Padayottam Review : Comedy in Wheels

A Gangster-road -comedy. That’s the phrase that best describes debutant director Rafeeque Ibrahim‘s ‘Padayottam‘.The story is based on a petty gang rivalry. Pinku, one of the members of the gang, get thrashed by someone from Kasargod. The furious gang plans to extract revenge by going to the guy’s place and beating him up. An infamous Mobster, Chenkhal Raghu joins them in their ‘glorious’ mission.

Chenkhal Ragu is portrayed by Biju Menon. After a couple of lukewarm performances, this has been definitely his break. The fun filled road trip to Kasargod is what attracts the audience. Every character cracks up and the situational jokes make it even more organic. More than a gripping plot, it is the execution that makes Padyottam worth watching.

The journey touches all major point across Kerala. So the viewer is familiar with the geography and is able to relate in every way. Unlike big budget movies which show sequences that are often shot outside and doesn’t add anything new to the movie, a road movie is hands down, a good innovation in the industry.

Biju Menon steals the show with his signature look and delivers a powerful perfomance. Dileesh Pothen, Saiju Kurup, Basil Joseph and Sudhi Koppa has made the movie a thorough entertainer. It is through their roles that the movie sustains the flow from the beginning.

The story by Aju Raghul and Ajay AR has ensured a lag free experience. When you look at the story, one might feel there’s nothing new. The director understood this well and created a movie that keeps the minds of the audience engaged, like a semi thriller movie. The narration felt a bit ordinary and occasionally makes us sigh so hard. The poorly done editing, affected the journey story mode. This was a mistake that the technicians should have avoided. But at the same time, the camera works are done satisfactorily. Also, the absence of any songs that stand out is a disappointment. The theme music is the only merit.

But these faults excused, Padayottam is highly entertaining for the average movie goer. It is fast paced and is a laugh riot throughout. Grab your popcorn people, you don’t want to miss this.