Review: Palunku - Must See

Rajappan · Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 1:51 pm Post subject: Review: Palunku - Must See

Happy News! Blessy has scored a hat trick with Palunku (Crystal). He has once again asserted that he is a path breaking writer-director, one to be admired and applauded. Undoubtedly, he is the best director in Malayalam cinema who understands the social fabric and milieu of an average Malayalee.

Blessy has also been able to derive top-class performance from not only his lead pair but also child artists and supporting cast. Mammootty as Monichan an illiterate middle class farmer with a sharp acumen who comes to the city and falls for its temptations is outstanding. And the new girl Lakshmi Sharma a model from Hyderabad looks fresh and steals the show with her outstanding performance as Susamma.

Indeed there is plenty to appreciate and applaud in this technically savvy realistic film. Santhosh Thundiyil (of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Kaal” & Krrish” fame) marvelous camerawork, Raja Mohammed knife-sharp editing without resorting to any gimmicks and above all Mohan-Sitara’s music with some meaningful lyrics are all added assets to the film.

Monichan (Mammootty) is a hardworking farmer who leads a happy life in a village in the hills of Idukki along with wife Susamma and their two smart daughters Geetu (Nazreen)aged 11 and Neetu (Nivedita) aged 6. But when the local school does not have the facility for the elder child to continue her studies Monichan decides to admit his daughters in a convent school in the nearby town.

He meets Soman Pillai (Jagathy Sreekumar) a very practical man who knows all the shortcuts to make a fast buck. Monichan takes his children personally to school and to avoid boredom, he joins a class conducted for elders. He is a quick learner and after a freak accident for which he gets a good compensation, Monichan and family move to the city under the advice of Pillai.

Pillai knows how to make money by selling lottery tickets, money lending, circulating counterfeit notes among others. Slowly the naive farmer is sucked by the trappings of city life as his wife too becomes materialistic as she demands Television, fridge, gas stove and washing machine! Monichan is completely controlled by Pillai who thinks that he has a lucky streak, makes him a partner in all his illegal activities. But soon a heart-breaking catastrophe happens in Monichan’s life which makes him realize his mistakes.

What makes Palunku work is that Blessy has not fallen back on cinematic clichés to make the narration melodramatic or a tearjerker. The film will definitely leave a lump in your throat and make you think about an average Malayalee’s craving for the trappings of ‘modernity’ and how city life changes the perspective and priorities of everyone. Blessy has conveyed the message that he had to tell in a very subtle yet striking manner.

Some of the scenes that will stay with you for a long time are the attitude of neighbours in a village and in city when a crisis happens, the attitude of a Malayalee to leave his core occupation looking for greener pastures after he gets educated, the influence of television soaps on housewives.

Mammootty has slipped into the role of Monichan effortlessly proving that he is one of India’s best actors. In the first half he shows his gift for comedy and dramatic subtlety. The school scenes when he walks without making sound and his expression after he speaks his first word in English or the last scene when he has to convey the extremes of intensity and emotional fragility as he sees the body of his daughter, he is first class.

Lakshmi Sharma as Susamma is outstanding with her spontaneity and vivacity. Jagathy Sreekumar is excellent while Nedumudi Venu and others are all so life like. The child artists Nazreen and Niveditha are not only lovable kids but their performances are seen to be believed. Thambi Antony makes a cameo as a poet and is good.

Technically Palunku is savvy and is class apart. Art director Prashanth Madhav’s has gone into the details of a middle class Christian household with utmost care. The common man, their dialect and way of life in the hills of Idukki is well-etched out. The scene of Mammootty with both his kids on a cycle shot against the Sylvan background with stedi-cam will stay in your mind.

Bravo Blessy, you are definitely blessed. Palunku is the best film of the year and a must-see for those who crave for good cinema.

Verdict: Brilliant

Rajappan · Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:09 pm Post subject:

Blessy, who earlier gave us Kaazhcha and Thanmathra, now amazes and impresses us with Palunku, his latest offering. While the first half of the film sometimes leaves us wondering as to what the film is all about and whether Blessy's career graph is going for a dip, the post-interval section simply leaves us spellbound and exclaiming that Palunku is Blessy's best till date. The film has outscored Kaazhcha and Thanmathra, subject-wise and treatment-wise, though it may perhaps not be a crowd puller or appease die-hard fans of lead man Mammootty.

Palunku tells the story of an industrious farmer Monichan and his family, which consists of his wife Susamma, and his daughters Geethu and Neethu, whom he lovingly calls 'Ponnu' and 'Kilunthu'. Monichan is happy with his life as a farmer and loves his family, his profession, nature and the people around him.

At a juncture in his life, he is forced to take his daughters to a school in the town, simply because the school in his village cannot accommodate his elder daughter, who is in fifth standard, as there are not enough students to run classes. Thus Geethu and Neethu join an English medium school. Monichan brings the children to school every morning and hangs around in town till evening to take them back.

In the course of this routine, Monichan gets close to Soman Pillai, a shrewd lottery agent, who knows all short-cuts to earn money. Soman Pillai becomes Monichan's advisor. Monichan buys a bicycle and the father and the daughters now travel to town and back on the bicycle. In the meantime Monichan joins a class conducted for elders and starts learning to read and write Malayalam as well as English. A minor accident makes Monichan shift over to the town along with his family.

Once in town, Monichan finds himself entrapped in a vicious circle. He, with all help from Soman Pillai, begins to tread on the wrong path, lending out money, and doing things not entirely above board. His life changes slowly. He is no more the naive farmer he used to be. Even his wife has changed. She spends her time watching soaps on TV and dreaming about modern household amenities. But fate has something else in store for them.

Mammootty gives a stellar performance as Monichan and he proves that he is just irreplaceable as far as such roles are concerned. New girl Lakshmi Sharma as Susamma is a good choice. The children Nazrin (as Geethu) and Niveditha (as Neethu) have done full justice to their roles. Jagathy Sreekumar as Soman Pillai and Nedumudi Venu as the teacher are quite impressive. All the others in the cast too have done well.

Technically the film is superb without the cinematographer (Santhosh Thundiyil of Krish fame) or the editor (Raja Muhammed) having to indulge in any gimmicks. The songs too jell with the theme and the situations. The star of the film however, is the director himself. Blessy has done an excellent job with the script as well as the direction.

Every element finds its way into the film - irony, allegory, sentiment, and humour - all in good measure without ever tending to be melodramatic or overtly sentimental. Palunku is a slice of contemporary life and has universal appeal. It is rarely that such films happen in mainstream Malayalam cinema. Hats off to Blessy for coming up with such a bold initiative without falling prey to the demands of the box office! Applause