Every year, a few indie Malayalam films make it to the theatres, and soon move out not due to a lack of quality but because of a lack of an audience. 9 out of 10 times, such films are worth a watch. This tragedy here is worth a lot more.
Pareeth (Kalabhavan Shajohn) is an old man with humility. He lives with his wife Avva (Sajitha Madathil) and three daughters who are waiting to get married. Pareeth provides for his family by working as a pandari (chef) who is renowned in his village for his biriyani-making skills. Things are not copacetic in his house and poverty is just around the corner, but Pareeth's worry is about the possibility of his daughters' marriage. While the youngest is perceived as pretty, the elder ones are considered "ugly" by the men and marriage brokers who come to see them. Pareeth is currently trying to find a groom for Mehr, the eldest, but things do not look easy.
The story follows Pareeth's attempts to find a groom for his eldest daughter while defending himself and his family from the society's harsh insinuations. It basically narrates a parable of sorts which samples subjects such as religion, dowry, matrimony, and aesthetic discrimination. Pareeth's humility is what has cost him a life of near-poverty as he awaits death in his older days. And it is the same humility that is now putting his daughters' marriage at risk. However, there are many more elements at play in the latter part.
Director Gafoor Elliyas has created a film that grips you since the beginning. It is easy to watch the characters as the story moves ahead, making us root for the protagonist. Seeing him lose at every turn reflects the harsh truths about the society that we live in. Of course, the screenplay digresses a few times, but it picks up soon, never giving its audience a chance to blink. With a suited background score and inventive screenplay, this film can easily be considered as one of the better ones of 2017. Although there are a lot of issues with the film like a stretched second half and a few unanswered questions, most of them can be ignored.
Shajohn is phenomenal as Pareeth, leaving no stone unturned to portray the character in its most original element. It is because of Shajon's and his co-stars' performances that the film moves ahead strongly. Supporting actors Madathil, Sunil Sukhada, and Jaffer Idukki all do a decent job. Special nod for the actors who played the daughters.
Overall, Gafoor Elliyas' film is a great tragedy that needs to be seen. There are a lot of sub-themes to be enjoyed here - whether it's about the daughters' shared desire to be a mother or a young street-side seller's business-less days. Watch it if you are tired of all the potboilers and turkeys they are dolling out these days.
BOTTOM LINE: Gafoor Elliyas' "Pareeth Pandari" is an averagely-made brilliant film that needs to be seen by more people because the themes used here are very relevant to the times that we live in. Watch it on Yupp TV.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
