Pathonpatham Noottandu

Pathonpatham Noottandu is an episodic re-telling of certain events that took place in the 19th century with extreme cinematic liberties taken by writer-director Vinayan. For sure, the visuals by Shaji Kumar, Ajayan Chalissery's production design, Supreme Sundar's stunt choreography, and Santhosh Narayanan's score give the film a strong technical backing but the script lacks the emotional punch required in a film like this. Siju Wilson's presence is imposing and he totally shines in the set-pieces as Ezhava spice merchant turned activist Aarattupuzha Velayudha Panicker. Kayadu Lohar's portrayal of Nangeli is also quite impressive. Chemban Vinod, who plays (a different version of) Kayamkulam Kochunni, is decent. The cast is huge, with prominent names filling up important roles.

For a relatively smaller budget period film, Pathonpatham Noottandu scores better than some of the other entries in this genre in recent memory (i.e. In the Malayalam language). Yet, most characters are uni-dimensional and fail to register as anything beyond good/bad. The melodrama, which is usually on the higher side in Vinayan films, is thankfully balanced out with the action blocks and sub-plots. He reserves it exclusively for the climax, which recalls a folklore we've all read or heard somewhere. There is a very chapter-by-chapter feeling to the film, be it in the way it introduces (and re-introduces) characters or major plot developments. This adds to the emotional disconnect between us viewers and the film's protagonists.