There are plenty of family entertainer movies in the industry but none so satisfying as a Satyan Anthikkad movie. With Makal, Anthikkad brings back his brand of family entertainer, rife with humor, daily-life tidbits, and a study of relationships. The film stars Jayaram, Meera Jasmine, and Devika Sanjay in leading roles and Siddique, Naslen Gafoor, Innocent, and Jayashankar in supporting roles.

Makal follows Nandan and his family. After spending over 15 years in Dubai as a mechanic, Nandan (Jayaram) returns to his wife (Meera Jasmine) and daughter, Aparna (Devika Sanjay). Once back in Kochi, he sets out to start an organic food brand. However, his moving back with his family doesn't go over smoothly, given his inability to connect with his 17-year-old daughter. How he reconnects with his family forms the crux of the film.

There's a lot going on in Makal. We have a family learning to be one unit again, a man trying to start his own brand of organic food products, a boy trying to win a girl's heart, a woman trying to make her career dreams come true, and a daughter who just can't seem to get used to her father being around. Suffice to say, the movie deals with multiple topics: from generation gap and parenting to the realities of not being educated enough. Yet, Makal doesn't seem bogged down by these ideas.

Dr Iqbal Kuttipuram's screenplay is light, breezy, and decently tight. While the genre-shifting twist in the second half and the simplistic (rushed) treatment of it was a bit confusing and certainly avoidable, the overall film didn't seem too long. Vishnu Vijay's music too feels like an embrace, gently moving the narration forward while we learn the intricacies of this family and its relationships.

What takes the cake in the film is the acting prowess of Jayaram and Meera Jasmine. Jasmine made a comeback after a long hiatus with Makal and is convincing as a supportive mother and wife, who also has ambitions of her own.

Jayaram's talent of making even serious situations hilarious shines in the Anthikkad directorial, as he tries to navigate parenting a teenager. Devika Sanjay as the  willful and impulsive teenager is a marvel, who truly livens up the movie with her charming performance. Gafoor, as usual, shines with his natural charm and humor in the movie.

Makal has a runtime of 2 hours and 22 minutes, which could have been cut short without a song and an extended plot point. Did we need a cameo from Balaji Manohar simply to drive a point home? Manohar was surely entertaining but did add extra minutes to the runtime, which didn't do much for the plot. It certainly doesn't help that the treatment of the plot line felt rushed.

Despite its shortcomings, Makal is a nice film that talks about the difficulties of parenting and the generation gap that plays a role in it. It's everything a family entertainer should have: humor, heartwarming relationships, and an underlying message. If you love feel-good movies, Makal will surely not disappoint you.