For me, the constraints of judicial office have fortunately not come in the way of pursuit of other interests, one of which is compulsive movie watching. I stumbled upon the movie titled Manjummel Boys on an OTT platform some days ago. I was told by my intern, who hails from Kerala, that it is a must-watch movie.
The story is of a group of friends going on a trip to Kodaikanal. The impulses of youth soon take over, and they go to a prohibited area called the Devil’s Kitchen (popularly known as Guna Cave). One of them accidentally slips into the cave. The others quickly swing into a daring rescue mission to save him from a perilously deep pit from which nobody has ever returned alive.
The most striking aspect of this movie is its revelation of “true friendship”. I am reminded of the famous saying of Aristotle, “What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” I was also reminded of an incident which I had almost forgotten. When I was in the first or second form, I had a very close friend, Sathyanarayanan. We were playing near a pond behind an old temple, and I accidentally got into the deeper part of the waters and was sinking. My dear friend, who was of my age, instantaneously got into the pond and pulled me out even without thinking twice about his life and safety. This incident, stored somewhere deep inside my subconscious mind, popped out and brought tears to my eyes while watching the film. I have lost contact with him and was wondering how I could have forgotten someone who saved my life. I hope that I will meet him at some stage and thank him for his selfless act. Without Manjummel Boys, this memory would not have surfaced and probably would have perished with me.
