This is a very interesting narrative about an old palanquin getting spruced up for a wedding with the elation about its final resurrection but the opportunity is lost since the much awaited marriage gets truncated in its duration. That is just a structural piece behind which something else is sought to be portrayed. The owner of the palanquin is a loyal of a once upon a time landlord and dutifully also has worship arranged in a temple for him even after his death. The protagonist (Subbadu) has no takers for his palanquin-not even in his house! But he extols his possession and awaits the occasion in spite of his ill health. Learning that the landlord's grandson was getting married and he was intent upon a traditional palanquin procession in the village, he overcomes all his problems and lifts up the old palanquin with some wonderful decoration and waits for it to be transported. But this was not to be. The short film moves swiftly through some excellent camera work. It is through the palanquin that the movie seeks to establish the harsh truth about India's vanishing value systems. The director misses out on the trajectory. A thematic narration necessitates a corner stone from where the story should be transported. All those factors which go into the palanquin could have been interwoven-we have a carpenter, the lifters (labour), the painter, the decorator and so on. For instance, the film Sankarabahranam has a memorable scene-Sankara Sastry borrowing money from a grocery store and in passing, giving away some amount from this to the Mridanga Vidwaan. 'Let us share bad times as well'-this is what he says! The perception of the times gains a holistic approach at one stroke! Well. Editing seems to have compromised a bit on the depth of the scenes. The right choice between continuity editing and sutures was perhaps not made at the appropriate places perhaps owing to the short duration of the film. The 42nd International Film Festival at Goa had an entry from Israel during the year 2011- 'Restoration'. 'pallaki' reminds one of this film directed by Joseph Madmony which pitches the entire story on an old piano in the shop of the carpenter. The story revolves around the degradation of the entire family when finally this piano is 'restored' to its original antique beauty while fetching a good amount just as the family is back to business and also to its erstwhile family bonds! L.B. Sriram excels in the role of Subbadu and in particular, in the scene involving his son seeking to throw away the old palanquin which stands out in terms of imagination. In fact, the wonderfully decorated palanquin does really beckon someone to have one chance to board this rich heritage carrier of the past! The director, Srinivas Dokka deserves compliments for 'reminding' us about our glorious and artistic ways of living.
~Vedantam Sripatisarma
