Freedom fight review: "Thought provoking & realistic interspersed with humour!!!'

With the mushrooming of the OTT platforms during the pandemic, we have witnessed a host of different anthologies being created in various languages. Quite a few of them were impressive though some were pretty average. So much so, it has cast apprehensions in the audience whenever a new anthology is announced & the latest one to hit the screens is Jeo Baby's "Freedom Fight" which has five directors at the helm. As I haven't watched the trailer prior to its release on SonyLIV, I didn't have much clue as to what the movie was about though the cast that was on board certainly inspired hope that it would certainly be worthwhile unlike others. 

As the title suggests, the basic theme of the movie is about the various freedom that the protagonists fight for be & it is divided into five segments each one dealing with a unique situation that we are accustomed to or aware of. The segments are as follows:

1. "Geethu Unchained" 

Directed by Akhil Anilkumar, though the title reminded me of Tarantino's "Django Unchained"; it was about Geethu's (Rajisha Vijayan) defiance to lead her life by her own terms. All the pieces in her life seemed to align perfectly when her family agreed to her wish of marrying her lover. But soon after, she decided to call off the wedding & that's when things started to fall apart. So it was upto her whether she wanted to adhere to the societal norms & patriarchy or stand her ground. 

2. "Asanghadithar"

Based on the true story about the struggles of women working in textile shops in Mitaayitharavu where they were forced to stand for long hours & not provided washrooms in their work premises. The plight of these women were captured realistically & Kunjilla Mascilamani has shot it in a documentary style. The focus was on Penkootu which was spearheaded by P Viji (playing herself in the segment) who fought for such women like Srinda & touched upon topics like menstrual hygiene, transgenders etc.

3. "Ration"

This segment directed by Francies Louis is about the diverse economic backgrounds of two neighbours who however shared more than cordial relations. All seemed fine until Kabini, the middle class housewife mistakenly cooks the fish which was handed to her daughter by their neighbour to store in their freezer for a day. The pain & stress that Kabini goes through to ensure that the fish is returned is portrayed brilliantly & with her mask on, she still effectively manages to convey the pain to the audience.

4. "Old Age Home"

Though Jeo Baby appeared as Kabini's husband in "Ration", this is the segment that he called for the shots & he chose two brilliant artists to tell his tale. It is about Joju's character who had started to suffer from dementia & the pressure it puts on his family. Rohini is brought in as the domestic help to take care of him & how she along with his wife handle the situation forms the crux. Ever since "Joseph" released, there has been no stopping Joju & over here as well, he has done utmost justice to the role. Equally impressive was Rohini who I believe is really under utilized in our movies & hopefully more directors will realize her potential after this.  

5. "Pra Thoo Mu"

The final segment is about the plight of a sanitation worker (Unni Lalu) who gets brutally assaulted by the minister (Siddharth Shiva) when questions were raised over the latter's arrogant nature. This is the most graphic & disturbing among the lot but at the same time, it didnt come across as realistic as the rest. 

Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the finest anthology that has come out in recent time with almost all of them have a unique tale to tell rather than just be there for the numbers. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben