Max, Min and Meowzaki

It is Adil Hussain, as the man who takes the longest, most difficult steps towards self-awareness, who holds this film.

What sets it apart from mainstream storytelling is its refusal to simplify its characters into heroes or villains. Instead, it presents them as flawed, layered and profoundly human. Director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy's sensitive and nuanced handling of domestic violence, rather than sensationalising it, approaches the subject with quiet restraint and empathy.

The Eric Rohmer-ish film, with its engaging tête-à-têtes and gentle humour, is not something Bollywood audiences are used to in their cinema that thrives on melodrama and noise. Still, it captures a slice of city life that has made space for cat lovers, movie buffs and Carnatic rockers!

The leisurely pacing allows for core emotional truths to emerge. Although Max, Min & Meowzaki feels stretched towards its finale, 138 minutes are mostly well spent in the company of introspective people. Max's trajectory is the most riveting and convincing, benefitting from an excellent performance by the under-utilised Siddharth Menon and a charming turn by Vidhatri Bandi.

Director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy subverts typical indie-drama expectations by weaving in complex social themes like communal prejudice, domestic violence, dementia and homosexuality, doing so with surprising restraint. Humanising a dogmatist and almost acing the South Indian accent, Adil carries the heaviest emotional weight as a conservative businessman dealing with insomnia, communal prejudice, and a deeply entrenched patriarchal outlook.