L'intenzione è lodevolissima: Naradan mostra senza mezzi termini l'opportunismo criminale e la dubbia professionalità di cui si macchia una certa frangia dell'informazione televisiva. In India, ci vuole coraggio a dirigere - e interpretare - un film come Naradan, infischiandosene del rischio di venire pubblicamente triturati da quei baroni dei media con la coda di paglia.
Premesso ciò, Naradan non convince fino in fondo, soprattutto perché privo di una sceneggiatura coerente. La prima parte è una cronaca realistica della deprimente quotidianità di un gruppo di giornalisti. La seconda, più patinata, anticipata da un breve passaggio a dir poco paradossale, è il nocciolo della storia: l'ascesa di Chandraprakash, spregevole e amorale conduttore di programmi di informazione - qui Naradan sfodera l'artiglieria pesante, nessuna misericordia nei confronti del protagonista. A seguire una terza parte, non necessaria e con set inspiegabilmente spartani, nella quale la pellicola vira verso il genere giudiziario, con un finale consolatorio ma posticcio.
Le tre parti sono slegate fra loro, mal combinate, la narrazione non è fluida, la regia manca di lucidità e di visione generale. Naradan non è una satira, e non è abbastanza incisivo per un tradizionale film di denuncia, sembra si collochi nel mezzo, ma questa incertezza ne mina la serietà. Naradan si limita ad illustrarci il ristretto ambiente dei media, tratteggia in modo superficiale la sfera interiore del protagonista, e trascura il contesto sociale e politico che favorisce il suo successo in termini di ascolti. L'involuzione di Chandraprakash risulta implausibile, le motivazioni deboli.
Tovino Thomas è indaffarato nel dar vita alle diverse sfumature di Chandraprakash, con esiti non sempre precisi. In alcuni punti la sua interpretazione andava affilata. La sceneggiatura dispersiva non gli è stata d'aiuto. Anna Ben è un magnifico regalo offerto dall'industria in lingua malayalam al cinema indiano, un'adorabile giovane attrice baciata da un talento fresco e spontaneo.
TRAMA
Chandraprakash è il fiore all'occhiello di News Malayalam, il più importante canale televisivo di informazione in Kerala. Ma il suo entusiasmo si sta appannando, e i canali concorrenti ne traggono vantaggio per rosicchiare ascolti. Durante un breve congedo, Chandraprakash viene inaspettatamente sostituito da un collega più giovane, e decide quindi di dimettersi. Una cordata di investitori intenzionati ad accaparrarsi una fetta dei sostanziosi introiti pubblicitari, coinvolge Chandraprakash nel progetto di una nuova rete. Nasce così Narada News. E nasce - rinasce - CP, versione aggiornata e priva di scrupoli di Chandraprakash.
RECENSIONI
The Hindu:
'In Naradan, Aashiq Abu hardly ever employs satire. The script by Unni R. is as direct as it can get, drawing on recent happenings from the political and media landscape in the State as well as outside, to tell the compelling story of the rise of an unethical media anchor. (...) It is much to Tovino Thomas’s credit that he is ready to take up characters that are not likeable. (...) Chandraprakash is even repulsive at many points. His hectoring style of anchoring, cutting off panelists midway and misinterpreting their words to serve his purpose, is reminiscent of many contemporary anchors. It is the transformation in Chandraprakash’s character which becomes one of the high points of the film. (...) Aashiq Abu uses Naradan to invert the power equations of the newsroom studio, to put on trial the style of journalism promoted by sections of the visual media in recent years. The script points at the inherent voyeurism, the moral judgements and the conservative mindsets of the self-anointed judges in newsrooms. Though many of the scenes are set around tiring news debates and voyeuristic reporting, it makes for engaging drama in the film. Some parts, especially that of a rapper confronting the anchor in a live video, seems to have been drawn from happenings in the national media, just like a part of the anchor’s character. A good part of the hour leading up to the climax has been structured as a court-room drama, with some solid performances from Indrans, as the judge who is not easily swayed, and from Anna Ben, as a lawyer. Although the arguments justifying media gags in some cases can be misused by some elements, as has happened in recent years, the court arguments also raise valid questions on what constitutes public interest journalism. The two rap songs add to the general idea and spirit of the film. Naradan is a stinging critique of the rot that has taken over at least a section of the visual media, which revolves almost completely around ratings'.
S.R. Praveen, 03.03.22
Film Companion:
'It reveals an unsanitized and unromantic look at a profession that was either portrayed as too glamorous or too caricaturish. (...) The effort here is to give us an authentic tour of the newsroom and what the pressures of TRPs [Television Rating Point] do to its foot soldiers. (...) Naradan oscillates between realism and satire. (...) Despite the relevance of the themes discussed here, (...) one can feel the cracks in the storyline. It's like the film we see is the result of an earlier draft without the necessary rewrites to make it cohere. (...) Even the consciously OTT performances of both Tovino [Thomas] and Sharaf [U Dheen] (...) does not fit with either the realistic or the satirical pitch. And that's what becomes even more confusing when it eventually abandons the newsroom for the courtroom. (...) Why do the courtroom scenes look and feel so basic? (...) With this confusion in tone and texture and with incomplete characters (...) Naradan is a bit all over the place even though one agrees and values everything it wants to say. (...) Naradan lacks the subtlety to work either as a complex drama about a man's descent into darkness specifically or to be an expose of the media business in general'.
Vishal Menon, 04.03.22
Cinema Hindi: ***
Punto di forza: il soggetto (****), le intenzioni, l'audacia.
Punto debole: sceneggiatura poco focalizzata, incompleta.
SCHEDA DEL FILM
Cast:
* Tovino Thomas - Chandraprakash, giornalista televisivo
* Sharaf U Dheen - Pradeep, giornalista televisivo
* Anna Ben - Shakira, avvocatessa
* Indrans - giudice
Regia: Aashiq Abu
Sceneggiatura: Unni R.
Colonna sonora: Sekhar Menon, Fejo, Manchild
Lingua: malayalam
Traduzione del titolo: Aashiq Abu spiega: 'There are layers to Naradan from the Puranas. Firstly that he was the first messenger and secondly he was some kind of a troublemaker who cooked something between the news he carried'.
Anno: 2022
RASSEGNA STAMPA
* Director Aashiq Abu and actor Tovino Thomas talk about their film Naradan, Jitesh Pillaai, Filmfare, 10 marzo 2022:
'The word Naradan is generally used for a mischief-maker. Is that the film all about?
Aashiq: There are layers to Naradan from the Puranas. Firstly that he was the first messenger and secondly he was some kind of a troublemaker who cooked something between the news he carried. Yes, some negative and some positive connotations are there for this Naradan.
Tovino: As Aashiq said when we hear the word Naradan we get two pictures, one of a troublemaker and one of a messenger who delivers news. Definitely a messenger, but one who doesn’t follow ethics, so yes a troublemaker!
Have you modelled yourself on any newsperson?
Tovino: The first thing we decided was not to take direct inspiration or imitate anyone because our character is fictional, our premise is fictional and the media channel we are showing in this movie is also fictional. We have taken references to be in that template so that when people watch him they feel that they are watching a newsreader. It’s a story and a fictional character but you can find relatable incidents. Besides talking about what’s happening behind the newsroom, the pressures a media person has and how they deal with competition from the other channels, there is a lot more in the film. (...)
Aashiq when you set out to write Naradan a story against a media backdrop and how people manage their TRPs and pump up the volume, was there anything else you wanted to say through this movie?
Aashiq: Initially I was just curious about the life of a television journalist who conducted a prime time debate and was actually a performer. I wanted to know after performing for one hour what his life was like when he got back home. I started getting curious about this character. I spoke to Unni who was one of the leading journalists when Kerala started the Malayalam news telecast. He had left his job and joined cinema. So I thought he was the man to know exactly what was happening behind the camera and in newsrooms. That was actually the trigger point. Then I started following the stories which were with Unni R. It was a very fast process to model this character Chandraprakash. (...)
Often an actor reveals his vulnerability to the director. Is it easier for you, Tovino, to reveal your vulnerability to Aashiq than to other directors?
Tovino: We have worked together and I know his working style so it's easy for me to reveal my vulnerability to him. Also, I am someone who is not ashamed that I am vulnerable. I am not perfect and I have a lot of imperfections I am working on. Initially, when one line of Naradan was narrated to me the concern I had was that being from Thrissur I speak very fast and so can omit a few words. But I could not take that liberty when I was doing this particular character. (...) My character in Naradan was that of a performer. I was concerned because I hadn’t done a character like that before and I knew I had to work a lot on my diction and other things. But when I mentioned it to Aashiq sir, he told me not to worry. From then on him and his writer Udiya kept on sending me references and giving me inputs on minor details about the character. Like I had to grow my nails a bit. I am a left-hander but in the movie, I am a right-hander. In real life, I move my right hand a lot and in this movie, I use my left hand a lot more. They knew this vulnerability and they knew I would try hard and work on it. By the time we started shooting it was no longer a concern. Then I kept on reading books loudly with proper diction. And Udiya always kept correcting. So with their help, I pushed my limits and I succeeded.
Aashiq, (...) how much have your writers contributed to Naradan? (...)
Unni is a fast writer. He writes on a daily basis and it’s a routine. So usually he finishes the screenplay in a month. For this movie, he was working till the final output as he was constantly changing and correcting things. Also, this is the biggest dialogue movie I have ever directed. Everyone is talking to each other. It was a huge responsibility of the writer to be accurate with facts because we were talking on a subject related to the truth so the writing department had to be very careful. And I am giving Unni full credit for the screenplay. (...)
Pandemic has taught us uncertainty. Has that changed you as (...) an actor?
Tovino: For me, it was a much-needed break. From April 2016 (...) to 2019 June 30th, I was working continuously without a break. I did around 25 movies in those three years. So I got time to spend with my family. My wife was pregnant and I could sit with her for three months before the delivery and three months after the delivery and even change my kid’s diapers. I also got some ‘me’ time. When we are working we are part of the rat race and don’t get time to think when we don’t think or ask ourselves questions. During the lockdown, I could ask myself a lot of questions. I also got time to read. I like to read when I am the only person in the room! So I would be up till 4 in the morning and had the liberty to wake up around 1.30 or so. I relaxed because I knew everyone else in the world was sitting doing nothing. All this helped me evolve as a better human being and also as an actor because the experiences I had during the lockdown and after lockdown were reflected in my future movies. I consider that time as the turning point in my career and life. Workwise I wanted to do movies which gave me satisfaction and not just make money. The movies which I did after the lockdown (...) are very different from each other'.
CURIOSITÀ
* Il protagonista prende chiaramente spunto dal giornalista televisivo Arnab Goswami. A Mumbai, nel 2017, Goswami contribuisce alla fondazione di Republic TV, di cui oggi è proprietario della quasi totalità delle quote, nonché il volto più noto. In precedenza Goswami aveva lavorato per The Telegraph e per NDTV, ed era stato caporedattore di Times Now. Republic TV è un canale televisivo gratuito di informazione in lingua inglese, vicino agli ambienti della destra hindu nazionalista. Al canale in inglese si sono poi affiancati un canale in lingua hindi e uno in lingua bengali. Goswami e in generale Republic TV sono stati più volte accusati di faziosità, discriminazione nei confronti dei musulmani, manipolazione emotiva, sensazionalismo, diffusione di notizie false, incremento fraudolento dei dati di ascolto. Goswami è considerato dai suoi detrattori la sintesi di un giornalismo aggressivo, urlato, chiassoso, scandalistico e bigotto. Republic TV ha collezionato una serie di denunce per diffamazione e istigazione all'odio interreligioso. Fonte Wikipedia.
* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: Rann.
