Pareeth Pandari

A gem in the wild. The cast, screenplay and overall takeaway are the essence of this movie. Despite being beaten in everyday life while sticking to once ethics, the protagonist always carries that cheerful grin in his face. Not only the parents, but the basic goodness in character is displayed by his 3 daughters too. The backwaters and the lush greenery of the place nicely makes up for the serene tone of the movie. Life's details are subtly conveyed in the background. Even if life strikes him so hard, there are miles to go and moments to live by is what the movie is all about.

Every year, a few indie Malayalam films make it to the theatres, and soon move out not due to a lack of quality but because of a lack of an audience. 9 out of 10 times, such films are worth a watch. This tragedy here is worth a lot more.

Pareeth (Kalabhavan Shajohn) is an old man with humility. He lives with his wife Avva (Sajitha Madathil) and three daughters who are waiting to get married. Pareeth provides for his family by working as a pandari (chef) who is renowned in his village for his biriyani-making skills. Things are not copacetic in his house and poverty is just around the corner, but Pareeth's worry is about the possibility of his daughters' marriage. While the youngest is perceived as pretty, the elder ones are considered "ugly" by the men and marriage brokers who come to see them. Pareeth is currently trying to find a groom for Mehr, the eldest, but things do not look easy.

The story follows Pareeth's attempts to find a groom for his eldest daughter while defending himself and his family from the society's harsh insinuations. It basically narrates a parable of sorts which samples subjects such as religion, dowry, matrimony, and aesthetic discrimination. Pareeth's humility is what has cost him a life of near-poverty as he awaits death in his older days. And it is the same humility that is now putting his daughters' marriage at risk. However, there are many more elements at play in the latter part.

Director Gafoor Elliyas has created a film that grips you since the beginning. It is easy to watch the characters as the story moves ahead, making us root for the protagonist. Seeing him lose at every turn reflects the harsh truths about the society that we live in. Of course, the screenplay digresses a few times, but it picks up soon, never giving its audience a chance to blink. With a suited background score and inventive screenplay, this film can easily be considered as one of the better ones of 2017. Although there are a lot of issues with the film like a stretched second half and a few unanswered questions, most of them can be ignored.

Shajohn is phenomenal as Pareeth, leaving no stone unturned to portray the character in its most original element. It is because of Shajon's and his co-stars' performances that the film moves ahead strongly. Supporting actors Madathil, Sunil Sukhada, and Jaffer Idukki all do a decent job. Special nod for the actors who played the daughters.

Overall, Gafoor Elliyas' film is a great tragedy that needs to be seen. There are a lot of sub-themes to be enjoyed here - whether it's about the daughters' shared desire to be a mother or a young street-side seller's business-less days. Watch it if you are tired of all the potboilers and turkeys they are dolling out these days.

BOTTOM LINE: Gafoor Elliyas' "Pareeth Pandari" is an averagely-made brilliant film that needs to be seen by more people because the themes used here are very relevant to the times that we live in. Watch it on Yupp TV.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

This is a movie which i can watch over & over again due to its direction, strong story-line and amazing acting. "Pareeth" has done an outstanding job. Gafoor, the movie director, at this very young age has produced a masterpiece. This is the kind of movie which plays in your mind for days after watching. For those who haven't had the opportunity to watch this movie, go for it and yes, don't go by its under seven rating. This movie clearly deserves much better rating.

Again A very beautiful film without any good words from any one.

There are several movies in Malayalam which hasn't got any big name when they released such as papilio buddha, melvilasam, left right left, olappeeppi and many more.People realising after its DVD release. OK if the film is not box office hit, OK we don't blame the film unless we must try to tell the truth. We must establish our views to public that this is very good and must watchable.

This film has more importance in common people life. Also the film portraying a beautiful locality. The film has more social importance.

The characters are really good and done very well.The acting of the main character is very very dedicated and realistic. Actor shajon done very well and he deserve the the national award for best actor. His acting is such a brilliant job in this film. His change in the film as in dialogues and movement are extraordinary.So we can't exclude him and the film from awards.

There are several good films which hasn't got any achievements from box office and awards.Hope this will make as good as it can