Harshini S V
Lending a powerful space in mainstream cinema to address socially relevant issues to a larger audience.
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a law that criminalises same-sex relations was revoked. The moment was celebrated, and newspapers in the days that followed were flooded with many narratives and opinions,
In a way, Jeo Baby’s Kaathal – The Core picks up one such event that we have either gone through or witnessed or heard about after the monumental judgement. Omana files for a divorce, citing that Mathew is a homosexual man.
Heavy with dialogue and a slow-paced first-half, what keeps you invested in Kaathal – The Core is its adamancy in not surrendering to superficiality.
It is through subtle vignettes that Jeo shows where Mathew and Omana stand in each other’s lives — theirs is a love that is platonic, and one that has developed over years of familiarity and comfort.
Kaathal – The Core speaks about the struggles of coming out and addresses the need for acceptance in a conventional society. And if that’s not bold and progressive, I am not sure what is.