Gentlewoman stars actresses Lijomo and Losliya leading the drama that deals with an extra marital affair and the intricacies of how the act is perceived in the tabooed world that blames the women for the most part. Directed by Joshua Sethuraman, the story is neatly cut and served with no racy mystery or veil fogging the narrative.
Gentle isn’t just for men—Gentlewoman is here! Unveiling the first look of #gentlewoman 💕
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A film by @Dir_Joshua
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Gentlewoman Plot and Premise
Newly wed couple Poorni and Aravind are unabashedly enjoying their honeymoon phase. Aravind (Hari Krishnan) is always busy with his ‘work’ and convincingly plays the role of a workaholic husband who is sincere in his work and home. When one of Poorni’s friend visits them for a work in Chennai, Aravind’s true colours as a womaniser comes out. As an aftermath of a terrible yet satisfying accident, Aravind goes unconscious. While Poorni has nothing to do with this, she gets to know about her husband’s affair and in the heat of the moment gets her revenge.
Anna, a talented artist and Aravind’s lover upon not getting any response from him visits his house and then files a complaint with the police seeking help to find him. What conjures out of this dream accident and a missing person complaint is a slow paced crime drama that somehow satisfies the audience.
The Positive Aspects
There is an almost perfect picture painted right from the beginning of a happily married couple and what some might argue as an oxymoron in itself is truly too good to be true and serves as a perfect ploy for what conspires next. This is a neat inclusion in Director Joshua Sethuraman’s writing.
Both Lijomol and Losliya crack open their characters and find a ray of honesty in their characters’ actions, especially Losliya who has easily delivered her best so far.
The screenplay, although based on an unfaithful action from a man (Aravind) , then takes its course towards the narrative and perception of gender, power in domestic life. It is reflected through colours, shades and lightings as Anna is seen in whites projecting her purity although it is always ‘the other woman’ who gets blamed.
The Negative Aspects
Although the revenge plot was quick and satisfying for the audience to watch, the screenplay is not steady and definitely not woven tightly. When the revenge plot doubles in the second half towards the climax the story itself feels loose and incomplete. It is unfortunately not an unknown story and derived based on a few real life incidents, at least the crime thus making it more predictable.
Verdict
Gentlewoman weaves a beautiful thread of understanding, acceptance and a nasty revenge crime that brings out satisfaction. With the main focus remaining on the gender roles, how the shaming and blaming falls on the women, Joshua Sethuraman does a good job bringing the runtime down close to two hours, making this a worthy watch.
