Moothon

made it to film friday week #300. i had a really tough time choosing watch to watch, but with all this talk about toxic (2026), i realised i’d never gotten round to watching moothon properly. how geethu mohandas can go from making this - such a beautifully crafted film on masculinity and shame - to that is beyond me. i wonder if they always had lakshwadeep in mind as the original backdrop. white sandy beaches, an endless crystal blue sea, almost paradise on earth. when akbar and amir share secret glances and swim together under the blue moon, it is one of the most tender and delicate explorations of queer love in indian cinema. akbar standing in front of the mirror with kanmashi lined eyes, accepting his identity and love for amir was all the more heartbreaking when you remember this is a flashback. for all its beauty, the island is too small for their love. too claustrophobic. it translates to a physical claustrophobia in kamathipura, where all of the characters use the suffocating walls and streets to hide their identities and desires. queerness enshrouded in hypermasculinity. an act of suppression, but maybe also protection. i really enjoyed moothon and all its performances. nivin pauly and roshan matthew were beautiful on screen together, such vulnerable and soft portrayals of love and grief. those scenes in lakshwadeep will stay with me for a while.