Puzhu (Malayalam) movie review : Parvathy wasted and too subtle

Puzhu ( Malayalam) movie would have gone over the heads of many of the viewers who saw it on SonyLiv. The film does draw lot of parallels within the story telling and also has so many messages that speaks volumes about the upper caste mentality in the bureaucracy  and in society towards the oppressed. The nuances can be understood only if one is able to know about the art forms and past tales of cate oppression in Kerala as there is so many symbols that convey more than what it seems.

Mammooty is na IPS officer- divorcee with a son staying alone in a flat. His sister Parvathy married a lower caste drama actor who is also an activist in social caste divide. He is subjected to a attack at many times using a carbon monoxide to kill him and killer is at large. He has shady deals on the side. .

To those who wondered what is significance of Puzhu( worm) to subject . As in the drama on stage of Prakishit and Takshan, where Snake god manifested as a worm in an apple to kill the King hiding or like Amir slowly like a worm systematically eating into Kuttan's life through attempts on his life like the former giving up use of lift after a failed attempt,Aamir is shown for first time as picking up the  apples from the road . Puzhu  could also mean the way Kuttan looks at lower caste people . When Kuttan goes away with the son, we hear the King being cursed that seven days from now the curse will take place and he will die. Like the King hid a isolated palace, Kuttan lives in a high rise flat and has the doors barricaded,

If you see the scene in which Kuttan kills his sister and her husband, he is hitting them with a trophy that the brother in law got. The trophy is  a figure of Nangeli the Ezhava Dalit woman who stood against the breast tax of Travancore Royalty and seeing this it infuriated Kuttan who used it to kill his sister and hubby. It explains why he who kept the gun back at home got provoked all of a sudden.

Director show that Kuttan talks to his son who stands before him answering queries on school life while his sister seats the boy in a chair and stands beside him during the staging of the play.

Mammooty just lives the role of a mentally traumatized man fighting demons within himself. The character sketch is well done. Though debut director Ratheena did not want to spoon feed the audience , I felt it was too subtle for a majority of audience. Yet another hamper to the narration was that the film had just a flat - a resort etc and nothing else to offer for a camera ( Theni Easwar) to shoot. BGM ( Jakes) was just perfect. The Islamphobia that has affected many directors in Kerala too has hit Ratheena. 

After seeing Puzhu, I am amused at the umpteen interviews given by Parvathy for a role that nobody would remember .

Prabhu Deva as Karnan in R S Vimal's next

  Prabhu Deva will be essaying the role of ` Karnan' in the multi- lingual film Suryaputra Mahavir Karna to be directed by R S Vimal. Chiyaan Vikram was to play Karnan and even a making video was released on the actor's birthday. It was later dropped and Vikram moved to another mythological Ponniyin Selvan directed by Mani Rathinam.

R S Vimal directed Ennu Ninte Moideen the all time evergreen romantic film starring Prithviraj and Parvathy along with Tovino . The film released in Feb 2016 and was a runaway hit and all songs a craze. Music director Jeyachandran won the national award.

 Vimal did extensive work on Karnan, the character in Mahabharata and it was the story told from his perspective. He had prepared a story board for 2.5 hrs and enough documentation. At first `Mamamangam' film producer was to fund it but backed out.  Bollywood Producer Vashu Bhagnani came on board and even the logo was released. Names of many Bollywood actors were speculated but surprisingly the choice was Vikram. Suresh Gopi was to play an important role.

Now the film is being funded by a UK based production company . 50 % of the film will be shot in a virtual reality and live action at UK studios. As UK has lifted pandemic curbs, shoot would begin next month said a source. Instead of Suresh Gopi, Malayalam actor Lal ( who acted in Dhanush's Karnan) is in the mythological film. Budget is  Rs 300 crores.