Nimisha Priya Yemen case and the cost of forgiveness: Lessons from Malayalam classic Perumazhakkalam led by Kavya Madhavan, Meera Jasmine and Dileep

Dubai: As Nimisha’s fate hangs in the balance in Yemen, with the world debating whether she will be pardoned or punished, I am reminded of one of the most haunting Malayalam films I have ever seen – Perumazhakkalam.

That Kamal-directed classic, written by T.A. Razzaq, came out in 2004 and gutted me then, as it does now, because it forces you to confront something very few films dare to explore: what happens when you are asked to summon humanity against your own will.

The film, inspired by several real-life Gulf tragedies, is a gripping story of three migrant workers in Saudi Arabia who become thick friends. One day, a fight over money and loaning it spirals out of control.

Akbar, played by Dileep, strikes out in anger, but the blow lands on his friend Raghu, played by Vineeth, killing him by mistake. A court sentences Akbar to death. The only way to save him is for Raghu’s wife to sign a letter of pardon.

Much of the movie unfolds in the rains of Kerala. As its English title suggests, While It Rains Hard, monsoon is almost a character here. Rain-drenched courtyards, wet riverbanks, boats gliding on shimmering backwaters, and a magnificent temple compound glimpsed through a single gateway set the stage for a story where women wait behind closed doors—one mourning her soulmate, another praying for hers to be spared from execution.

This is not a film about men. It is about women carrying the unbearable burden of decisions they did not create.

When Raziya (Meera Jasmine) travels to plead with Ganga (Kavya Madhavan), she is humiliated, turned away, even attacked.

And there is one scene that destroys me every time: in the pouring rain, Raziya crumples to the ground, begging Ganga to save her husband’s life. No melodrama and just pathos and two women, drenched and desperate, caught in the crossfire of fate.

I am not saying Nimisha is innocent. This isn’t about innocence or guilt. It is about the idea of pardon, and how forgiveness is never simple. Social media hashtags may trend, but real forgiveness comes at a cost only the forgiver knows.

Even the ending refuses easy comfort. When Akbar and Raziya return home, they visit Ganga, now selling snacks to survive, and the three silently watch their children playing together—unaware of the tragedy that binds them.

Perumazhakkalam is a quiet, powerful film, one of Kamal’s finest, made unforgettable by the fierce, restrained performances of Meera Jasmine and Kavya Madhavan.

Forgiveness, survivor’s guilt, and the quiet aftershocks of loss are never simple. Perumazhakkalam takes a hard, unflinching look at all of it – the way mercy is tangled with shame, rage, love, and exile.

There is no expiry date to grief or to forgiveness; they just change shape and keep coming back, like the monsoon in that film, flooding everyone with emotions that never wash off and a guilt that never goes away.