Pakal Nakshatrangal Malayalam Movie

Director Rajeev Nath, who has given us films like Janani, Aham, Moksham etc, delivers a sensitive film in Pakal Nakshatrangal, an offbeat flick which has its pluses and minuses. Dec 1, 2008 By Thomas T

Director Rajeev Nath, who has given us films like Janani, Aham, Moksham etc, delivers a sensitive film in Pakal Nakshatrangal, an offbeat flick which has its pluses and minuses.

The film has as the central character Siddharthan, a sensitive filmmaker whose death is shrouded in mystery. Siddharthan's son Adi Narayanan who is a writer, decides to write his new book on his father, who provided an interesting study in character. He decides to focus on the mysteries surrounding his death, falling from the second floor of a building.

After finishing the book, Adi narrates to his wife Padma the things that he came across during the research he undertook for the book. He met and talked to many people associated with his father, beginning with Thilakan, a retired police officer who had investigated the death of Siddharthan and who had reasons to believe that the Siddharthan was murdered. From there Adi moves on to Siddharthan's friends and then the many women in his father's life. He also meets and talks to Dr. Vaidyanathan, a man who professes to communicate with the souls of the departed. This exploration into the past forms the plot of Pakal Nakshatrangal.

Mohanlal does justice to the role of Siddharthan while Anoop Menon as Adi has done a good job. Suresh Gopi's performance as Dr. Vaidyanathan is far from convincing. He even seems to be overdoing it at times. The rest of the cast are OK.

The main highlight of the film is Mohanlal's performance as Siddharthan, a character that poses no challenge to the talented actor. The other highlight is the attempt made by the filmmaker to make references to many issues, though in a scattered manner. The only song in the movie Pakaruka nee… has been soulfully rendered and excellently picturised too.

The main flaw in the film is that it tends to lag at many places. At certain points the lag even seems deliberate, making it seem pretentious, though this may not be the case. There are problems with the narrative which makes the film look more like a compilation of many scattered bits rather than a whole. It also seems that the film at times makes attempts to convey too many personal observations and personal philosophy, and that too in a rather unconvincing manner. The sex element in the movie, with the protagonist Siddharthan being presented as a man who "has a way with his women", seems rather over-stressed at times.

But, despite the minuses, the film stands out on account of being different and also on account of the final statement that it makes about love. There are even moments that you will enjoy watching; but the film as a whole won't stay in your memory for long.