MOVIE REVIEWS

Punyam Aham, doesn't clicked.

Raj Nair, the director of Punyam Aham is the grandson of legendary writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and has done a documentary before. Punyam Aham was shot in Kuttanadu, where his grandfather’s stories are mainly based.
Narayanan Unni (Prithviraj) has come from a Valluvanadan area to Kuttanadu. His dad was a Brahmin, who married a low caste lady. He meets Jayasree (Samvritha Sunil) and her mother (KPAC Lalitha) there and starts staying in their house. Jayasree loves Georgekutty (Nishanth Sagar), but she is sexually utilized by her own uncle, Eswaran Namboodiri (Nedumudi Venu). Punyam Aham talks about the escapist nature of men and also about the effects of globalization.
There are a few characters in the area like Pappanassari (M R Gopakumar), who lives with the anguish that his land is to be taken away by the railway, Georgekutty (Nishanth Sagar), the rich youth who loves Jayasree, Pankan (Sreejith Ravi) and Pachan (Krishnan). The usual outcry in this genre of films against globalization is there, though most of the villagers have mobile phones and even have access to the Internet.
Prithviraj looks visibly uncomfortable playing the docile Brahmin youth, who keeps on mentioning at several instances that his Brahmin father had married his mother, who belonged to a lower caste! He tries a bit too hard to look convincing, but the problem is when his efforts in vain are known to the viewer. Samvritha Sunil looks her usual self and repeats her mannerisms and accent just like every role of hers, regardless of the difference in the nature of her characters. The highlight of the film could be the sterling performance of Nedumudi Venu as a wily old man, who won't dare to do anything for his own benefit. The rest of the characters are the stereotyped ones in the serious movies.
Prithviraj looks different, Samvritha looks nice, KPAC Lalitha is in her usual best but it is Nedumudi Venu, who steals the show with a brilliant show.
Punyam Aham puts in a little bit of everything, be it philosophy, activism or satire, and forgets to stir them up. Sometimes hysterical and sometimes too soundless, it hence falls short both as advocacy and amusement. But the viewers verdicts fully confused !!