This is among the few interesting ideas that Ayisha explores when it remains, otherwise, a flat biopic that follows the usual patterns. It is based loosely on the life of actor Nilambur Ayisha, a theater firebrand regarded as among the first from her community to rule the stage. The contradictions that her life presents are ripe with cinematic drama yet it never really translates to the screen. This includes the conflict of a Communist woman having to shift to an absolute monarchy where there’s no space for her opinions or an identity. Ayisha (Manju Warrier), upon arriving at a Saudi palace where she has to work, is immediately stripped of individuality, forced to look and behave like the many servants there. The other contradiction comes in the form of how her workplace remains a matriarchy, unlike the stereotypical notions you might enter the country with.
This keeps the basic arc of Ayisha different from a film like Khaddama (2012), which felt like a series of terrible events that simply get progressively worse for its lead. Over here, there’s room for lighter moments, a sisterhood that develops between the women working in the house and a genuinely moving relationship that blossoms between the matriarch Mama (Mona Essay) and Ayisha. The parallels that run between these two women, who are not very different from each other, gets us to think about their respective pasts, even if the film doesn’t spell it out for us.