There is authenticity in the way the film portrays its protagonist and his world, but the constraints stacked on him seem so manageable that no higher can be uncovered.
There is authenticity in the way the film portrays its protagonist and his world, but the constraints stacked on him seem so manageable that no higher can be uncovered.
identifying a high point in Palthu January Can be a challenging task. The film moves in a similar tone, with even the biggest obstacles facing the protagonist seem manageable. Everything about the film is sweet, including the setting, which is a quiet, remote upper-class village. Nevertheless, Sangeet P. Rajan’s debut is marked by a certain authenticity, in the way it portrays his central character and his world, which he lives in against his will. This in part makes up for the film’s other failures.
Animation enthusiast Prasoon (Basil Joseph) receives a compassionate appointment as a livestock inspector in a panchayat after the death of his father, where almost every other household raises cattle. After some initial ups and downs in his tenure, the man feels that he is not fit for the job. His feelings get fueled when he blames him on various issues for which he is not responsible.
Palthu January
the director: Music P. Rajini
Throw: Tulsi Joseph, Shammi Tilak, Indran, Unnimaya Prasad
StoryPrasoon, a young man fond of animation, is forced to take up the job of a livestock inspector in a remote panchayat after the death of his father.
Movies and books in recent years have been telling us to quit uninteresting jobs and follow our passions. Palthu January tells us the opposite, in a story wrapped in a blueprint for a coming age. It’s about adapting to the job you get, even if you don’t have any qualifications for it. Give enough time to anything and you will be good at it, that is the underlying message. In this respect, it is an anti wake up sido, Interestingly, the script of the film written by Vinoy Thomas and Anish Anjali also talks about the love for creatures. However from the negative portrayal of the village butcher, depicted as cattle awaiting death, no one is quite sure what the script says about the politics of meat-eating and the violence targeted at beef.
Basil Joseph, who stunned everyone with his acting jan e mano, yet proves that he is equally comfortable in front of and behind the camera. So is Johnny Antony, who gets a serious character for a change. The humor in the film is also not loud, going with its overall tone. The exception, of course, is the character played by senior vet Shammi Thilakan, who is also into Ponzi pyramid schemes, in which he tries to enroll his subordinates as well.
Although the script, at the halfway point, appears to be a major struggle for the protagonist, it proves to be a minor and a small step in the city-born youth’s gradual adaptation to a new job and a new place – something it is his vet. Would not have happened without the help of Mitra (Shruti Suresh), who is always on call at the other end. This event which appears to be life changing for him may appear to be a regular occurrence to others, but what happens in its background makes it an effective sequence.
Palthu January Doesn’t hit any high points, but works fine as a quiet, moderate, feel-good drama.
‘Palthu Janwar’ running in theaters