‘Pennam Porattam’ movie review: An absurdist satire that avoids getting lost in its chaos

Much like an out-of-control car speeding through a crowded thoroughfare and leaving complete chaos behind, there really is no such moment as actor Rajesh Madhavan making his directorial debut. Pennam Porattam Stops to think. We have to take occasional detours to keep us abreast of the two parallel tracks through which the film conveys the same idea, but whichever path it takes, the ruckus is no less.

Drawing its spirit from the subaltern, satirical art form of Porattu Nadakam, the film attempts to put human behavior under the lens in a fictional village in Palakkad. The lens it uses initially is that of an animal, the pet dog Suttu, who gradually realizes some painful existential truths.

The screenplay, written by Ravi Shankar, deals with how the entire village reacts to a very personal communication between two individuals. A young man makes a proposal, which Charulatha (Raina Radhakrishnan) immediately rejects. However, this reaches the villagers and immediately the crowd turns their critical eyes on the woman. After rumors of the pet dog being infected with rabies, another mob has set out to hunt the pet dog.

In its setting and the subject matter it handles, Pennam Porattam Army reminds of Hegde avihitham And Chintalajch Nischayam. But this film is a different beast, full of manic energy. Absurd situations follow each other with extreme humor. The exaggerated movements add to the strangeness.

Inside a house where a celebration is going on, in a complex series of events, two groups violently attack each other, only to reach an agreement that triggers another round of frenzied celebration. It’s just that the only person who can see the absurdity of the entire drama is the woman at the center of it. Most of the new cast performed commendably.

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As we have seen in experimental films, Rajesh Madhavan sometimes falters when repeated attempts to create or maintain chaos are made. Sequences get stretched beyond tolerable limits, or things are done just for the sake of absurdity. But in the end he manages to tie it together neatly, so that what he wants to say through the film doesn’t get lost in the noise.

Through the prologue and closing scenes, he clearly states the politics of the film by painting contrasting images of human and animal nature. With these borderline didactic scenes, the film hints at the universal themes it is reaching within its hyper-local setting. Rajesh Madhavan is somewhat successful in that endeavor, even if the film loses its way for a while.

Pennam Porattam is currently running in theaters