Hridayapoorvam - Transplanted

 

Hridayapoorvam 

2025, Malayalam

 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Director: Sathyan Anthikad

 

Stars: Mohanlal, Malavika Mohanan, Sangeeth Pratap, Sangeetha Madhavan Nair, Nishan

 

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Much like Harrison Ford's Regarding Henry, Hridayapoorvam is best appreciated by someone who has gone through life-changing surgery or is a caregiver to one who has. Mohanlal's story of self-discovery is predictable, far-fetched, and sometimes over the top.  But, as a transplant survivor, I can say with certainty that the emotions conveyed by the legendary actor and the star cast are very understandable indeed.

Like all transplant patients, Mr. Sandeep experiences an overarching sense of child-like wonder for this delicate thing called life which the rest of the world takes for granted.  It contrasts with a frustration in wanting to return to some semblance of normal in a borrowed life that never is.  And, somehow, in ways that only lie as proof of the Sacred, there is a connection, an empathy, for the stranger who has become a part of oneself, and a desire to connect with what that stranger meant to others. And with a little poetic license and well-timed comedy, such a connection does happen.

To put all that into a breezy comedy about a middle-aged man and his witty caregiver is the stuff of genius, and at is presented to us in ways only Malayali Cinema can.  But, thankfully, this is not the stereotypical village story of veshti-clad drunks.  For after all, the ideal transplant patient commits to remaining sober the rest of their days.  

This gives room for urbane comedy. A Gen Z woman meets the man who received her father's heart and finds comfort in hearing his living on in another man's chest. A once disgruntled wife finds an inexplicable connection to a stranger, feeling a return of her husband in a more desirable form.  All this, along with the wonder of simply being alive, misrepresents feelings of gratitude as romance. Mr. Nishan, as Jerry, does an amazing job of playing the lead character's conscience, the sense of rationalism and patience that are caregivers. Jerry both supports, but carefully leads his patient through a whimsical journey that plays out with kindness and affection. 

Unlike the movies, however, such rediscovery becomes a lifetime journey, often interrupted with very proactive care. But, as it does for Mr. Sandeep, it makes one to accept that everyone has received a gift of life, and just being grateful for that in each other is meaning enough.