Apothecary review: An engaging debate on the true victims of medical malpractice

In director Madhav Ramadasan's Apothecary, we follow the life and travails of the head of the neurosurgery department who is rushed into the same posh tertiary hospital 'Apothecary' he works in, following a road traffic accident. While he lies comatose in the ICU, he is visited by a patient from his past who seems to just want to talk to the doctor he once saw as his God. We witness the events leading up to the accident with the surgeon's mind slowly starting to unravel and the lines between 'life' and 'death' blur as he is plagued by some of the choices he has made and some which were made for him by the hospital authorities and pharmaceutical companies.

There are a lot of positive points in favour of this film. 

• This is one of the most earnest attempts to talk about the controversial subject of 'medical malpractice' in the Indian medical system. More importantly, it does not blindly paint doctors as evil money mongers but plays devil's advocate to its own theme, showcasing the fallacies in the system that cause some doctors to succumb to the lure of money. Unlike previous movie attempts at the subject, this is one that would leave most doctors nodding their head in approval while also simultaneously asking them to introspect a little. 
• If you have seen his earlier effort 'Melvilasom', you know that director Madhav Ramadasan does not stick to the regular commercial format. Having written this script himself, he uses a non-linear narrative and holds you within the confines of that hospital right from the opening sequence until the end. There is no attempt to let the seriousness of the theme get diluted with unnecessary songs or humour. 
• Attention to detail is easily the best I have seen in an Indian movie portraying the medical field. Whether it is the procedure of testing the nerves of the face, the position of a neurosurgery patient in the post-operative period or even the actual drawing of blood from the actor Jayasuriya himself, it has been researched and done right. That shows a director who is truly committed to his vision and unwilling to compromise.

• Coming to the star cast, Suresh Gopi is a revelation for many reasons. A genuine superstar of Malayalam cinema and famous for his adrenaline-fueled dialogue delivery, it takes guts to play such a subdued character here. Even though he is the main protagonist, we find the man alternating between states of fear and delusions, exasperation, guilt and yes, even the comatose phase too. When he finally does have to deliver a monologue, it is a man who has been physically and mentally broken and betrayed by his own community and has yet found redemption. 
• Mark my words. Jayasuriya will take home an award for this one. As the poverty stricken patient suffering from a neurological disorder, his physical transformation for the role is tremendous. He also gets some of the best moments in the movie: whether it be realizing the financial burden his disease places on his family, his moments with his betrothed or the moments at the end. When you think of it, his best lines are perhaps all beside the comatose figure of his doctor! 

  

  Image courtesy: muyals.com
  Jayasuriya lost 14 kgs for the role in this movie, including a crash
  phase at the end where he famished himself and subsided on
  just bottle caps of water when he felt thirsty, apparently.

• Abhirami is a welcome sight, back in the movie scene after a long break. Her role as the wife of a doctor losing his mind and later becoming comatose is pretty convincing.   
• Indrans and Asif Ali stood out among the rest of the star cast, playing Jayasuriya's pleading father and a very significant other patient of the trial, respectively.
• The sequences towards the latter half, as Suresh Gopi faces the fate and judgement of his own patients, may appear a tad eerie to some but there is a very strong message there - both for the doctor and the patient.
• Credit to the cinematographer Hari Nair. It could not have been easy shooting an entire movie within the confines of a single building and yet he makes it work to his advantage: giving the hallways a tone befitting the mood of the moment while also leaving the viewer claustrophobic during tense moments as the surgeon begins to have disturbing visions.
• Credit too to the producers Dr George and Baby Mathew. In a day and age where Bollywood is regressing with imbecilic plots and effects yet showcasing quick returns shamelessly, it could not have been an easy decision to back a project devoid of any glamour and instead engage in a moral debate with the audience while giving an insight into both the psyche of the trusting patient and the guilt stricken doctor. 

Negatives?

• The pacing. It is a slow boiler medical/philosophical thriller, giving up momentum to develop character traits. 
• It is not a movie that is meant for those seeking a 'time pass entertainer'. That is pretty evident by now, I guess.

Miscellaneous:

• It is the kind of movie you want to talk about and discuss after watching. Freed from the diversion of superfluous characters, it does bring up a few issues that many of us in the medical industry know to be true:
• The role of drug companies and hospital administrators in letting rupees speak louder than humanitarian ways.
• The issue of illegal drug trials.
• The guilt doctors face over a lost patient.
• How easily a doctor can be led down the path of medical malpractice.
• Back-stabbing within the medical community.
• The recurring theme of the uneducated patient likening the doctor's hands to that of a God because of all the lives it touched and saved haunts me even now as I write this. It paints the oft-used doctor phrase "It is now all in God's hands." in a whole new light as well... I wonder if the director had that in mind while he wrote the script.      
• After Drishyam and Bangalore Days, this is the third Malayalam movie in recent times that had the audience leaving the theater impressed by the story line. Perhaps, we are finally going back to our glory days of script based cinemas once more, touchwood?

I sincerely applaud the team behind this movie for the combined effort they have put in. A superstar playing a subdued role, another star losing significant weight along with other changes to his appearance, a director with a genuine non-commercial story to tell and a production team ready to support that vision...    

From my part, I totally recommend this movie.
For a change from the usual nonsensical movies, try this one instead. Go in prepared for the slow pace and then enjoy the movie for what it is: a look at the Indian medical system in today's tertiary hospitals as well as a wonderful philosophical debate on the role doctors play in converting death into life... and vice versa too.