"Perusu" just redefined "adult comedy" with "family drama" with a side of, shall we say, stiff competition.
Alright, picture this: Imagine grandpa kicks the bucket, but instead of peacefully stiffening into a respectable corpse, he decides to go full-on with a bang.
And the bang is... well, let's just say he's pulling a "standing ovation" that lasts hours as rigor mortis took a vacation, and rigor erectus decided to crash the funeral. Yes, you read that right. The entire revolves around a family's desperate attempt to hide grandpa's enthusiasm from the nosy village, turning grief into a slapstick comedy of errors. Was it a dignified send-off?
Coming to the performances, Vaibhav, as the kudikaaran (drunkard), is perfect as Duraikannu. He is a sloshed dude who stumbles, he mumbles, and he manages to land some genuinely hilarious one-liners with Bala Saravanan, proving he's still got that "Meiyadha Maan" charm.
Sunil, as Samikannu, is the standout in the movie. He is like the poor paavam anna (elder brother) trying to keep his brother from messing everything up. His face when Redin Kingsley spills the school-love-story? Priceless.
Redin Kingsley as the auto driver does his usual signature acrobatics. He returns later, a walking spoiler alert for the family's secrets, ready to unleash maximum comedic pandemonium. Karunakaran, the funeral home owner, prays for more dead people like it's a lottery jackpot, which is both morbid and hilarious.
Munishkanth is great addition, he is on a mission to prove the existence of ahem, anatomical anomaly. But constantly gets fooled left and right, slowly and driven to the brink of insanity.
Additionally, the women in the film are relegated to the sidelines, but they do their best, especially the nosy neighbour who's basically a human CCTV camera.
Amidst all the chaos and thatha's standing-issue, there's a surprisingly touching "brothers in arms" moment where Durai and Samikannu bond over booze and share moment of genuine connection with their Perusu.
On the downside, the duration of the movie is the spoilsport. The movie has its moments, it's funny at times but gets a little lame over and over again, like it's just brief chuckles and a few little laughs. I mean that the movie is fairly engaging, but I think it could have been thought out a little better.
Overall, "Perusu" is your perfect lazy evening cure, best enjoyed with friends, food, and maybe a few drinks.
