Pranchiyettan and the Saint

Of late I have been fascinated by the transformation of Ranjith as film- maker of real stuff. Kayoppu, Thirakatha, Kerala Care, Palerimanikyam...the transformation was drastic and beaming for a man who created narasimham and prajapathi. Palerimanikyam was simply arrogant, arrogantly excellent! He took untrodden path to create a an offbeat masterpiece. An now comes Pranchiyettan and the Saint. And with this fantastic movie Ranjith has proved a harbinger of good times, of fresh films in Malayalam film industry. This is something truly refreshing to malayalam cinema. The treatment is refreshing novel. The energy that pervades throughout the film is positive and vibrant. A well-crafted satire, heartwarming characterization, splendid dialogues and master acting especially by Mammootty, ably backed by Innocent, Priyamani etc. make this movie an unforgettable experience. The film stands for goodness with a message to tell to all. By the end of the film, the viewer is lifted up to sublime experience of warmth. I was reminded of reading Dickens' Christmas Carol. Good feeling flooding! Jessy Fox is magnificent with his saintly aura dipped in hilarious humanness! Special congrats to Ranjith for that awesome casting! Mammootty has been exceptional in recent times portraying diverse characters with exceptional finesse. Pranchiyettan is totally fresh, and so this is very very special. The film and the role will remain in the hearts of all for a long long time.

This is not a film that tells an earth shattering story as such. Rather it's built around several small incidents that make a rich man's miserable life. Pranchiyettan (Mammootty) as he is affectionately referred to by his aides and contemporaries has everything going for him in his life, but lives every moment of it in utter discontentment.

Mammootty as Pranchiyettan realizes that the Thrissur dialect (which he delivers to perfection) is not the only thing that would make this character a real challenge for the artist in him. The actor plays Pranchiyettan as if he were born to do it, and the personal details that he adds to his marvelous performance makes it one of the most profound ones in his illustrious career.

Ranjith manages a unique mix of satire and comedy in 'Pranchiyettan and the Saint' and it's a tight rope walk indeed for the director to juggle between fantasy and reality. In doing so he brings down heaven as close to earth and opens up a new universe before us where God and man beautifully blend into one. This is a must-watch folks. Just make sure you do not miss out on this one.

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Pranchiyetan and the saint is a movie revolving around the central character ,Prachiyettan's ( played by Padamshree Bharat Mammoty) reflection on his life, on his futile attempts to achieve, fame respect and recognition, Ultimately leading to self realisation.... A very well scripted movie, Master director Ranjit nicely blends thrissur slang and the central character's possible imaginary tryst with St Francis.In the process Pranchiyettan as well the viewers are taken through stark realities of life , in what meets the eyes are not always true... and what one percieves as success and successful people in real life are often neither happy nor successful and true success in life lies within oneself and helping others in realising their's

Viewers generally go out for the movies to be entertained. Thats exactly what Renjith has managed to do with this wonderful movie. The movie starts off with Mammootty being introduced by some ghosts. That initially made me feel that it would be something like Shyamalan's movies. But I was totally mistaken and taken aback by what followed.

The story telling is some thing that one would find remarkable in the movie. The feats of the so called Mammootty character 'Pranji Yettan' is depicted very skillfully and meticulously. He thrives for the respect and recognition that he always wanted. He tries to become a better man but still no one seems to take his seriously. The manages to become a helper of the needy in spite of being a wealthy person. How his friends try to become a well know personality is the crux of the story.

The Thrissur slang has been used very cleverly in the movie and manages to chuckle the audience. Though not used very dramatically it stands out as the best feature of the film. Innocent, Tiny Tom, Siddique, Jagathy and Khusboo play their roles to the at most of perfection not to mention how great Mammootty was.

I would give it a 8 out of 10 for entertainment.