Sajin Gopu’s reputation as a fine performer has been growing exponentially with each film, especially since Aavesham. After his hilarious turn in it as the hugely popular Ambaan, the actor showcased his versatility with the domineering Mariyano in Ponman. He follows it up with another contrasting character in Painkili. Suku, as the introductory background music suggests, is a ‘lolan’.
Actor-turned-filmmaker Sreejith Babu, in his directorial debut, shows sparks of his creative potential with how he inventively introduces his protagonist. We see a timeline of Suku’s social media activities, mostly cheesy quotes on romance and unintentionally funny photoshoots promoting religious brotherhood. Without wasting too much time, this short segment paints a clear picture of Suku and his naivety.
On the other hand is Sheeba Baby, played by Anaswara Rajan. We see this young girl often trying to run away from home, only for her father to drag her back every time.
Sheeba craves freedom and to escape from the clutches of her traditional household, she decides to find a lover and elope. Painkili is essentially a combined character study of these two characters, told predominantly through humour.
Painkili’s initial half rides high on a string of comic moments mostly centred on Suku’s family and his friends. Abu Salim plays the father, Sujith Kumar, whose exchanges with Suku are hilarious. Also notable are the performances by Roshan Shanavas, Jisma Vimal, and the actor playing Suku’s mother.
It is these actors, besides the setting and unconventional music that aid in the film’s freshness. Justin Varghese’s unconventional tunes and vocal choices match the film’s vibrant mood and energy. The music is also seamlessly infused to amp up the humour.
Painkili is scripted by Jithu Madhavan, the director of Romancham and Aavesham. If you notice, Arjun Ashokan’s Sibi in Romancham and Fahadh Faasil’s Rangan in Aavesham were characters dealing with traumas, but Jithu wasn’t keen on exploring them in detail. However, in Painkili, where mental health is an integral part of the narrative, he seems too confused about how to handle it.
At a crucial point in the film, Suku feigns mental illness (much like Jayaram’s character in Kavadiyattam) to escape from the system, leading to discrimination from his friends and family. It’s a Thaniyavarthanam-like situation, but Painkili’s makers swiftly overlook it and instead focus on somehow bringing Suku and Sheeba’s narrative together. As a result, the film lacks a strong emotional core.
Despite a lack of support from strong writing, Sajin manages to bring out the character’s angst and frustration convincingly by putting his physicality to great use. When Suku realises he has done something that could change his life upside down, he breaks down uncontrollably on the road. This long single-shot sequence filmed on a highway has the actor in rollicking form.
The dialogues, most of which seem to be improvised on the go, also elevate the performance. That said, the film also has many scenes that could have ended up awkward in the hands of a lesser actor.
Especially, the stretch towards the climax where it’s a crazy one-man show from Sajin. Instead of settling for churning out instant laughs, the writing should have found better ways to convey Suku and Sheeba’s internal struggles.
Anaswara, an efficient actor who has proven her mettle with recent films like Neru and Rekhachithram, is found wanting in Painkili, where she is expected to be over the top.
The performance is way off the mark that some of her antics leave us wondering who’s feigning mental illness here. It’s also true that there isn’t enough meat in the character apart from some scattered hints about her desire to be independent. Naturally, her sudden transformation in the end, along with Suku’s, fails to create the desired impact.
Painkili has a crazy energy which it maintains till the final 30 minutes when it pants hard to make it to the finishing point. A more nuanced approach to sketching the two primary characters and their inner turmoils could have benefitted this otherwise entertaining film.
Film: Painkili
Director: Sreejith Babu
Cast: Sajin Gopu, Anaswara Rajan, Roshan Shanavas, Chandu Salimkumar, Jisma Vimal