Modern day media is all about attracting eyeballs, get majorviewership and audiences. Every news organization and media persons especiallyanchors have their own ways to do it. What will happen if it does not, if whostart loosing out from a smaller channel.
Ashiq Abu's latest movie Naradan is all about the TRPgames that we are talking. The central character of movie is played by TovinoThomas as Chanderprakash. CP is a Malayalam news anchor who manufactures“facts” policies society’s morality, goes all guns blazing over guests on air ,with loud rants.
Chanderprakash comes under pressure to increase his channelsTRP, when a small local channel suddenly begins to attract public attention. CPcan’t take this to his heart and starts manipulative journalism, fake facts totake on the smaller channel.
The character from a normal anchor to someone who lives byfabricating fake news, going hard on guests is not something Unni R. believes transitional,it’s not something he invent to create a new creature out of himself. It wasalready there, he has only dredged it up and added a mask of aggression to suitit.
Chanderprakash is not only someone who represents the media,he is also a face for the ecosystem of hate, that has emerged around those whohas used it camouflage their insecurity and animosity towards whoever theychoose.
Tovino's metamorphosis into restless eccentric hyper yetdead cold, he takes on someone who has been missing out of characters he'splayed till now.
Naradan is a movie that is an eye opener for what is beinggenerated inside the media rooms, the race of TRP's has began long ago, andmedia organizations are going hard to attract eye balls.
Malyalam cinema has long lauded for its quick, courageous reactionsto current events and Naradan is no different from that.