User reviews

Actor Mammootty has almost landed where he belongs, terrific line-up for the Megastar with LJP's Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam to Nizam Basheer's Rorschach recently announced. I was hyped right from the day Puzhu was announced to see him play a grey character. The teaser dropped, then the trailer on May 1st which only exceeded my expectation. A Mammootty film to look forward after years, last time it was Ram's Peranbu (2018), check out my review for the masterpiece which still ranks as one of his best roles ever.

In Puzhu, Mammootty plays Kuttan, a real scumbag (egoistic, casteist, dominant) suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and a slave to his ideologies. He raises his only son in a sophisticated way like how toxic fathers are portrayed in almost every European arthouse movies. All the interest of this story arises first of all from this father-son relationship. It gets to the point that everything Kuttan does exasperates his son and the people around him as the story slowly unfolds. This film is a misfire as it is neither an arthouse film nor a psychological thriller, even if revenge plays a central role. Starting with the mythological play, Puzhu trudges undeterred in a far darker, a mixed bag direction and begins with to settle as characters walk in only to mess or rush things up towards the end. The allegory of the play is clearly in the background and sometimes irritating and the parallel almost ruins it in the rushed climax.

The problem with this one is that there is very little story and more unwanted threads (political background) for no apparent reason. Some scenes and screenplay choices are culprits in its shortcomings. It is only because of Mammootty that the film partly works, we start to follow the character as he nails it dealing with problem within his world and screwing things up. He has it in him till the climax, this worm gnaws at him from the inside, but he can't do anything about it but to live with it. It is a film where Mammootty stand out above all, he exacerbates the alienation and anger already hidden inside his mind.

Final thought, It is an unsettling film, not exactly in horror terms but something so full of ambiguity that its atmosphere lingers a for a little while after the movie ends. It is only because of the multi-layered character arc of Mammootty as a father, a brother. Remember this is not a film that makes melodramatic statements, but instead rummages. I still recommend you should give it a go at least once, and fans those who loved his negative roles, you will probably embrace it more.

"This is TRANSMIGRATION: To seek revenge, the forest will reach the sea, King!"

Despite all the shortcomings in the screenplay and the somewhat generic making style, Puzhu stands out for yet another brilliant performance from Mammootty. Playing the role of a retired cop and strict father, he's confidently telling us that there's still plenty of acting fuel left in the tank. One can't help but be reminded of his mysterious performance as C. K Raghavan in Munnariyippu, with added layers and subplots. The whodunnit parts of Puzhu fail to fire on all cylinders, even with writers like Harshad, Sharfu, and Suhas on board. The film also briefly touches upon casteism and social stratification but these aren't explored beyond the surface. Puzhu rests entirely on Mammootty's shoulders (the child actor also deserves a special mention), and I can't wait to see him expand his repertoire further as a septuagenarian.

Puzhu, directed by Ratheesha is a brave attempt. The film talks about cast system and untouchability still happening around us from a different perspective. The movie is pretty well made and has its own point of view which speaks of the repercussions of hate and how it affects us as an individual and its implications on society has a whole.

Casting is great. Mammooty, Parvathy and that kid did excellent job. Other artists don't have much importance in the movie and we only see them for a short period of time. Usually child actors disappoint me when it comes to a role which demands precise body language and expressions. But in this case, he did great.

I would rather not go into technical side as most movie released today has spot on production quality. Background theme was mixed perfectly. Not too much or too less. I really like the monotonous, dark ambience throughout the movie which adds a subtle mysteriousness to the plot and makes it very immersive.

Some scenes felt a little forced on the viewer especially the ones which demands high intensity. Its a slow burn with multiple threads going on but at some point it seem like a bit confusing due to the disconnection between the threads. As an unbiased viewer, this was slightly disorienting. The movie might feel long and slow ( even with less than 2hr runtime ) for some due to its dialogue driven story telling and convoluted characters. (which I personally like)

In a nutshell, Puzhu is a well made movie which has a strong, relevant plot and solid performances which is slightly pulled back by the disconnected threads and slow pacing.

It is available on sony liv.

The Movie Is An Emotional Crime Drama. It Talks About The Relationship Between A Father And Son Which Is Not So Good. And Other Social Issues Created By Him Through His Mind. Its A Good One To Make In This Age. Hats Off To Mammotty Sir. You Did A Great Job By Portraying Different Shades Of The Character. Everyone In This Movie Gave Their Best. Still Mammotty Sir Stole The Hearts. He Still Vibrant In His Roles. Its Much Different From The Other Police Character's Done By This Man. Puzhu Is Worth Watching For This Performance. Alert This Movie Is Slowly Paced One. So It Is Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea.

Movie overall is a decent thriller which is a slow pacer. It feels amateurish in certain scenes but can be overlooked in overall. Now comes the part which makes this movie a worth all your time , a single name Mamooty. At this age when other actors are selecting scripts only on the basis of amount of mass scenes in it , this guy is doing such roles and giving out outstanding performances. Everyone did a good job in the acting department but Mamooty overshadowed everyone with his performance. We should not let this movie fail so that we get actors getting out of their safe zone roles.

MAMMOOTTY owns the movie,has given the terrific performance compared to previous outing in BP.... MAKES FEEL WEIRD WITH HIS NEW AGE OF ACTING,Along with parvathi,nedumudi venu and indrans its a superb star cast but mollywood has run in lane giving quality films instead making big budget blockbusters and sonyliv is one such power house in identifying pure aroma of cinema....so its not everybody's cup of tea coz its slow paced movie to the core and also shockingly insane.....note its one and only for typical movie buffs,lot more to say but watch as this flick has more to say. In various shades.

The director and writer tried to handle so many social issues and ended with a new issue and that one looks like an unnecessary plot and looks purposefully added to convey their sense of identity.

Positive: Mammootti's acting and BGM.

Negative: Scripting and slow-pace narration.

A must watch movie, with outstanding performance of Mammootty. Puzhu draw a clear sketch of the cast system with disturbing facts. Hats of Ratheena to take such a sensitive subject used for making a powerful movie. And should give big clap for Parvathi thiruvothu to accept such rolls in this movie.

Well done for all team members.

Mammooty... He ia brillaint, the only reason I watched this movie till the end. Movie is a drag but talk about Mammooty, he has just killed it. Watch it for him. U will seldom find better performances than this... Right from the top drawyer.

Senseless scripting....not really knows what's is the movie about.... Wondering how actors like mega star Mammootty could nt really make out the deficits in the script.

Actors like Indrans are wasted in the script.

Over hyped by giving review s like 10/10!!

I am not a malayalee but fond of watching the malayalam movies , Puzhu is a good movie ,nice performances,. BUT in all these kind of movies , Bad guys are from upper caste and highliting the rituals and Yagnopaveetham (Sacred thread over the shoulder), please come out shell, think beyond communist kerala (anti hindu)

Not at all impressive, poor script. Only good thing in the movie is the innocence of the child and Ekkas acting.

Good that it did not release in theatre's.

3/5.

Aside from the fact that there is hardly anything scriptwise or even content wise, this is a dishonest propaganda movie. A Namboodri (Brahmin) is portrayed as a mean casteist who not only murders his sister and her husband (Dalit) but is also so mean to his minor son. In reality, it is other communities that have been murdering each other for such issues. Anyone can google and see if a single murder happened from the above class. There is nothing in this movie for these actors to perform.

Will this man ever cease to amaze? I don't think so! At 70, this living legend is still finding himself!

Spectacular performance from Mammootty! I hated him so much in this movie which proves how terrific he was in a never before seen avatar as a toxic parent in this quite hard hitting and disturbing slow burn!

A masala of issues have been added into the hot pot which includes toxic parenting, caste issues and more....but it is Mammootty with his spell binding performance that holds us till the end! I feel that the movie has issues on a script level, but it's a must watch for great performances by all, especially Mammootty and Vasudev Sajeesh as his son. Parvathy has done justice to her role as well as Appunni Sasi, who did a great job.

Kudos to debutante Director Ratheena and a big thanks to her for finding and showing us yet another face of Mammootty. His most chilling face ever! He is one brooding scary man here!

Hoping to see more from her and many more new female directors!

Puzhu (Worm) is a brilliant study of casteist prejudice, powered by Mammootty's performance as a single father not coming in terms to what his bigotry is doing to those around him. There's an attempt to mix and match several things at once here, which dampens the experience, but it does take sometimes subtle and sometimes blunt potshots at several other things, making it an overall arresting, essential film.

Not a good one from the mega star mammookka. He should have been selected carefully. Confused start and inappropriate characters focusing on specific community just on some political agenda.

Puzhu directed by Ratheena a slow pace thriller with an eye open to caste system in our community..extra ordinary perfomance by veteran mammooty is the high light. Must watch thriller.

I have heard this movie is a psychological drama and it was on my watchlist. It turned out that it is a psychological thriller.

I started watching this movie to finish it in 3-4 days. As most of the new movies don't get me glued to finish in one sitting. But this movie though slow made me sit until the end. The suspense it created and Mammooti's brilliant acting was on top notch.

It gives a social message about a certain community but little exaggerated in a commercial movie style, though I don't agree with it completely it might open some eyes.

Story - There is this strict EX IPS father from higher caste , whose sister eloped with a lower caste guy. Then the sister n husband move to the same building for a week. The father thinks someone is trying to kill him.

Verdict - A must watch for a psychological thriller fans.

The writers of this film, especially those belonging to a religious sect, have created events that do not take place today ...In Kerala today, it is easy to criticize a section of the people unnecessarily because they are included ... and they have been included ... but they are afraid to even go and criticize the most conservative people in today's society ... The film Worm is a by-product of that.

Puzhu ( Worm ) starring Mammootty in lead role...

Directed by Ratheena,

Bankrolled by Wayfarer Films and S. George

Verdict of the Movie: Super Hit

Plot of the Movie: Mammootty playing as a retired police officer whose life restricted to him and his son. A man with a saddiest mentality who the society able to compare the old generation where a man dominates others with his own discipline, orthodox thinking, selfish and when its not followed how he makes the other person by enacting with his cruel steps...

Movie Analysis:

All I can say is , Mammootty had stolen the show... Extreme form of negative shade is being experienced from his performance.... He just proves again that he is one of the finest actor that the nation had ever seen..

The story resembles around our epic "Mahabharata" and the director & its writing team had given full justice by clubbing with the Mahabharata story...

Screenplay designed in a way that would be suitable on an OTT platform as its slow pacing screenplay narration perfectly fits to an OTT watching...

Parvati Thiruvothu had less screen presence but she able to perform well in that limited space....

BGM was ok....

Overall a watchable movie as we able to see Mammootty in his grey shade..

It was a very boring experience. The movie was under 2 hours but lagging too much. Things happening in the movie were not at all presented in an interesting way. This should have been a 30 minutes short film.

Biggest strength of this third Megastar Movie in three months is, of course, Mammootty's stellar act as a man torn between his fear and guilty pleasures. The script is, disappointingly slow and a bit unclear. Young Vasudev playing the veretan's son looks neat, while the rest of the cast such as Parvathy, Nedumudi Venu, Appunni, Ramesh amongst others looked fine. The politics that the film upheld is commendable, but despite Theni Eswar's visuals and Jakes Bejoy's suitable scoring, Puzhu ends up as a film that isn't everyone's cup of tea.

RATED 7/10 Language: Malayalam Media Partner: Sony Liv Wow for the Mammooty acting. He was ace in this role and menacing to watch in the dark shade. Movie was bit slow and lot of lengthy shots. The repeated scenes and lengthy shots are testing our patients for some time. But the climax and Mammootty's face expressions make us to sit tight.

Worth the watch.