Aalokam; Ranges of Vision

An ordinary man belonging to the Kerala lower middle class tries to meet a drama actor to get his idea of drama materialized which is based on five dramatic monologues by the Victorian poet Robert Browning.

He finds his alter ego in the actor and envisages the discussions on various aspects of the subject. The actor, who is the conflicting and contrary views in the protagonist himself, points out the possibility of a film in the subject and insists the former on developing it in to a film script.

The film ends as a 'tragedy with a difference', in which the creator himself becomes a character in a mind-film, as an introvert person created by societal restraints and capital constraints tries to make a film.

The section dealing with the life of the middle class man, the sixth one, doesn't follow the uniform visual and sound pattern, unlike the five core sections, to suit the disoriented life of the protagonist and his conflicting social views.

The film within the film is in the form of five interlinked scenes from the lives of five persons which are based on five independent dramatic monologues by Robert Browning namely "My Last Duchess", Fra Lippo Lippi, Andrea del Sarto, The Patriot and Porpheria's Lover.

The first section titled 'Prem' tells the story of a businessman who tries to get a new wife, mediating a policeman who is known to the family of the girl. As the conversation between them progresses, the shocking events in the lives of Prem and his ex-wife are unraveled.

In the second section, 'Azad' the thoughts and feelings of a 'gifted but bound' documentary director, who is a government officer and presently working on a film project of Prem Swaroop, are depicted as he opens his mind with a young police constable who is on his night duty.

In 'Achal', the third section of the film, a painter struggling from lack of inspiration is the protagonist. He expresses to Anu, his lover, that she is not supporting him to achieve what he yearns to. Since they together cheated Prem, his patron once, no one is there to financially support him. He also wants to go back to Prem. But Anu has her own justifications to mend his ways.

The fourth section namely 'Swaraj' features a rebel politician who is charged with treason. He opens up his mind with a young policeman who is in charge to bring him to court.

'Zenith' is the fifth section in which a poet-dramatist's repressed thoughts appear in the form of a dream in which the difference of opinion between Zenith and Amrutha, his lover, are revealed. According to Zenith it's due to the difference in their caste and class and to her it's because of his loyalty to Prem, representing the capitalist class, who exploits Zenith and perpetuates his misery.

The sixth section is titled "Aalokam: Ranges of Vision" in which the middle class man's life and thoughts are expressed. He develops his ideas of drama into a mind-film in which his life also becomes a part.