Biriyani, Flavours of Flesh (Malayalam, 2021)
Story & Direction: Sajin Baabu
At the outset, it must be mentioned that this film is not for the faint-hearted or squirm at the sight of animal slaughter or of plain view of a surgical operating field. The scenes, however, are essential to driving home the message embedded behind the story. As the title suggests, the selling point of a biriyani dish is the flavour derived from the juices of the meat (flesh). Vegetarian biriyani is no biriyani at all. This kind of movie is not suitable for family viewing as some scenes are obviously of adult content.
Biriyani is quintessentially a Muslim dish popularised by the invading Muslim marauders. Some say it originated from Persia. The cooks found a novel way to feed a large army - slow cook meat, rice, vegetables and spices buried in the hot desert sands.
In the 7th century, when Islam was revealed to Beduin herders, the religion boasted of features way ahead of its time. Putting an end to female infanticide, the liberation of slaves and empowerment of women were considered revolutionary. Somewhere along the way, the rest of the world thinks that they had lost the plot. What gave? Its practitioners tend to imagine that it is patriarchal and discriminatory against its female members and put them behind as second-class citizens. At least, this is the message that the movie seems to convey.
The flesh that the title alludes to is the flesh that Man cannot live without. It refers to the pleasures of the flesh that Man would die for. The piece of flesh that an adolescent boy loses reinforces his entry into the toxic male-dominated society.
The story starts with Khateeja, who is stuck in a loveless marriage. She views herself just as a piece of vessel for her husband release of carnal desires. That is all. She holds no say in the extended family (her husband's family). Her mother-in-law hates her and already has plans for her son's re-marriage, even though they have an adolescent son.
Khateeja and her mother later end up finding a safe place in a madrasah in Tamil Nadu. Even though the place was divine-sanctioned and all, many unsavoury things were happening under everybody's nose. Asylum seekers were working part-time as call girls. She becomes friendly with a timid but kind imam. Long story short, Khateeja joins the flesh business, ends up pregnant, has a miscarriage, and for the last hurrah, she gets back at all the people that wronged her one way or another throughout her life in her own cruel and disgusting way.
Interspersed through the film are TV talk show snippets of politicians and social workers dissecting the problems plaguing the Muslim community in India and suggesting solutions to repair their image and probably fit back into India's plural society. For example, they pinpoint the lack of educational opportunities for girls and their early marriage as needing mending. Yet, they actually have the capacity and self-confidence to do things independently, as shown by many of the characters. It is just that the social mores expect them to play second fiddle to the preset hierarchical order.
