Modern day media is all about attracting eyeballs, get major
viewership and audiences. Every news organization and media persons especially
anchors have their own ways to do it. What will happen if it does not, if who
start loosing out from a smaller channel.
Ashiq Abu's latest movie Naradan is all about the TRP
games that we are talking. The central character of movie is played by Tovino
Thomas 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 channels
TRP, when a small local channel suddenly begins to attract public attention. CP
can’t take this to his heart and starts manipulative journalism, fake facts to
take on the smaller channel.
The character from a normal anchor to someone who lives by
fabricating 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 was
already there, he has only dredged it up and added a mask of aggression to suit
it.
Chanderprakash is not only someone who represents the media,
he is also a face for the ecosystem of hate, that has emerged around those who
has used it camouflage their insecurity and animosity towards whoever they
choose.
Tovino's metamorphosis into restless eccentric hyper yet
dead cold, he takes on someone who has been missing out of characters he's
played till now.
Naradan is a movie that is an eye opener for what is being
generated inside the media rooms, the race of TRP's has began long ago, and
media organizations are going hard to attract eye balls.
Malyalam cinema has long lauded for its quick, courageous reactions
to current events and Naradan is no different from that.