Ponman

The Matters this movie dealing is not new in movies ; but the way it is presented with a character Arc of Basil Joseph 's Ajesh character is the Entertaining Difference ,the way he is dealing with all the problems is the Highlights of this movie !

Collectively Good Performance from all the actors ! Strong roles for both Sajin Gopu & Lijo mol Jose !

This movie truly belong to Basil Joseph ;Intense performance; one of his Best role !

Excellent making from all the Crew , special mention to Editor nidhin raj arol ; Perfect cut for a Impactful Experience !

Go to nearest cinemas : impressive Basil Joseph is waiting to Deliver a Powerful message !

Emotional family drama portrayed through brilliant screenplay and exceptional performances.

The plot of the story revolves around the Gold dowry system prevailing in the marriage institution set on the backdrop of a coastal town in Kollam and how a Gold broker gets entangled in an emotional and survival protest among two families forms the crux of the story.

Speaking about the story, the film is based on Indu Gopan's novel Nalanju Cheruppakkar, and for a debut directorial attempt by Jyothish Shankar, it has been executed quite well. Collectively Good Performance from all the actors ! Strong roles for both Sajin Gopu & Lijo mol Jose.

A movie about dowry like never before, with so much social commentary that doesn't feel preachy - only Mollywood can do this. Will Akshay Kumar remake...?

This film was terrific from an acting standpoint. I didn't expect Sajin Gopu (Ambaan from Avesham) to play a grey shade role this convincingly, dude's convey a fear that you wouldn't expect from Avesham. Lijomol Jose and the support characters were good, but this was a Basil Joseph show.

The film questions the pressure on a family for gold as dowry. Madilyil Jewelry - lol. Apparently it's a thing...? Lijomol's Steffi starts off as a certain character, undergoes a transformation that makes you want to support but also not, at the same time. You want to blame everybody but you see why they do what they do...there are so many layers to this film that you can keep discussing but everything seems subtle.

All that said, I dunno why I was expecting another Jaya Hey or a humorous film but I suppose it's not fair to expect that from all Basil movies. Regardless, this was totally worth the watch and will surely make it to Mollywood's top 10 films of the year.

This is one of those films that make me appreciate it more and more as I think about it. Films related to issues surrounding dowry are nothing new in Malayalam cinema but the honesty, subtlety, and nuance this movie showed is truly outstanding. Initially, I was surprised to learn that the novella this is based on was named 4-5 Cheruppakkar, because if it is about dowry, why is the name talking about young men like that? But the movie really showed why it is, even though it's more about two men and a woman. The way the so-called culture of patriarchy that is so ingrained in society makes the evils of such a system a question of survival for the working-class people has never been portrayed with such honesty. All three main characters are incredibly written and performed. Even when Sajin Gopu's "villain" character is clearly doing something wrong, we are made to understand why a person who is proud of his hard work is resorting to it and also paints a picture of why he's living as an intimidating character to everyone.

Basil Joseph has been having great success as an actor in the last few years but this is one of his best performances. Ajesh's self-confidence is his desperation for survival, and however weird people may find it, this is the kind of character I always wanted to become. Have conviction in your decisions and go to any lengths for it even if everything looks impossible. The way he's able to stand tall in front of both physical and emotional blackmail and yet show enough empathy and sympathy where it counts makes it impossible to not root for the character after a point.

I loved how it ended with such half-direct dialogues where the implications were clear and yet was able to maintain the mood and style of the film.

After a pretty long while, I got to see the kind of Malayalam cinema that's very rooted to its region (Kollam, in this case). The lead characters (Basil as gold dealer PP Ajesh, Lijo Mol Jose as the bride Steffi Graf, Sajin Gopu as the groom Mariyano, and Anand Manmadhan as the bride's brother Bruno) are all established in a slow-and-steady fashion. One thing leads to another, and gold needs to be arranged (as dowry) for a wedding. Yes, we're talking about "progressive", "modernist", and "100% literate" Kerala. The transactional nature of weddings still prevails in several parts of the state (if that's unbeknownst to many), with the brides often having no say in the actual event.. and that also includes the choice of accepting or rejecting a groom. There have been several films set in this story backdrop, but what makes Ponman unique is its approach, its locations, and most significantly, the shades attributed to its leads.

Ajesh is such an interesting protagonist, and the way the screenplay moulds him into someone who's willing to take risks and go any lengths to get his job done, is spectacular. This is one role where I felt Basil Joseph's acting chops were put to excellent use, as the character is one that evolves, and the arc is justified. He isn't the invincible hero; heck if you tell me prior to watching the film that there are physical altercations between the slender Ajesh and the hulking Mariyano with the former coming out on top, I would immediately be exclaiming "NO WAY!". Not only does the film deliver splendily in that regard, but what's even more interesting is how the writing builds to this particular boiling point.

In most movies that involve dowries, the leading lady is often relegated to someone who sits in a corner and cries the whole time. But Steffi is written (and performed) in a very candid, very responsive manner. The dialogues spoken by her and Ajesh are concentrated and carry a lot of depth, making their scenes memorable. Their deliciously first-rate performances also make it worth your while. DoP Sanu John Varghese returns to Malayalam after Malik and Ariyippu with a bang-those night shots against the Kollam backwaters look absolutely brilliant. The way he captures a muddy fight sequence between Ajesh and Mariyano is also incredible. Justin Varghese comes up with a soundtrack that seamlessly blends in with the locations, the characters, and their dire circumstances. I have not read Nalanchu cheruppakkar by G. R. Indugopan, but my gut says that director (and production designer) Jothish Shankar did great justice to the source material. Also, the subtle underlining of dank humour in several scenes (special mention goes to Deepak Parambol as Jesus, in two different scenes) REALLY worked for me.

On the downside, even at 2 hours, the first half can come across as slightly draggy (i.e. Until the core conflict emerges) because the film is super-focused on laying out its key characters and their somewhat familiar dilemmas. This, however, gets solid payoffs in the second half, making the overall experience a good one!