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Purusha Pretham

Farhad Dalal
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
4 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

Thank God It Is Friday and I cannot wait to get started! With that I finished watching the new Malayalam film Purusha Pretham which is now streaming on SonyLiv. My Fridays are usually incomplete without reviewing Malayalam films, something which was missing since the past few weeks. Thankfully, normalcy has returned and I do feel closer to home this Friday when a brand new Malayalam film is in town! Was I looking forward to it? You bet ya!

One of the reasons why Purusha Pretham was largely anticipated by me was because it was coming from the director of Aavasavyuham, which quite honestly was the best Malayalam film of 2022 for me. His chaotic style of filmmaking did come as a breath of fresh air and I did see a potential in him building on his own brand of humour as well. So I was really curious on how he would fare in his second outing. Also, it was interesting to see Darshana Rajendran collaborating with him which clearly was an interesting combination straight out. As usual, I knew nothing about the film, even skipping on its trailer(by that I mean I wasn’t even aware of its genre). And almost willing to be surprised, I ventured into Purusha Pretham(also titled ‘The Male Ghost’). So then does Purusha Pretham manage to impress, lets find out.

Story & Screenplay

Purusha Pretham follows the story of a cop who misplaces a corpse of a man whose family comes to claim him. Will he be able to handle this mess? The story here is a crazy comedy that plays on the situations to generate humour. It is chaotic and almost refreshing given that this brand of comedy is lesser tapped into. The screenplay standing at a shade above 150 minutes might seem daunting to begin with. But rest assured the proceedings are 150 minutes of pure hysteria!

The drama opens with a line ‘The Dead Teach The Living’, which is pretty much the theme of the film. Almost immediately, you are introduced to one of the most hilarious opening sequences that you may have seen recently. Try picturing this – a man at the bar is watching TV featuring one of the actors who is his superior in the police department, only to narrate an incident about his other superior who was very ‘brave’. The camera cuts to a narration within a narration wherein you are introduced to the protagonist over a sequence of events that are filled with bravado and humour. The contradictions are hilarious and sum up the drama to follow. This for me was a very different approach to the world building that we witness even for a Malayalam film. It was refreshing in so many ways given how the chaos was handled seamlessly.

The proceedings are engrossing and entertaining as the drama unfolds. The first of the many conflicts is introduced almost immediately and that does result in a bag full of laughs. The procedural and logistical issues are presented with dollops of humour here. For instance, a body is found between two poles in a creek with the point of contention being on which police station would own it, given that the area is almost like a No Man’s Land where the body is found. Another instance being on how crowded the hospital morgue would get after the arrival of ‘fresh’ bodies which was another case of humour being integrated at the expense of a valid logistical issue and a pertinent one. These formulate all the ingredients for a crazy comedy which does get crazier by the minute!

The twists and turns in the drama are interesting but almost every time backed with dollops of humour, at times dark. There is a tinge of neo-noir element to the proceedings as well that you will get to witness every now and then. The characterization is really impressive and some traits of it again does result in laughter. It is credit to the writers for constantly churning out incidents that keep the drama afloat right throughout.

<span;>The drama almost threatens to shift genres in the final act that definitely does increase the thrill quotient. Here the writers do leave a lot of facts unexplained and that was deliberately done to focus on the chain of events which are true to the core of the drama. The organic chain of events and a couple of twists later, the drama enters the thrill mode in the final act that did have a perfect setting. The buildup was fascinating resulting in edge of the seat stuff. But the final twist in the tale is hilarious and it a timely reminder on how crazy this drama is at its core. Make no mistake, this is another brave ending and I could only imagine the Malayalam film industry pulling off another heist like they always do! Overall, the screenplay is brilliantly penned that contributes to the humour in a rather crazy manner!

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are witty and almost satirical in their approach that helps the viewers stay true to the source material in hand. The music is pulsating and terrific in more ways than one. The BGM has a neo-noir tinge to it and almost contrary to the source material(and in a great way). It almost gave no indication that the drama here is a comedy, and it wanted the viewers to believe that there is a genuine case which is unfolding here. The contrast was evident and how well was it pulled off!

The cinematography and colour grading is absolutely top notch. I did like how the focus shifted on one particular colour(either red or lilac) in scenes that did exude of thrills. It was almost an indication of gathering the attention of the viewer and coaxing him to switch genres mentally too. The editing is pitch perfect too! Director Krishand does a brilliant job once again in a film that you cannot classify completely in one genre. There are satirical shades to the drama yet he ensures that it doesn’t completely overpower the ongoing case completely. So he does tread a fine line here and he does an incredible job. It was a direction masterclass if ever there was one!

Performances

The performances are outstanding here by the ensemble cast. Rahul Rajagopal, Pooja Mohanraj, Maala Parvathi, Jeo Baby and Geethi Sangeetha all have their moments to shine. Archana Suresh and Sanju Sivam are first rate. Shins is absolutely hilariously as the cop who is also an actor in the film. Jagadish as Sebastian’s colleague is incredibly good here. Devaki Rajendran has a good screen presence and she does a fabulous job. Darshana Rajendran as Susan is so well restrained and effortless in her performance. This was a totally different shade to her previously performed characters. Alexander Prasanth as Sebastian is outstanding in every sense of the word. He has an impeccable sense of comic timing and he is as effortless as anyone could possibly be!

Conclusion

Purusha Pretham is a crazy crime comedy and another timely reminder on the supremacy of the Malayalam Film Industry that is outclassing itself every single time! Available on SonyLiv and Highly Recommended!

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