Puzhu
Malayalam (SonyLIV)
Director: Ratheena PT
Cast: Mammootty, Parvathy Thiruvothu
Rating: 3/5
'Puzhu' is a classic case of the actor being better than his role in the film. Mammootty raises the bar by portraying a negative character arc that lacks anything new to offer to the world of cinema. His performance as Kuttan is as memorable as it begs despise. It also needs a mention of his courage to take up such a disagreeable role and make it so real on the silver screen.
'Puzhu' is a visual commentary on the society’s modern-day urban casteism, which is not about who gets to consume water from a well, but about the ignorant yet blatant fear and condescension of people belonging to the minorities. It tries hard to be the voice of the discriminated.
However, the positives of the film end there. There are countless issues that the film struggles with, in the making as well as in the writing. To begin with, the film’s writing is filled with so many obvious plot points that sometimes stand in the way of taking these characters seriously or as real people.
For instance, the character Kuttappan portrayed by Appunni, a Dalit artist-cum-activist in this film, is only identified by his identity and nothing more. Apart from a strong intro that he receives at the beginning of the film, it completely fails to use his potential or even make him sound human rather than a blunt commentator of the reality around him. The movie fails at being itself.
Another under-utilised talent was Parvathy. She played Bharati who had a solid character to be portrayed but ends up being an appeaser to the two sides of an unfair debate. However, she made her presence noticeable in the limited scenes.
This proves that it is an out and out Mammootty show, which is not necessarily what the movie intended to do but ends up being so. Jakes Bejoy’s music helps raise the viewer’s emotions according to the mood that the film demanded.