Some movies present relevant and important social messages through loud and long monologues; some others do it with subtle expressions and through an unbiased lens. Puzhu, directed by Ratheena PT, is the latter kind of movie. The film has Mammootty, Vasudev Sajeesh Marar, Parvathy Thiruvothu, and Appunni Sasi in primary roles.

Puzhu follows Kuttan (Mammootty), a widowed Brahmin police officer living with his son, Kichu (Vasudev). Being an unapologetic bigot, Kuttan’s questionable parenting skills borders on child abuse, making his son resent him. His strong beliefs also prevents him from accepting her sister, Bharati’s (Parvathy) choice to marry Kuttappan, a man from SC/ST community. Kuttan’s routine life changes drastically when his sister and her new husband move to the same apartment complex as him and when attempts at his life begin. How Kuttan deals with these circumstances forms the crux of the story.

There are many movies on bigotry and the inhuman consequences of casteism, but Puzhu stands apart from these, mainly because of the subtlety in the approach. The film chooses the unbiased route to deal with the issue of casteism, avoiding any judgement and without picking any sides. Ultimately, Puzhu leaves you to decide the right side instead of having a resounding conclusion that pushes the intended message.

Being a debut director, Ratheena PT has done a splendid job in creating a movie that’s creepy, shocking, and disturbing. Her vision came into life beautifully with Jakes Bejoy’s haunting score that went well with the tone of the film.

Theni Eswar’s cinematography, however, stole the show, as the camera aptly picks up the teeniest of expressions on the actor’s faces, enhancing the quality of the movie. While the technical side of things was certainly impressive, the screenplay from Harshad, Sharfu, and Suhas deserve special praise. The allegory used in the film using the word ‘Puzhu’ opens doors to interpretation and much contemplation.

Coming to the casting of this film, there couldn’t have been a better actor than Mammootty to play the conditioned and toxic bigot. Kuttan. The disgust, the arrogance, helplessness, and countless other emotions played effortlessly on his face. Negative roles are nothing new to the 70-year-old, but the way he manages to humanise even a character like Kuttan is a revelation. Credit must also go to master Vasudev Sajeesh Marar, who portrayed the silently seething and repressed son wonderfully. Parvathy and Appunni each gave decent performances as well.

What works against this otherwise-marvellous film is the amount of topics covered in it. There’s paranoia, OCD, islamophobia, abusive parenting, corruption, and self-righteousness thrown into the mix of casteism, which can potentially bog down the pace. However, the film still manages to leave the intended impact.