The long wait is finally getting over as Peranbu directed by Ram after winning the hearts of many and getting wide appreciations at various national and international film festivals is gracing theatres. A preview show for film personalities and media a week back generated rave reviews with everyone who watched that show praising it and have only good things to say. A film of this nature (the so called non-commercial film) to get a reasonably good publicity and this much promotion especially through word of mouth is a positive signal. Let us hope this becomes a trend and all class of films if its good gets its due. After watching the film, I am very much impressed and I too have only good things to say about it. Peranbu is a moving and disturbing tale that has every right to claim for a place in the elite league of brilliant and excellent films. This is a film that haunts you and stays with you after winding up. Peranbu is backed by outstanding performances from the actors who portrayed the central characters and touches the core of the heart. The film is highly intense, talking about a father-daughter relationship and is an excellent emotional drama with a good number of touching moments that will leave you sad. Amudhavan (played by Mammootty) is a gulf returnee and has a daughter named Pappa (played by Saadhana) who is spastic.
The challenges faced by Amudhavan in raising this child in the absence of his wife is what this film is trying to show. The soul of the film is without doubt is its subject that have lot of depth and layers to it. Ram uses his screenplay to tell this story through various chapters of nature and its traits both good and bad.These are then connected to the primary subject to show how the relationship between father and daughter evolve from a distant manner to a close one. A story of this nature demands a certain way of presentation and the director deserves to be appreciated for using a very quiet and subtle style to convey this subject. We feel for their plight and that's a result of a screenplay with so many layers, inspiring performances and the vision of Ram to compliment the story and screenplay. Brilliant would be too little a word or rather an understatement to describe the performance of Mammootty. It's a fact that directors have seldom exploited his acting abilities in the last five or six years. Barring a Pathemari or a Munnariyippu or a Varsham or a Kunjanandantey Kada, the actor in him was missing for a while not because of his fault but due to lack of films with substance and content coming up his way. It is here that Ram has set an example for the current crop of young directors in Mollywood. Ram has smartly packaged the character of Amudhavan and he knew very well how he should extract the best out of the actor.
Mammootty on his part made it look so easy but the character with so much depth was never an easy one to portray. Let us hope more such characters come the actor's way and I want that from Malayalam itself. Peranbu is incomplete without Saadhana who did an outstanding and fabulous job to make the role of Pappa, the spastic girl look so convincing. Anjali who appeared at a later stage of the film as Viji did a nice work while Anjali Ameer as Meera too was a notable performer. Camera works demanded certain tone to make the visuals get the right feel and the efforts from the man behind this job needs to be called out. Minimal background score with the emphasis more on the sound of guitar was providing a different feel so that the essence and emotions of scenes are not lost out. Songs were good enough and helped the mood to sore high and Yuvan Shankar Raja deserve credit for both these areas. We have been complaining in the recent past about the superstars not choosing their roles wisely. So this is that film which has tried to explore a different side of Mammootty which we were used to seeing from him especially in the eighties and nineties. Peranbu is an outstanding work with a poignant, beautiful and disturbing subject which is visualized and attempted with lot of sincerity.
Rating - 4.5 / 5
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