Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri Malayalam Movie
Jean Markose-directed "Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri" tells about a police head constable's strange obsession with a jackfruit tree. Kuttan Pillai has a deep concern for it as his son-in-law is looking for an opportunity to cut off the tree to be used for his house construction. Sounds like a riveting theme, this film with a modest plot loses its charm and delicacy half way as supplements like a firecracker explosion in a temple give the film another imperfect dimension.
Kuttain Pillai (Suraj Venjaramoodu) is afraid of darkness and he has the feeling that there are ghosts in the dilapidated building adjacent to his house. Jean explores the hallucination of the protagonist delineating the same incident that led to the death of these people, seen by Kuttan Pillai as ghosts. So there are elements of fantasy mingled with the fear of Kuttan Pillai but the outcome is mediocre after offering a sort of amusement in the tale.
It is embellished with light humour, with a dual narrative focus that is not as satisfyingly developed as it might be. The parallel bus journey and the passengers evoke curiosity initially purely due to their connection with the tale. The fantasy element of the plot gives the feel of an imposter that crops up to halt the momentum of the portrayal of personal issues faced by the lead character. Writers Joselet Joseph and Jean Markose skip the area of carving the plot to find the marvel in it.
It's the struggle of Kuttan Pillai to save the tree from the greedy eyes of his son-in-law Suneesh (Biju Sopnam). He is afraid of crackers and warns even his grandchildren not to burst crackers when they arrive to celebrate Sivarathri. The dinner scene in which the turning point of the tale arises is beautifully conceived by the director, exposing the intensity of the scare Kuttain Pillai has with regard to crackers. This is a perfect irony related to a policeman, who is also the husband of a woman Sub Inspector.
Among his children, only Rejani (Srinda) shows some sort of sympathy towards him. Undoubtedly, with his supreme portrayal of the character, Suraj is the keystone of the movie. His expressions are amazingly apt for the subtle performance.
The way the explosion scenes have been shot is convincing and realistic. Despite having a riveting content, the ineffective contribution of the supplements makes the film a mediocre family drama.