Can just talking of idealism and fighting for a just world for others buy you a bowl of rice? In these times of rampant and unabashed consumerism where ideology does not count for much, this question is the ultimate that can stop any argument on political or ideological integrity.
And, if you have the protagonist of a film carrying the ideals of some long lost era, what will be the outcome? Scriptwriter Dr Iqbal Kuttipuram creates such a man in the Malayalam film Arabikatha, and succeeds greatly in putting across the point that progress is vital.
He bashes the leftist ideology with subtlety by concentrating on an individual rather than making a hyperbole out of it as seen in most commercial films.
Cuba Mukundan (Sreenivasan) is the man of the moment. He believes in leading from the front and is full of revolutionary zeal with a handful of likeminded followers. He has got his ideology from his father, Society Gopalan (Nedumudi Venu), who is the founder member of the party in his village Chemmannoor.
Mukundan's detractors play games to get him out of their way and succeed in doing so by framing his father (who eventually dies) in a scam of Rs 20 lakhs. He is advised to go to Dubai to earn that money and repay his father's debt. By itself the situation looks convoluted, but seeing the impact it makes on the progress of the story makes us forget about it very soon.
In Dubai, Mukundan feels suffocated when he sees the inhuman condition in which people work there. He is also meted out the same treatment. His efforts to improve the lot of workers there is met with ridicule and he finds himself shunned by everyone. After being thrown out of a few jobs for his zeal, he settles for a job at an eatery owned by an elderly Malayali, who seems to understand his dilemma.
In between, he is cheated by all and sundry, and even besotted by a Chinese beauty who sells pirated Malayalam CDs. As things progress, we are shown how Mukundan's ideals and views of Chinese and Cuban utopia are shattered, to be restored by the lessons in humanism and virtues of hard work.
The strong point of this film is that it shows the conditions of Malayalis working in the Gulf with a dash of humour and empathy that is powered by keen observation.
This Arabian tale does belong to its protagonist Cuba Mukundan. Sreenivasan is restrained and chiselled for this role. The self-deprecatory humour for which he famous is toned down to achieve the purpose. The focus does not remain on him, but on the overall scenario.
As for disappointments, one is the climax. But, we have to thank Lal Jose, the director, for not providing Mukundan with a can of petrol and a burning log to annihilate the villains as it happens in most of Suresh Gopi films.
Arabikatha wins on account of the subject, its execution and the performances. So despite a few glitches here and there, the effort behind this film is surely worth our time.
Rediff Rating: 
