. Terrorist, then, is fulsomely recommended for those who care about cinema that's literate and, yes - dare one utter the word? - thought-provoking