Paingkili - Malayalam

Paingkili (പൈങ്കിളി)

is a Malayalam comedy film. The story is written by Jithu Madhavan, the director of Romancham, while the film itself is directed by Sreejith Babu. The hero is Sajin Gopu, the same actor from Romancham who played the guy with a bit of leadership among the boys living in the house. The heroine is Anaswara Rajan. Many others have acted in the film too, but the one who deserves a special mention is our very own Riyas Khan. The entire movie runs on a style of absurd comedy and the rough and intimidating character that Riyas Khan portrays is something quite remarkable. Anyway, let us get straight into how the experience of watching the film felt.

According to the story, Sugu runs a sticker shop in his town along with two of his friends. He is someone who has never once called his father by the word father and instead always addresses him by his name Sujith Kumar. Everyone in Sugu’s house handles him with sympathy because they feel sorry that he has still not found a bride. Cut to the heroine who has not even turned eighteen yet, but her family keeps arranging marriages for her. Every time that happens she jumps out through the window of her room on the first floor and runs away from home.

Even if she runs away they catch her and bring her back. Then another marriage gets arranged. She jumps and runs away again. They search for her and bring her back again. After realizing that simply running away is not helping, her childhood friend from the neighboring house suggests that she should fall in love with someone and run away with him. Thus begins the search for a boyfriend. Even that becomes funny in stages. First comes smiling at someone. Then getting a phone number. Then calling and talking. Then finally running away together. The funniest part is that all these brilliant ideas come from that same neighboring friend. You really feel like asking how she can blindly follow whatever that girl says. At one point that friend herself admits that she once ran away like that and later became confused about what to do next. She calls and tells Sheeba that she herself has no real experience and that Sheeba should stop taking her advice so seriously. Only then does Sheeba begin to understand the world a little differently. She completely breaks down and cries. Those are the moments where we truly feel that these characters are human beings just like us.

As for Sugu, he drinks whenever he gets holidays at home. He closes the shop and drinks with his friends. He drinks black tea. Then he is going to Coimbatore for sticker work but ends up booking a room and drinking there as well. He tells his friend not to drink, but then insists that this is exactly the kind of situation where one should drink and pressures him into drinking along with him. You tell me how someone like this is ever supposed to find a bride. Yet there is a friend’s sister who keeps following him around and loves him. Even with her, he strictly says that if she is Sudhakar’s sister then she is also his sister and casually brushes her aside.

If I start listing the comedy scenes individually there is simply too much to talk about. But I can hint at a few things. The hero’s trip to Coimbatore for sticker work, his friend buying aRajasthan Raja statue on the way, and the statue makes silent comedy that comes from that are all especially enjoyable. Then they rent a room, get drunk, and later in the night his Bullet motorcycle gets stolen. The events that follow that incident form the heart of the movie. By the end of that chain of events the heroine comes into the hero’s life and everything that follows becomes the remaining story of the film. In between there are countless characters. Everything they do and say comes wrapped in absurd comedy. The townspeople who stand around watching all these antics are basically us the audience.

As far as I know Malayalam cinema keeps trying something new all the time. You should try watching Paingili. We will meet again in the next post. See ya.