Eakam Movie Review: A ground-breaking narrative

Eakam has layers of philosophy. This rarely-attempted genre is based on Lord Shiva, the current society, and the concept of oneness. Five people who are in stark contrast with one another, their natures symbolized by the  five elements of nature – fire, water, wind, earth, and sky - form the crux of Eakam.

The tagline ‘The Journey of a Jobless God’ generated a lot of curiosity. The film showcases a range of human emotions and how God plays a significant role in the journey of the five characters.

The film revolves around the characters of Anand (Aberaam Varma), Divya (Aditi Myakal), Nitya (Kalpika Ganesh), Appayya Panthulu (Tanikella Bharanai), David (Dayanand Reddy), and Nirvana (Swetaa Varma). Anand loses his loved ones at a young age and is on a quest to find something missing in his life. He is unemployed and gets separated from his girlfriend as well. Appayya, who is a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, curses God to become jobless.  Divya wants to recover from a personal loss and run a coffee shop. David works in that coffee shop with an ulterior motive. Nirvana wants to stay close to her lover. Each person has a different story to tell, but they also have connection.  Eakam tries to reveal this.

There are many films on a non-linear format in world cinema. Eakam follows this format to perfection within its limited scope. There’s a Babel oran Amores Perros feel to certain stretches of the film as it takes on an experimental mode of narration.

Director Varun Vamsi deals with every element skillfully. He shows maturity in handling the script and showcasing each character in a unique way. Though some characters have less screen time, their importance is revealed in the final showdown.

Swetaa and Aberaam get meaty roles and they shine in the second half. Aberaam has done well to lead this cool cast; his role was written crisply, and he was adequate in his part. His approach to the role clinical and noteworthy. He was able to come up with a convincing yet honest performance. This role will definitely take him a few notches up!

Dayanand and Tanikella Bharani are effective in their roles too. Varun excels with his dialogues and gives the much-needed gravitas for the narrative. There is depth and detailing in the lines. Jose Franklin’s immersive background score is another asset for the film.

Eakam is an exploration of life. Though there are some slips in the narrative, the film succeeds in conveying the intended message. However, you wish the production values were better and the budgets bigger. All in all, Eakam stands tall in shunning the societal stereotypes with its ground-breaking narrative.