‘Pakalum Pathiravum’, just like it’s title, is a suspense-filled family drama, that unfolds within the gap of an entire day. A young man arrives at a village in Wayanad and decides to take refuge at a home after his bike breaks down.
The family, though initially friendly, is a little worried when he requests them if he could stay at their home for a night, mainly because Maoist activity has been suspected in the nearby forest, the other day. Mariya, the daughter of the house (played by Rajisha Vijayan) is not as welcoming as her parents and demands that he pay rent for the stay.
Mariya is the kind of woman, who is disillusioned about life and does not find any solace in the church, unlike her devout mother, and argues that God has been unkind to the family. She is also quite grumpy, especially since her father has a lot of debts. Her problems are heightened when a loan shark starts demanding that she be given to him as wife in exchange of the money. The family has only five days at their disposal.
The presence of the young man inside her house, creates tension, especially when she finds out that he has stacked a lot of money and jewellery inside his bag. Things turn for the worse when she discovers that he has a gun.
The story has some interesting moments, especially as the film director Ajay Vasudev to keep the purpose of the young man’s visit to the house, a suspense till the end. Is he a Maoist. Why does he carry a gun? What is the purpose of the visit, remains a mystery throughout the film. But the sheen of those moments are stolen by some unorganic, far-fetched twists, that could have been resolved had the filmmaker taken some more time to develop it in a better way.
The performances by the lead actors, including Ullas Pandalam and Seetha are goo. The presence of Kunchacko Boban adds some more depth to the film. The songs and the background score are quite nice.
(to be updated)