Pookkaalam follows the story of an extended family featuring a 90 odd year old couple who decide to undergo a divorce after one of them discovers an age old letter. The story has a warm vibe to it right from the onset but more importantly the film is a winner at the concept level. In today’s times, it is a common trend to get divorced while my generation is often reminded on how the relationships were maintained for years by the previous generations. And what this film does is that it turns that concept on its head, thus resulting in a hilarious drama with undertones of a social commentary which is sprinkled in the film. The screenplay standing at about a 130 odd minutes does make for a compelling and hilarious watch from start to finish with some heartwarming moments too!

The drama does open with a beautiful line, ‘If Winter comes, can spring be far behind?’. This one line just fills you up with a lot of hope, generally speaking. Soon, the drama opens with a 9 by 16 resolution frame, that supposedly is a flashback divided into chapters which almost signify the evolution of a relationship starting with birth and eventually making its way to spring. Between these chapters, you are introduced to an old couple in their 90s who form a warm bond after being married for almost 80 years. The premise does include the family preparing for a marriage until the grandfather finds an age old note about his wife, thus setting the tone for the rest of the drama to follow.

The proceedings are engaging and engrossing and I did like how the writers have tackled such a sensitivity and dramatic issue in the most light-hearted manner. The tone of the drama is a comedy and it does comprise of some hilarious sequences, thrown one after the other. There are a couple of aspects handled very well at the writing stage – firstly, the representation of the male ego which is bigger than the milky way galaxy. And it can pop out irrespective of your age, more so when you are old given how rigid you would be with your thoughts. Secondly, the reaction of the people around the couple, even those outside the family, that treat it initially as a frivolous situation without fully understanding the gravitas of the problem. And thus begins a memorable laugh fest.

I absolutely enjoyed the entire sequence of the family first searching for a lawyer to support the cause of the grandfather and the events leading up to the courtroom which are so hilarious that I fell off my chair laughing hysterically. The drama does momentarily acquire a grim note when the mystery behind the letter is investigated. And it does lead to an interesting social commentary of patriarchy and hints of the love that women demand while deftly touching upon the ideologies of the previous generations of holding on to the family, no matter what.

Another interesting aspect of the drama is the characterization which is pretty interesting. While it does lead to comic moments, there are ample amounts of emotions in play which shall make you shed a tear. This is particularly true in the pre-finale act which is heartbreaking. Yet, the writers do well to kick in that feel good vibe in what was one of the most heartwarming final acts that I have seen in a while. It was so beautiful that I had a wide smile on my face with a little tear waiting to flow down. Overall, the screenplay is brilliantly penned and it is perhaps the best comedy drama that I have watched all year!