Stand Up

Story: Diya has been attacked. And everyone wants her silence, except for her friend and stand-up comic, Keerthi.


Review: In 2017, Hannah Gadsby, an Australian stand-up comic wrote and performed a live comedy performance titled Nanette. What starts as comedy soon gets real when she narrates the physical and emotional abuse she endures on account of her sexuality. In Stand Up, Vidhu Vincent makes use of the same trope.


Keerthi ( Nimisha Sajayan) is a stand-up comic performing an act on stage, where she narrates her friend Diya's story. Diya (Rajisha Vijayan) is attacked in an apartment and is branded a victim. Stand Up tells us her journey from a victim to a survivor. The film is a powerful take - a woman's take - on how the patriarchal system seeks her silence.


Written by Umesh Omanakuttan, Stand Up is a film by State Award winner director Vidhu Vincent. Stand Up works as a woman's take on abuse. In spite of its weaknesses in the first half, the film grows into itself in the second half as a brave, bold, mature and progressive take on rape. " It is just like any other crime. Don't let it put you down", says the doctor to Diya at the verge of defeat.


As Diya, Rajisha Vijayan puts forth a very controlled, yet raw and unhinged performance. Her trauma needs no dialogues. Nimisha Sajayan and Arjun Asokan support her all along with their own brand of slice-of-life acting. Sethulakshmi amma has very little screen time. But she gives you one scene where she reminds you of that stellar performance from Left Right Left, in which she gives Vattu Jayan her blessings. Sunil Sukhada's police officer is emblematic of corruption and patriarchy, a role he plays with his usual flourish. Vidhu Vincent is clear in her politics of rape. She is unapologetic in depicting the violence and the trauma involved. For once, it is refreshing to see the lens turned towards the woman and what she is put through. The film makes no apologies for any genders. While there are patriarchal men, there are patriarchal women too, and vice versa. Stand Up has two songs, both that are crucial and sit well in the narrative.


The first half is the film's weakest portion. Not only does it seem choppy owing to the non-linear narrative, the dialogues also seem dramatic, awkward and cliched. Amateur performances by some of the cast doesn't help one bit. But all this changes when you come back from the interval.


In a way, Stand Up is a celebration of the sisterhood. It is a woman's journey from being a victim to a survivor. A woman can be a woman's friend and/or enemy. Through Stand Up, Vidhu Vincent reminds us to choose sides.