Nathicharami
Nathicharami is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language film written by Mansore and Sandhya Rani, Screen play and directed by Mansore and produced by M. Ramesh, under the banner Tejaswini Enterprises. Jaganmohan Reddy and Shivkumar Reddy are the other producers. The music of the film is scored by Bindhu Malini. The film stars Sruthi Hariharan and Sanchari Vijay with Sharanya, Poornachandra Mysore, Balaji Manohar and Gopal Deshpande in key roles. The sound design is done by Mahavir Sabbanavar and cinematography by Guruprasad Narnad. Manasa Mustafa has designed the costumes for the film.
The film had its world premiere in the India Story category and was nominated for the Oxfam Best film on Gender Equality Award at the 20th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
Nathicharami won five awards at the 66th National film awards in 2019. National [Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer|Best Female Playback Singer] went to Bindhu Malini for the song Mayaavi Manave, Best Lyrics for Manjunath S for the same song and Best Editing went to Nagendra K Ujjani. The movie also won the award for National Film Award for Best [Feature Film in Kannada|Best Feature Film in Kannada]. Shruthi Hariharan got a Special Mention for Best Actress for her performance. The film was remade in Malayalam as Neeraja.
Synopsis
Nathicharami is about Gowri whose life is perplexed between her physical desires and emotional beliefs. Gowri is an independent working woman living in the city alone. She is in continuous mourning of the untimely demise of her husband years ago. She still loves him and has filled her house with his belongings, memories and pictures. However, she has the desires of her body which she does not know how to address. The film narrates the struggles of the Gowri in a society that believes that a woman's physical desires can only be followed by a nuptial. Gowri is surrounded by people from her daily life who talk about their notions that are contrary to the other. A psychologist helps her navigate the confusions in her mind. Finally, when she feels that she has overcome her ambiguity, the situation takes a leap.The film also follows another husband and wife duo. The husband who has emotionally abandoned his wife, and the wife who eagerly puts in efforts to rekindle their relationship.
The film also brings the audience's attention towards the nuances women from different walks of life face.
Soundtrack
The film's score and soundtracks are composed by Bindhu Malini.Reception
Sunayana Suresh of The Times of India gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Nathicharami is different, bold and relevant. It talks about desires and yet discusses the idea of consent. The film is definitely a step towards more gender sensitive cinema that is required in the industry." Jagadish Angadi of the Deccan Herald gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5, noting that "the film's psychological and physical explorations remain incomplete. It is reduced to the status of an adult art movie. The lack of a background score in many scenes affects the cinematic experience."Aravind Shwetha of The News Minute gave it a positive review and wrote, "The movie is a must-watch, if you can sit through the slow pace."
Prathima Nandakumar of The Week gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5, noting that "Nathicharami is a thought-provoking movie, slow-paced, yet engaging."