Panchayath Jetty Malayalam Movie
With its satirical layers, this film posits a familiar theme in a lighter vein to showcase the backward milieu of a village. 'Panchayat Jetty' marks the onscreen gathering of the crew behind popular television sit-com 'Marimayam.' Directed by Manikandan Pattambi and Salim Hassan, who also play the lead characters, the film is a package of all the trappings commonly seen in the TV opera. Perhaps, this is the major shortcoming that gravely hinders the movie's ascent from its ordinary terrain. While dealing with relevant issues, the edge of criticism, which is usually sharp and accurate in the soap opera, appears to be blunt and plain in the flick.
As the film begins, a humorous voice-over gives a vivid picture of the situation of Kudungassery panchayat located on the outskirts of Kochi. What follows is the typical tussle between the Opposition and the incumbent party of the panchayat. Member Vallabhan (Manikandan Pattambi) from the Opposition party is always keen on thwarting the projects initiated by the panchayat. He is the typical anti-hero in political satire films and his opposite is an honest politician, vice president OK Chandradas (Salim Hassan) alias OK from the ruling party. The plot conflict is simple and mild here; particularly dealing with issues like disputes in distribution of livestock, absence of cemetery and transportation facilities.
The problems in the tale are just like the extension of the sit-com 'Marimayam' with a few areas of genuine humour. In most parts, 'Panchayat Jetty' traverses through predictable terrains as we are drawn towards the typical template of satires that discuss tug-of-war between parties. Member OK is an epitome of selfless politician who voluntarily buys two buses to solve the public transportation problem in the panchayat and it eventually drags him into debt burden. He finds solace from his problems during his interactions with the agriculture officer of the village, played by Rachana Narayanankutty.
While the plot mainly focuses on the rivalry between Vallabhan and OK, other sequences lack sheen as the proceedings evoke memories of 'Marimayam' episodes. Vinod Kovoor, who is a pivotal character in the soap opera, plays a policeman named Appukuttan without any significance in the tale. The sequences of villager Manian, played by Unni Raja, are hilarious owing to the depth of the satire in it. Manikandan Pattambi is the pick of the lot with an effortless performance and he sublimely absorbs the peculiar traits of the character. Salim Hassan, as the protagonist, exudes ample confidence that enables him to shoulder the proceedings.
'Panchayat Jetty' boasts of its relatively neat content devoid of any farce. The degree of satire is mediocre in the tale; still the director duo is able to put across their ideas on the big screen decently. Syncing the content with treatment is safe in the hands of the directors, albeit the plot faces the challenge of expanding its cliched frontiers to a novel premise. When the 'Marimayam' team replicates typical TV satirical content on screen, a saturation level is evident and that affects the film. Despite its decent narration, the film demands fresh ideas and thoughts to be impressive for all.
