In the last few years, one gets to see and read the bitter and sharp reaction of the general audience on the working methods of the news channel. It seems that all the news channels work under some agenda or the other and indulge in everything except telling the truth. Videos taken from hidden cameras, sting operations, investigative journalism, with half-incomplete information are being seen by journalists through one lens instead of telling the news objectively. The whole profession has been brought into disrepute because of power’s servants, commercial compulsions, reporting without going to the field and half-baked and half-baked journalists coming out of media schools open like paan shops. Earlier, the work of TV was to go to the bottom of the news and show the truth, now TV news does not go to the bottom of the news, but in the name of people’s opinion keeps inserting its opinion in it. Eyewitnesses now tell whether the news is true or not, the news channel does not take responsibility for any investigation. Malayalam film ‘Nardan’ is an attempt to expose the dirty politics of news channels. You will not see anything in this film that you do not already know, but to what extent news channels can fall in the battle of TRP only, a hallmark has been shown in this film. If you look a little carefully, you will see your familiar news anchors and journalists in its characters. The film is interesting, long, but can afford to watch.
Chandraprakash (Tovino Thomas) is a TV news anchor and talk show host whose channel News Malayalam is far behind in the TRP race. A YouTube news channel journalist gets a job in News Malayalam by showing an investigative story. His editor insults Chandraprakash a lot so that he can come up with a good story, but Chandraprakash, troubled by his job in a news channel, starts a new TV channel “Narad TV” in collaboration with a corrupt politician. All gimmicks are used for TRP in this TV channel. News is created, planted, panelists are quoted on ethics and rituals in panel discussions and only Chandraprakash keeps on speaking throughout the show, others or opposing voices are suppressed or insulted . Narad TV continues to climb the heights of success, Chandraprakash starts thinking of himself as the country’s biggest journalist and kingmaker of politics and then getting caught in the web of his own ambition, brings his career to a crossroad from where only his Only defeat is possible.
The story of Naardan has been stretched too long. Unni R alias P Jayachandran, a successful Malayalam language litterateur and film writer, has written many excellent books and films. Nardan stems from his pen. By now Hindi audience has got used to such a news anchor who started with clean and good journalism but started a news channel in collaboration with a politician. This news anchor reads news in a very dramatic way and does panel discussion in Taar Saptak. On its panel, it openly criticizes, insults and silences the speakers who oppose it in a very poor way. Chandraprakash is a character created on his lines. No incident is unexpected in the film, but every incident is presented in such a way that it seems that the level of TV news has fallen. The audience’s feelings towards Chandraprakash fall from sympathy and respect to hatred and humiliation, but the fact is that in today’s TV news world such dramatic anchors and programs get success.
Recently, a film Dhamaka came on TV news on Netflix in which Karthik Aryan was in the lead role. If Karthik Aryan sees Tovino Thomas in Naardan, he might go back to learning the A, B, G of acting. A submissive, scared, looking for idealism in journalism, struggling with love with a failure, drinking cheap liquor in the press club, how Chandraprakash becomes the head of Naardan TV, CP is worth watching. His transformation scene of some 7-8 minutes long is the best sequence of this film. Together with a life coach, Ramji, Tovino brings about a radical change in his life and edits out all the morals from life. The film focuses entirely on Tovino. It becomes clear again that Tovino is a superstar, and he has no problem in playing a negative role. He became a superhero in Minnal Murali and a news anchor in Naardan. Her transformation from anchor of a flop channel to editor of a successful news channel leaves the audience in awe. Now even the producers and directors of Hindi films have started praising Tovino’s acting. In the hunger of power, power, money and success, how crazy they want to make the world dance on their fingers, this is amazing. Ana Ben plays lawyer Shakira Mohammed. Ana, who started her career with Kumbalangi Nights, has done a great job. Questions have been raised on the power of the media in the film. Indrans is in the role of a judge, who looks like a very polite, submissive and system-driven judge, but when he scolds CP on the basis of logic, the fierceness of his character resonates with the audience. The pattern of desire is visible.
Director Aashiq Abu would like to be praised, because not a single scene in this very long film deviates from the original story, especially after Chandraprakash has become a full-fledged CP. The reporter of a YouTube channel does not get salary and his editor sends him to do a new story with respect. On the other hand, Chandraprakash only allows his panelists to speak and keeps putting Razan in the talk show by catching their mistakes. On the other hand, as a CP, he does not listen to any panelist fully and changes the direction of the entire debate or talk show according to his agenda. Ashiq has shown these pictures of current journalism very well. Despite all this the film is slow. is long. Some scenes have been drawn. The bar scenes of Press Club could have been removed. The usefulness of Chandraprakash’s girlfriend was not seen in the film. The film also comments on the caste of the person. Seeing the judge, CP’s lawyer says that I will not appeal for pardon in front of this judge because I belong to the upper caste. In one scene, CP tells one of his reporters that caste is a fact, include it in the name, don’t avoid it. Other actors of the film are fine according to their character.
Nardan’s music is good, there are one or two rap songs as well. The film which could have been less than 2 hours, became a film of about 2.30 hours due to the editor of the film, Saiju Sreedharan. The first part of the film is very slow and in the second part due to the court scenes, there is a slight pace, yet the unnecessary parts could have been cut from the film. This should be the difference between story and screenplay. Although many films have been made on the TRP fight or the fallen level of journalism, but Naardan walks in a straight line and there is no attempt to lighten the story by satirizing the system. The film should be watched because we are aware of the reality of TV news, but then we watch it everyday, then once the truth should be seen from someone else’s point of view. Many films have been made on this TRP in English, compared to them Naardan is not that effective, but if it is a native film then everything seems familiar.
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FIRST PUBLISHED : April 15, 2022, 15:06 IST
