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It stirs up your emotions and you end up feeling attached to each of the characters in it like you've known them forever.
Pallavi Raveendran (played by Parvathy Thiruvothu) dreams to become a pilot in Uyare.
Her ambitions are shattered when her jilted boyfriend Govind (Asif Ali) attacks her with acid and scars her for life.
How Pallavi deals with the trauma and resurrects her life forms the rest of the story.
Directed by Manu Ashokan, it has been almost two years since Uyare released.
Although it is not a true story, it stirs up your emotions and you end up feeling attached to each of the characters in it like you've known them forever.
Divya Nair gives you six reasons to watch Uyare:
1. Pallavi is the hero
There are very few films in Mollywood where female characters get their due.
The last inspiring film I saw was How Old Are You? where the male lead (Kunchako Boban) played a supportive role and let Manju Warrier's character of a homemaker tell her story.
In Uyare too, Pallavi shatters the male stereotype both in the story and in theory.
While one man destroys her life, two others help her build it from scratch.
Despite having three strong male characters -- played by Asif, Tovino and Siddique -- it is Pallavi who shines.
2. Father-daughter bond
Again, it's rare to see fathers inspire their daughters to follow their dreams.
Pallavi's father agrees to her relationship with Govind only if she agrees to pursue her dreams.
His concerns as a father are genuine and you'd agree with him when he puts his daughter above everything else.
The way he stands by her in her worst times instead of ridiculing her choices or giving advice is benchmark behaviour for fathers.
The same father who reluctantly lets his daughter choose her love doesn't stop himself from hurting the boy when he crosses the line to ruin his child's life.
3. The comeback moments
It would be easy to mistake Pallavi as this shy, obedient girl who wants to fit in all the boxes and boundaries set by her insecure, toxic boyfriend.
But when she takes a stand, there's no going back.
There is not one, but several moments where Pallavi gives it back to him.
When Asif's father pleads her to withdraw the case against his son so he could fly abroad and get a job, Pallavi gives a fitting reply that deserves rousing applause.
4. Ambition has no limit
For any trauma survivor the greatest challenge is accepting one's weakness and coming to terms with it.
On the flight when Pallavi takes a selfie to post and acknowledges her new self, a child screams seeing her scar and she is forced to hide.
But the same Pallavi doesn't mince her words when she tells Vishal Rajashekharan (Tovino, son of an airlines owner) that she wants to be an air hostess.
Although she says it quite casually to mock him, she backs it up reasonably well mentioning that she stood seventh in Class 12, has 200 hours of flying experience and is fluent in three languages.
5. It's not a love story
It's cliché when a boy meets girl, falls for her and she immediately accepts his proposal like it’s a fairy tale.
Vishal falls for Pallavi as he proposes to take their friendship to the next level.
Naturally, the audience would have wanted the adorable pair to choose each other.
Surprisingly, Pallavi turns down the offer, giving prominence to their friendship.
Simple choices like these make this film a cut above the rest.
6. No one's perfect
In most films, the main character is almost always shown as a perfect person -- no flaws, no mistakes, always agreeable.
But Pallavi is not perfect. She has her flaws and she proudly wears it on her sleeve.
When she meets Govind on the flight and he asks her to withdraw the complaint, Pallavi loses it and throws hot water on his face.
It's not the kind of behaviour one would expect from an airline staff or the protagonist of the film.
Later, when she is asked to apologise to Govind or lose her job, Pallavi stands up for herself, just like any girl should.
Because here, it's not about what’s professionally right or wrong, it's what the situation demands and how you feel in the moment.
Her reaction may not be justified but her anger is as real as it can get.
Uyare is streaming on Netflix.
Cinema entertains, exhilarates and enlightens.
Its ability to relate and inform the viewer through universal, timeless emotions are what contributes to its legacy, now available more easily than ever, for generations to follow.
Some films are a product of its time.
Some telling of man's reluctance for change and making the same mistakes over and over again.
Some films grow glorious with every passing viewing.
Some are overlooked gems in search of an appreciative audience.
Discover our series designed to acquaint our young, enthusiastic cinephile to the wonders of Indian film-making.
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