Thirunakkara Perumal Malayalam Movie
After seeing the film, one is forced to wonder in the first place, as to why it has been named 'Perumal'. Lord Perumal alone knows! The film directed by Prasad Valacheril, is a maze of a movie, taking you round and round and getting nowhere in the process. Minus points far outweigh the plus points, the biggest minus being the sheer waste of time and money.
'Perumal' begins from where Mathai, a young spice-seller falls in love with Lakshmikutty, the heiress to the Perumanoor Kovilakam, a family with royal lineage. Lakshmikutty's father is sure to stand against this and would not even hesitate to kill Mathai. But Lakshmikutty's uncle stands by her and helps her to elope with her lover.
Karimkutty, a sanyasin who is also a trainer in martial arts, gives his life to save the lovers from the clutches of the men sent by Lakshmikutty's father. Karimkutty had asked Mathai and Lakshmikutty to take care of his son Sivankutty like their own son.
Years pass by. Mathai is now old and is a rich spice seller. Lakshmikutty is now known as Achamma, but neither she nor Mathai forget the past and she always follows the traditions set by her royal family as regards doing the temple rites and rituals etc. They now live with their sons Job and Jose.
Job is happily married to Gracy and has a daughter. Jose is in love with Sreekutty, the daughter of 'Lorry' Narayani, who once had a bad reputation. Job is against this alliance. Meanwhile there is one Pathrose, an aged man, who works in Mathai's company and who is a dependant as well as a well wisher of Mathai and his family.
Pathrose's wife Shoshamma has two step-brothers who had earlier been helped a lot by Mathai. But now they are against Mathai and want to see his downfall. They go on plotting against Mathai and his family and this is what takes the story forward. Plots, deceit and a series of murders, leading to a very predictable climax.
Madhu and Seema, who become the aged Mathai and Achamma (Lakshmikutty), fit into their respective roles though their performance is not outstanding. Babu Antony as Job is cast in a role that doesn't offer any scope for action and seems rather uncomfortable. Riyaz Khan as Jose is what you expect him to be. The others in the cast, like Kalasala Babu, Lakshmi Sharma (as Sreekutty), Lena (Gracy), Chali Pala (Pathrose), Sreelatha (Shoshamma) etc are just passable. Kollam Thulasi delivers a good performance as a lorry driver, Vasu. You wonder why Jagathy and Kalpana have been put in.
A major flaw with the film is the presence of a totally unknown actor (reportedly the producer himself), in the dual role of Karimkutty as well as Sivankutty. A very poor actor, he shocks us with his performance. This is not the first time that producers with an ambition to act have tortured you, but this is insufferable. Technically the film is just average. The songs don't impress. But the greatest flaw of all is with the storyline and the screenplay. Prasad Valacheril's 'Perumal' is a film that tires you. However, in a year that saw movies like 'Hailessa' and 'Love in Singapore', 'Perumal' shouldn't come as much of a shock.
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