PANNAIYARUM PADMINIYUM MOVIE REVIEW

Men generally share a deep emotional connect with their vehicles, be it a cycle or a two wheeler or a car. There have been memorable movies based on this unique ‘love affair’. Debut director S.U. Arun Kumar spawns a tale out of this very bonding that exists between a ‘Pannaiyar’ (a much respected man in the village) and his car. This car becomes like a family member for almost the entire village and the tale spanning many years, is narrated through a young man who shares a long history with the car.

Vijay Sethupathi is at the center of action most of the time and puts up an earnest and lifelike performance as Murugesan, the driver who works at the Pannaiyar household and is almost like their son. Vijay’s hairstyle is reminiscent of Superstar Rajini’s flowing long hair in the 80s and he carries the typical ‘son of the soil’ looks. Vijay also has a little romance running with a girl in the village, played by Iyshwarya Rajesh.

We also have young comedy actor Bala Saravanan putting up a truly entertaining show as ‘Peeda’, Murugesan’s sidekick. This young man seems to be a natural comedian and he makes it look so easy with his facial expressions, accent and body language. Bala lightens the mood and often enlivens the proceedings with his antics.

Ultimately, Pannaiyarum Padminiyum (PP) is mostly about the beautiful relationship that exists between Mr. and Mrs. Pannaiyar, played remarkably by Jayaprakash and Thulasi. Such a mature romance hasn’t been showcased in a more endearing manner in recent times. The way they address each other as ‘Kelavan’ ‘Kelavi’ ‘Vaaya’ ‘Poya’ is actually cute. Jayaprakash shows his caliber as an actor whenever he exhibits the deep love that he has, not only for his wife but also towards his car. Thulasi is establishing herself firmly as a superb onscreen mom and wife.

Neelima Rani is effective playing Pannaiyar’s ever-demanding daughter while ‘Attakathi’ Dinesh plays a cameo role where he expresses more than he talks.

Composer Justin Prabhakaran impresses with his lilting melody tracks such as ‘Onakkaga Porandhene’, which is a lovely little part of the movie and a story by itself. The Jayaprakash – Thulasi relationship is placed on a different pedestal thanks to this number. Justin also aids the movie’s mood with his background score.

PP’s landscape comprising barren but scenic countryside reminds us of movies such as Veyyil. The highlight of Gokul Benoy’s work on the camera is the way he showcases the car as an important character in the movie.

No wonder, Vijay Sethupathi spoke highly of both Justin and Gokul, as promising debutantes to look forward to.

Among the downsides, PP moves at a slow pace with few redundant scenes as the plot doesn't have enough depth. We have a lot of screen time devoted to Pannaiyar’s attempts at learning to drive and also scenes to keep emphasizing the importance that the car carries in the village. The beautiful ‘Enga Ooru Vandi’ sequence, early on in the movie, was itself sufficient to firmly establish the lovely place that the car holds among these people. The movie’s running time of more than 150 minutes could have easily been cut short. The tale would have been more concise then.

But the director makes sure that the audience leaves the hall smiling thanks to the way he has ended the tale. Arun Kumar and Editor Sreekar Prasad also score in the manner in which they are able to hold the audience’s attention, despite a shallow plot, a slow moving narrative and a long running time.