REVIEW: PUZHU (Malayalam)  

• RELEASE DATE:13/05/2021 

• PLATFORM: SONY LIV OTT PLATFORM. 

• DIRECTOR: RATHEENA PT

• GENRE: DRAMA 

• STAR CAST: MAMMOOTTY, PARVATHY THIRUVOTH, APPUNNI SASI, VASUDEV SAJEESH MARAR, NEDUMUDI VENU,KOTTAYAM RAMESH, KUNCHAN, INDRANS. 

• PRODUCTION COMPANIES: WAYFARER FILMS AND CYN-CYL CELLULOID. 

• MUSIC DIRECTOR: JAKES BEJOY. 

• CINEMATOGRAPHY: THENI ESWAR. 

• EDITOR: DEEPU JOSEPH.

• SOUND: RASUL POOKUTTY

• DURATION: 115 MINUTES. 

        REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI R. 

What’s GOOD: 

1. The main theme of the film and how the plot is portrayed. 

2. The direction of Ratheena PT. 

3. Well written screenplay. 

4. The realistic performers of every actor. 

5. Mammootty’s brilliant acting. 

6. Background Score. 

7. Cinematography. 

8. Editing. 

What’s BAD: 

1. The film is slow paced. 

2. Felt a lag in between.
3. Resemblance to the episode ‘Oor Iravu’ by Vetrimaaran in Paava Kadhaigal. 
4. A subplot towards the ending could have been executed better. 

Detail Explanation, REVIEW: 

Won Plus Factors: 

The script, making and the performance of actors made the movie Puzhu special. These two factors were incredibly strong to make this movie one of the best films of recent times. From the very beginning how the theme of the film was portrayed and how the story started to unfold and how the makers had ended the film were fascinating to see. 

Here the story penned by Harshad was unique, his vision and the facts of present social scenarios were written effectively. The reality of caste and its issues was written beautifully in the story, here the thoughts and ideologies of the writer are clear. Without any bias the thinking of human beings based on caste was shown in the form of actual reality. The courage and the vision of the writer need to be appreciated, though the story he had exhibited the darker side of human beings when it comes to caste. The entire story was written in a balanced manner, and all the events in the plot until the climax were having the proper connection to justify the theme. 

The writer Harshad had also joined Sharfu and Suhas in writing the screenplay. As I said, the plot of the film, in the beginning, was starred with some simple scenes and slowly the movie was moving into a thriller backdrop. So how the script had changed the tone and how the screenplay had entered into a thriller dimension was interesting. While watching the mid-portion of the film I was having slight confusion about what the movie is trying to say, but all that confusion was cleared out at the time when the movie indicated the actual theme. So the writers had taken enough time to establish the story and the various happenings towards the end will give us a shock. Some true reality about the caste and the thinking of human beings was told realistically throughout the film. The dialogues between the characters also pointed out some actual truth about the caste issues in our present society. So the screenplay was organised with the right events and occurrences and it had created enough curiosity. From the very beginning, the character played by Mammootty was given a mysterious feel. His approach toward his son, his thinking, and doings and even his look was giving the sense of eagerness to know what he is trying to prove. So the specific quality given for the character of Mammootty was matching the script to make the situations more influential. The climax was shocking and the writers had made it brilliant, the proper way of reasoning was given and it was convincing. 

The direction by Ratheena PT was unbelievable, it was hard to believe that she was a newcomer. It’s her first film and she proved her brilliance and I am sure that she has the potential to come up with some incredible works. How she made this film according to the script proves her skills, she had managed to complete this film effectively without making any errors. In her direction, nothing gets diverted from the actual theme, she was cleverly making this film realistically and her making style was having the power to dominate to give an intense cinematic experience. How she had successfully used the acting talents and skills of Mammootty will make us wonder, by seeing the acting it is clear that she had given the right instruction to every actor. The negative touch on the character played by Mammootty will surprise everyone and here how the director has portrayed his character is intriguing. In the making, the movie follows a slow-paced way of storytelling and the movie till the last thirty minutes obeys this same slow-paced pattern but it doesn’t affect much in the viewing experience. The direction of Ratheena PT was having the strength to hold our attention, in between I felt some lagging but still, I couldn’t feel to skip forward. The content was the actual reason and the politics which the film discusses will surely make the viewing enjoyable and thrilling. 

The performance of Mammootty is the next thing which carries the film forward. I was stunned to see his acting, no errors and no mistakes. The entire performance of Mammootty in Puzhu can be defined as a complete package of true acting. There are many scenes in the film which showcased his real skills, his perfect timing in delivering the dialogue was wonderful. According to the different types of scenes, he exhibits the right expression, his natural facial expressions and looks had made the important scene to give an extra impact. The controlled way of acting and the different handling method in showcasing the situations was easily done by Mammootty. In the scene in which he coughs, the scene in which he shows the fear, the scene in which he controls his son, the scene in which he advises his son, the scene in which he provokes, and the scene in which he does the unexpected brutal things were equipped with the natural acting of Mammootty. So without any doubt, I will say that the film Puzhu delivers his best acting in recent times and his character ‘Kuttan’ rather called ‘Sir’ will give you a shocking and unforgettable experience. Appunni Sasi as Kuttappan a.k.a. KP appears to play an important role and he has given his best. He had undertaken the character neatly, and till the end, the way he acted out was matching for the character. His amazing dialogue delivery and various modulations in telling the dialogue were intense, his voice was adequate to point out some actual truth of human thinking. Also his combination scenes with Parvathy carried the movie strongly till the end, also their chemistry had worked out. In the film, he plays the role of a stage drama artist and he has shined with some good acting skills. Parvathy Thiruvoth as Bharati was excellent with her acting, her calm way of talking and pleasant way of handling the situations was wonderful to watch. Her few combination scenes with Mammootty were also, her character was crucial but to perform she was having less still she had carried a sensible natural way of acting throughout the film. Vasudev Sajeesh Marar as Rishikesh aka Kichu needs to be specially mentioned, his acting was precise. The sufferings he faces and different emotions he goes through also how he moves his life in toxic parenting were acted out genuinely. Nedumudi Venu, Anil Nedumangad, Indrans, and Kottayam Ramesh had done justice to their respective supporting roles. 

Lost Minus Factors: 

1: In the above-mentioned positives, I had mentioned that the movie is following a slow-paced way of making. So in between while watching some may feel a lag, or why this is unnecessarily dragging. The movie is taking enough time to establish the story so this slow-paced way of storytelling is demanding for a film like this so one may have to show a little bit of patience in between. 

2: The theme of this film is strong and this same theme has been discussed in many films. But here detailing, the premise of the film and the life of the character played by Mammootty makes it different. But still, the core theme of the Puzhu was giving me the resemblance to ‘Oor Iravu’ by Vetrimaaran in Paava Kadhaigal. The ending and it’s idea in the film Puzhu were slightly similar to the climax of ‘Oor Iravu’ in Paava Kadhaigal. 

3: Towards the end, the film is conveying an important subplot. It was very crucial in the film but I felt that the makers had not effectively executed that scene. It could have been elaborated more and the character who appears in that scene felt weak, the reasoning was convincing but the execution was weak. 

4: I felt the character of Appunni Sasi as Kuttappan needs to give more space  like the character of Mammootty. Appunni Sasi character was explained well but still the makers could have given a little more scenes. Also Parvathy’s character Bharati was deserving of more scenes, she was having very few scenes. I thought her character could have explored more, the writers and director haven’t utilised her character well. 

So What’s Hot?

1:Performance of Mammootty and other actors. 

2: The theme of the film and its script. 

3: Direction of the newcomer Ratheena PT

4: Technicality.  

So What’s Not?

1: Slow narration

2: Subplot in the climax was ineffective. 

What’s behind the film: 

Another winning factor of this film is the background score, cinematography and editing. The background score stood higher to hold my attention, it was dominating to give an extra boost and impact for the crucial scenes. For every scene, Jakes Bejoy had given the appropriate background score and every important scene had ended with the right tunes to set the mood. Also, the background score towards the end was set brilliantly, and the feel and depth of the scenes in the climax were balanced with the right background tunes. Therefore, the climax had given an extra influence and those tunes had helped the ending look more vibrant. The cinematography by Theni Eswar was matching the premise of Puzhu, his visuals were contributing to making the occurrences powerful. The close-up shots he pointed out in the face of Mammootty came out well to exhibit his outstanding acting. The lighting for the indoor scene was good, the entire climax visuals were strikingly shot with the right angles and the slow-motion shots in those scenes were wonderful to watch. The editing was nice, the duration never felt long, and I haven’t felt mismatches in the transition of scenes.

Final Verdict: 

So overall the film Puzhu had given me a satisfying cinematic experience and I enjoyed watching this film. The script and the making were powerful and the theme which the film portrays will surely draw your attention. The performance of Mammootty had made this movie wonderful, also the natural performance of other actors had helped to give a convincing feel. The richness in the background score, cinematography and editing is also an attraction. The theme and the climax will definitely shock you, the movie was successful in showcasing some present actual reality. The world of casteism is still around us and the film Puzhu had victoriously entered into it without any fear and had pointed out some truths which needs to be discussed, so I will recommend you to watch this film with your loved ones. 

• FINAL RATING: 4/5