The importance of 22 Female, Kottayam

By John Cheeran

So, what makes 22 Female Kottayam different?

We are all familiar with stories of men cheating women, and women turning avengers.

Does 22FK tell an unusual tale?

22FK is a surgical operation. The movie has been packaged well, using contemporary idiom and stereotypes to the hilt.

Bangalore has been the Sodom for average Malayali mind and the Christian nurse from Kottayam is always ready for a bargain on bed.

Nurses are ambitious but who is not? Teachers, call centre workers, politicians, movie directors and all of us are ambitious and would go to any step to succeed.

The movie has been regarded as feminist and fuels empowerment of women.  As a man I have no problem with that. Being a man is no licence to rape. And 'sexually' virgin is a concept too tribal. So who cares whom did you sleep with last night?

There are, however, other troubles. The prominent among them is love. A visa would come by, albeit a bit late, but not love. Rima Kallingal's character makes the folly of searching for love when she should have been packing her bags. There, she cut a deal. And a deal could go either way. Having said this, revenge is the right of everyone, man or woman.

The meek, after all, do not inherit the earth.

The other problem is not with the movie as such but movie watchers. More than one woman have told me that Rima Kallingal's character should not have done what she did to her lover.

Why? It is not realistic, said one. In real life Rima would not have been able to pull it off. May be, may be not.

And finally, for every Tessa, there is at least one Jincy who could handle the beast called love and its pimps, including you and me.