マラヤラム映画「 How Old Are You」/ A Malayalam movie named 'How Old Are You'

日本では馴染みの薄いマラヤラム映画。ちょっと古い映画ですが、好きな映画のご紹介です。

Still Malayalam movies are not known in Japan. When it comes to Indian movies, it is mainly Hindi and sometimes Tamil, coming from Rajinikanth's popularity among South India lovers. Today I would like to introduce a motivating film especially for women.

How Old Are You。「あなたは何歳ですか？」というタイトルの映画。主婦が失敗や逆境にもめげず奮闘する様子を描いた非常にエネルギッシュな映画です。私はこの映画を観て本当に驚きました。何故なら日本に比べてインドでの女性に対する社会の目は非常に保守的で、結婚後の女性の行動は制限される印象を受けるからです。25歳までには結婚をして（主にお見合い結婚）、結婚後は家に入り子育てに専念するという習わしが根付いているこの地で、30代半ばの主婦の起業映画が放映、おまけに大ヒットを記録するなんて！！夫婦共働きの家庭も勿論いますが、女性は男性から一歩引く、いわば内助の功が美徳となされているこの土地で、主婦が主役の映画があるとは何と素敵なんだろうと感動しました。

How old are you. From the title itself, you can imagine what the plot will be like. It is about a housewife in her middle thirties struggling with the conflict in herself, who becomes a entrepreneur. This movie is full of energy, passion and ambition but moreover, what makes this movie special is that the protagonist is a middle aged women, considered here to be opposite of active, and this is what made me a fan of this film.

After coming to India, I realized the conservative culture towards women here. Likely in Japan, but further more. Women are normally married until 25 of age mostly by arrange marriage, and have children, then stay in the house taking care of the family. I respect it in a way, but at the same time I feel that some women are trapped despite the talent they have in themselves. Of course, I see women working along with their maternity life, but somehow very less. So I was shocked to see this film which surely is a motivating film to housewives. I was a big hit and had a influence in many ways which I will post in an upcoming post.

主人公の主婦は、36歳と言う年齢が原因で、家族全員で海外に渡るという夢が絶たれ、おまけに娘にもおばさんと疎んじられる始末。ひょんなことから、ベランダで栽培していた無農薬野菜の美味しさが有名なシェフを感動させ、そこから彼女の快進撃が始まるという七転び八起き劇です。

The protagonist faces a problem for not being able to go abroad with the family due to her age, which is 36. Her daughter and husband criticizes and blames her for being old. While feeling depression, vegetables plucked from her veranda garden attracts a prominent chef and from that time onwards, her heroic story starts.

何気なく行っていたベランダ菜園をきっかけに、誰もが知る企業家になった彼女。終盤に、友人が彼女に誕生日のお祝いの電話をし、そこで「何歳になったんだっけ？」と質問します。彼女はそれに対して「年齢なんて関係ないわ」と返すのですが、そのあまりの男気溢れる言い方に、私は感涙の涙を流しました。女性に対して保守的な国でのこの映画の大ヒットは、次の時代の幕開け（大袈裟？）を示しているようでなりません。

From a housewife to a entrepreneur. At the end of the film, a friend of her, who always believed in her talent calls her on her birthday asking, "How old are you?", which her reply is "It doesn't matter." It is really hard to think this way when you feel that you are aging, but I wish I can feel confidently like her when I am at the same age.

この映画が世の主婦に与えた影響は数知れず、公開後に主人公と同じく家庭菜園を始めた方が多くいるそうです。家族の健康を考えた時に、食べ物の安全性に気を付けるようになるのは自然な流れだと思いますが、主婦を主人公に据えた切り口でこのテーマを扱っているのが、私がこの映画を好きな理由です。

I heard that after this film, many women started a garden at their house just like in the film. Considering about the safety of food, it is quite natural to come up with this idea, but placing a housewife as a protagonist is what makes this film amazing.

年齢を重ねても、いつまでも気持ちは若く、夢に溢れていたいものです。

Despite the age, I always want to be full of dreams :)