While most Malayalam production houses try and fail to gauge what the audience wants, the folks at Bhavana Studios seem intent on telling unique, high-concept yet salt-of-the-earth stories and trust the audience to rise to meet the challenge the content throws at them. The dream trio behind this elite production house-Dileesh Pothan, Fahadh Faasil and Shyam Pushkaran come up with their third rousing entertainer on the trot, with the immensely enjoyable "Paltu Janwar", a heartwarming coming of age story that will leave you with an ear-to-ear grin as you leave the cinema hall.
Basil Joseph has fast become a mainstay in Malayalam entertainment, both as a director and as an actor. After having established a new benchmark on what can be achieved within the confined of Mollywood with his awe-inspiring directorial "Minnal Murali (2021)", he backed that up with his stellar lead performance in the smash hit "Jan. E. Man", one of the movies of 2021. We catch him in "Paltu Janwar" as a disillusioned young livestock inspector, forced by circumstances to take up a job he has no interest in, that too in a remote village. The many obstacles that he faces as he comes to terms with his new environment and the many funny mishaps that ensue form the rest of this delightful feel-good comedy-drama.
Johny Antony proves yet again that he is a force to be reckoned with as far as character acting in Malayalam is concerned, with a heartfelt, natural performance as "Devis", a troubled farmer desperately trying to make ends meet with his meager livestock. It was also a joy to see Indrans return to his comic avatar after a string of serious roles and the veteran knocks it out of the park as usual with his delectable turn as "Member Kochu George". Dileesh Pothan, Sruthy Suresh and Shammi Thilakan further shine in their supporting roles in a film that gets its casting spot on.
Director Sangeeth P Rajan shows no signs of being a debutante, weaving an immensely relatable tale of the unavoidable twists and turns that life takes you on and the unexpected relationships and experiences that shape the journey therein. It is commendable how Bhavana Studios finds success in such diverse genres, first with the quirky family drama "Kumbalangi Nights (2019)", then with the psychological thrills of "Joji (2021)" and now the joyful "Palthu Janwar". Cannot wait to see what they come up with next. Highly recommended!
