Malayalam film Perinoru Makan is not touching enough, writes Paresh C Palicha
With the advent of the so-called new age cinema where filmmakers are trying to tell stories of mostly urban individuals in innovative ways, the old stories of joint families in rural areas have taken a back-seat.
Director Vinu Anand tries to fill this vacuum with his new film Perinoru Makan, with Innocent as the main lead. The question is, is there a market for such films today?
It's a simple story about a doting father Harishchandran (Innocent) and his young daughter Bhama (Saranya Mohan). The father is a widower and his widowed sister (KPAC Lalitha) stays with him along with her two sons (Suraj Venjaramoodu and Tini Tom) and their wives.
There seems to be no conflict in the story as these are lovable people, except for the fact that the two men live off their uncle's wealth and don't do anything productive themselves.
When it comes to marrying off Bhama, the family wants a groom who will stay with them. Enter Satheesan (Bhagath Manuel),
Don't expect another Geogrekutty C/o Georgekutty (1991), where Jayaram and Thilakan fought a royal battle as son-in-law and father-in-law. Though here too the father's possessiveness does not allow his daughter to consummate her marriage, this angle does not become a full blown conflict between the two.
We have to wait till the end of the first half to know where the story is headed.
The film belongs to Innocent. The rest of the cast just rallies around him even though Bhagath Manuel and Saranya Mohan are supposed to be the lead actors.
Saranya Mohan does get a Roja-like entry with a song, establishing her as a chirpy young woman. Bhagath Manuel gives a decent performance even if it falls short of what one expects of a leading man.
There are other actors like Niyas Khan and Sudheesh popping up in the second half as KPAC Lalitha's two other sons.
Perinoru Makan is neither good nor bad; it's just indifferent.
Rediff Rating:
