Sajan Bakery Since 1962 Review: Heartwarming film in Malayalam!

Sajan Bakery Since 1962 Is  Other  Side Of Sooraj Barjatya

Sajan Bakery Since 1962 (Amazon Prime Video)

Starring Aju Varghese, K.B.Ganesh Kumar, Lena, Ranjita Menon

Directed  by Arun Chandu

Rating: ***

Sajan Bakery Since 1962 Review: When it comes  to the  regional  repertoire Amazon  Prime  is constantly breaking the  glass ceiling, bringing to  its  audience  cinema from the South with an immediacy that  makes language  redundant. After  the  very  successful  boxing film Sarpatta Parambarai in Tamil, Amazon brings us this, Sajan Bakery Since 1962 ,  heartwarming film in Malayalam  about  a family that owns  a bakery,bickers together but stays together.

[tnm_video layout=”mnmd-post-media-wide”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_6Uoy-soig[/tnm_video]

Sajan Bakery Since 1962 is a film that moves in  a direction opposite  to  Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi  Kabhie Gham . The cloying sweetness  of  families hugging kissing eating and  defecating together, makes way for a  genuine portrait  of  family fissures and cracks and how they are cemented by an all-encompassing sense  of kinship that is  not easy to cling to.

Ever since their father abandoned them and the bakery business, siblings  Bobin(Aju Varghese) and Betsy(Lena) have been running the family business, baking  buns and cakes, while barely being able to stand each other’s company.

Betsy sees Bobin for what he  is: selfish, uncaring and  irresponsible. She has  problems  of her own. She has been separated  from her husband who is  not a drunken lout, thank God . He left because Betsy is  hard  to live with.But somewhere in her  fractured heart Betsy is hopeful  of  a  reconciliation.

Enter  Merin(a sparkling Ranjita Menon) who begins  to  get fond of Bobin. Some  of  the  film’s most balmy  interludes are  the ones where Merin wooes Bobin sending him  loving text messages.It is  stalking in  reverse, if you ask me. But  who cares!  Certainly  not  Merin who has  her heart set on Bobin.

Kudos to the  writer and director for letting the woman take the  courtship lead rather than  have her  passively  willing imn Sajan Bakery Since 1962 . The  narrative never fumbles while  showing  the  siblings at war with each other, and with  themselves. The rhythm  of  life in the  drudgery  of existence  is  never broken. What  I  liked the  most about Sajan Bakery Since 1962  is  that  it  never loses sight  of the real world even while dabbling in  the alternate  reality  of cinematic  devices, like courtship, romance, breakups,  songs,family  bondings …All through,  the  director  maintains  a resolute grip over the grammar  of his  storytelling thereby ensuring that the  film remains true to life  even as it  assumes  cinematic postures.

In Malayalam cinema  the actors don’t seem to  act. This is  true of Sajan Bakery Since 1962  where  even the smallest role is  redolent with realism. K B Ganesh Kumar as Bobin and Betsy’s uncle  is such a natural I felt I  knew  him first-hand. Check out the veteran who plays the owner  of a rival bakery(Jaffar Idduki). If you catch him “acting” as he  spews gyan on honest labour to  Bobin over cream buns, I promise  to refund  your money.