‘Pakalam Pathirom’ Movie Review: Kanchakku Boban, Rajesh Vijayan’s thriller is marred by mediocre filmmaking

Kanchako Bobbin from ‘Pakalam Pathirum’ in a still | Photo credit: Goodwill Entertainments/YouTube

How do disasters happen? If destruction is happening in an Ajay Vasudev film, it will certainly be in slow motion, with a relentless, ear-splitting background score. And there’s no escaping it, because you’re trapped inside that movie, and you can only move in slow motion. I Pakalam PathirumIn his latest directorial venture, the use of slow motion begins in the opening scene, when the police raid a high-range settlement to arrest suspected Maoists. The camera pans around a police officer, playing a minor role at best, and captures in exquisite detail his slow walk towards a man who lights a cigarette and questions police action. .

The slow motion shots serve no purpose other than to make the audience believe that one or the other character is the key, only to be proven wrong. At the heart of the story is a financially struggling family that lives on the edge of the High Limits. A farmer’s father (Manoj KU)’s drinking habit adds to the family’s financial woes. As moneylenders threaten the family, daughter Rahmat (Rajesha Vijayan) looks for ways to lead a better life. Michael (Conchaco Boban), a wildlife photographer, gets stuck on his way through the jungles and takes shelter in their house for a night.

When Michael comes into the picture, one would naturally assume that he would have a role to play in changing the fortunes of the family. But when a scriptwriter throws an overused trope at us to establish a character’s relationship with family, it’s really surprising to know that the trick isn’t still out of date.

Pakalam Pathirum It is a remake of Dayal Padmanabhan’s Kannada film. Come on, Karala Ratri, which in turn was based on a 20-minute play. Clearly, the play would have worked because of its short run time as it has a potentially thrilling story about what greed and hopelessness can drive people to do. but I Pakalam Pathirum, it stretches pointlessly over two hours. It still could have worked to an extent, if not for the old-school filmmaking that successfully kills any promising plot.

Vasudev, whose filmography includes works like Rajadhi Raja, A masterpieceAnd ShylockIt brings the same elevated perspective seen in these films Pakalam PathirumBut this is a different kind of movie. The director’s natural affinity for the mas masala genre is evident in how the release of one such film is referenced in the script for no reason, as the camera pans slowly across the film’s poster.

This approach to the entire film ensures that the audience will remain unmoved even when the big revelations are made at the end. The lack of effort in further building these characters makes them difficult to connect with. Pakalam Pathirum His mediocre filmmaking alone has doomed him.

Pakalum Pathiravum is currently playing in theatres.