"Never
run
away
from
things
that
terrify
you,"
was
a
lesson
that
JA
Krishnamurthy
had
instilled
in
his
daughter
Smriti
when
she
was
young
and
he
probably
regrets
doing
so,
for
the
results
could
be
terrifying.
A
reality
one
should
wake
up
to.
Released
under
the
PVR
Director's
Rare
banner
and
winner
of
the
National
Award
for
best
feature
film
in
English,
Lessons
In
Forgetting
is
a
tale
of
redemption,
forgiveness
and
second
chances.
Lessons
In
Forgetting
is
an
adaptation
of
Anita
Nair's
eponymous
book.
It's
a
story
of
a
single
father's
attempt
to
find
a
closure
to
his
daughter's
comatose
condition.
The
film
begins
in
a
very
non-descript
fashion,
trailing
the
lives
of
two
characters
based
in
Bangalore
-
JA
Krishnamurthy
(Adil
Hussain),
also
known
as
JAK,
and
Meera
(Roshni
Achreja).
JAK
is
obstinately
following
a
trail
of
clues
trying
to
find
out
what
happened
to
his
once
vivacious
teenage
daughter
Smriti
(Maya
Tideman),
a
drama
student
who
was
following
her
heart
at
Minijikapuram,
a
small
coastal
town
in
Tamil
Nadu.
She
is
only
19,
and
now
lays
wasted
on
bed
at
home.
Meera,
on
the
other
hand,
has
her
own
challenges.
One
fine
day
at
a
party,
her
husband
just
disappears
leaving
her
to
battle
with
their
two
growing
children,
her
mother
and
grandmother.
Fate
brings
them
together
as
friends
and
Meera
help
JAK
in
his
endeavour.
What
begins
as
a
complicated
voyeuristic
relationship-based
film
by
the
second
half,
settles
on
subjects
worth
pondering
about.
The
film
touches
issues
like
female
foeticide,
gender-biased
sex
selection
and
male
gaze,
that
are
usually
brushed
under
the
carpet.
Every
actor
seems
to
have
put
their
heart
and
soul
into
their
roles,
making
the
end
result
emotional,
gripping
and
disturbing.
It's
only
in
a
few
stray
instances
that
you
feel
the
performance
is
staged,
but
that
does
not
take
you
away
from
the
connect
of
the
story.
The
lyrics
of
the
only
song
that
is
oft
repeated
in
the
film
glues
the
narration
to
perfection.
The
music
given
to
it
by
Kumaresh
Ganesh
elevates
the
experience.
For
a
low
budget
film,
the
production
and
cinematography
quality
is
good.
The
sound,
handled
by
Gissy,
is
noteworthy
too.
With
no
frills
attached,
editor-turned-director
Unni
Vijayan
handles
the
novel
deftly.
He
surely
stirs
the
"metaphysics
of
a
cyclone"
that
is
sweeping
the
nation
with
his
debut
feature
film.
He
maneuvers
the
narration
and
his
cast
with
the
adroitness
of
an
expert.
The
way
he
has
handled
the
climax
and
every
other
finer
nuance
of
the
film,
is
worth
a
watch.
If
nothing
else,
see
the
film
for
the
gruesome
reality
it
portrays.
Producer:
Prince
Thampi
Director:
Unni
Vijayan
Cast:
Adil
Hussain,
Amey
Wagh,
Bhanu
Prakash,
Veena
Sajnani,
Uttara
Baokar,
Roshni
Achreja,
Maya
Tideman,
Raaghav
Chanana,
Karan
Nair,
Anuja
Vaidya,
Lakshmi
Krishnamurthy,
Parthiv
Shah,
Sukitha
Music:
Ganesh
Kumaresh
Cinematographer:
Viswamangal
Kitsu