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Panthayakozhi – Review |
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| Behindwoods
Movie Review Board |
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Starring:
Narain, Pooja, Sudheesh, Geetha, Madhu, Janardanan,
Rami Reddy
Direction: M A Venu
Music:
Alex Paul
Production: J P |
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It was the last of the movies to arrive during the Deepavali
week and had an inconspicuous entry at the box office. Of
course, one can’t expect much fan fare for a film that
was originally made in Malayalam around 18 months back and
has been dubbed into Tamil. The factor that prompted the makers
to do so is of course Narain’s growing popularity in
Tamil Nadu courtesy the Anjathey success. Panthayakozhi (same
name in Malayalam) had been a festival release in 2007 in
Kerala pitted against the biggest stars. It was seen as Narain’s
opportunity to enter the league of young guns set to take
over as generation next.
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One really wonders whether the movie was originally
made with an intention of dubbing it into Tamil, the
cast has a very heavy Kollywood flavor, one doesn’t
really feel that this is a Malayalam product. Panthayakozhi
follows the story of a young man who loses his father
early in life and has to grow up at his maternal uncle’s
place along with his mother. All is well and both mother
and son seem to have overcome the grief that had clouded
their earlier years. But an old friend of his father
turns up unexpectedly to fulfill his last wish and once
again Narain is brought back by fate and an unscrupulous
uncle to the place where the ghosts of his past still
wander. Truth is revealed and he discovers that his
father’s death was no accident. Blood boils, rage
rises and revenge is the only thing on his mind. In
the interim he also meets Pooja who also has had bitter
experiences at the hand of the same perpetrator, who,
as it turns out is a hardcore criminal. Going by the
old adage of ‘an enemy of your enemy is your friend’,
Narain and Pooja hit it off and you know that romance
is just round the corner and as expected revenge is
the culmination, what else?
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If
you think that the storyline sounds archaic, then you are
spot on. One would have expected this sort of fare somewhere
in the mid 70s when Amitabh Bachchan exemplified the angry
young man type of roles. The debutante director cum script
writer seems to have got stuck in a time warp; he ought to
have realized that the subject he was working on had long
become obsolete in all languages. At least Lal, the experienced
director, actor and producer that he is should have been able
to see through the weakness of the script. There is lots of
violence, crude fights, loud sounds, strong worded dialogues
and everything stereotypical. But one can find a few bright
spots if one wants, especially scenes involving Pooja and
Geetha, who plays Narain’s mother. At best, the movie
is not repulsive and can make for passive viewing if one is
really keen on watching a movie.
Performances –there’s not much to mention. Narain
tries his best to carry the movie and shows glimpses of the
really good actor that we saw in Anjaathey, Chithiram Pesudhadi
and quite a few Malayalam movies. But the script and unimaginative
direction don’t allow Narain enough freedom to unleash
his potential. Pooja has, however, managed to turn in a pleasant
performance. There is not much in terms of romance, but scenes
where she demands Narain to wreak vengeance on her behalf leave
a mark, similar things can be said about Geetha. V M C Haneefa
is one of the silver linings of the movie with his precise
comic timing. There are a few young men, who are familiar
faces in Malayalam, who try their hand at comedy, it doesn’t
work. Ramya Nambeeshan appears as Narain’s deaf and dumb
sister. Rami Reddy, from Telugu, does the lead villain’s
role and does exactly what a stereotypical script has given
him. Metti Oli fame Venkat impresses in a cameo. Lal is wasted
in a small role.
Overall,
Panthayakozhi looks something straight out of the 70s minus
the charm that make those movies dear to us. One wonders
whether the dubbing has cost the movie some of its well
made scenes, but there don’t appear to be too many
flaws on that front. The blame rests squarely on the script.
Narain could have well done without this release, not an
ideal follow up to Anjaathey. At the box office, when more
contemporarily made commercial entertainers are falling
like nine pins, Panthayakozhi doesn’t stand a chance.
Verdict
- outdated
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