We knew about the North Indians’ obsession with Mumbai or the Punjabis’ fixation on Canada but weren’t aware of the fascination the city of Bangalore has for the Malayalee youth. BANGALORE DAYS (2014, Malayalam) is a revelation in that respect. It deals with four migrants – all ambitious youth from Kerala who have made the city their home, chasing their dreams, crossing each other’s path (three of them are cousins) and the resulting impact that
it has on their lives. Director Anjali Menon works up a light-hearted story filled with fun and frolic, laced with some tragic back-story and delivers a cheerful coming-of-age film which is fast-paced and has impressive performances by actors who had not become stars yet – Dulquer Salman, Fahad Fasil, Nazriya Nazim, Nivin Pauly, Isha Talwar and Parvathy Thiruvothu. It was one of the top grossers of the Malayalam industry at that time and triggered the pan-Indian curiosity for Malayalam films and its vibrant march since.
For those who have still not seen the film, it is streaming on Disney-Hotstar.
Ranjan Das is a Mumbai based filmmaker & faculty.
GOOD WORK