The television sitcoms Marimayam, Aliyans, Aliyan vs Aliyan, etc., have managed to create a strong fan following among regular TV viewers for more than a decade now. Panchayat Jetty, the new Malayalam film directed by Manikandan Pattambi and Salim Hassan, two people who were actively part of these sitcoms as actors, is an extension of the kind of storytelling we have seen in those satirical sitcoms. So, if you are a diehard fan of those sitcoms, then this review is perhaps irrelevant for you. For me, it was a stretched-out Marimayam episode tailor-made for those coming to the theaters specifically to watch a movie made by the Marimayam team.
So, the movie is set against the backdrop of this village named Kudungassery. The village lacks facilities like public transport and crematorium, and there is a tussle between the ruling party and the opposition regarding these two matters. With the election around the corner, the opposition leader Vallabhan is trying to corner the ruling party leader, OK Krishnadas, with back-to-back protests. OK’s efforts to solve the issues and ensure his victory is what one sees in Panchayath Jetty.
Lower middle-class and middle-class people and their regular fights with government institutes have been the recurring themes of the sitcoms I mentioned at the beginning of this review. When you look at the core of Panchayath Jetty, this one is also set in a similar space. We have our hero solving the problems of the common man in his capacity as a Panchayat member, and our antagonist is plotting against him. Rather than having a clear plot, the writing decides to include several subplots to make us empathize with the central character. I am not saying OK Krishnadas does not deserve the audience’s empathy. The narrative opts for a melodramatic style that we had seen in movies released almost two decades ago.
The only element that keeps the movie in a non-boring zone is the performances of the actors. Salim Hassan and Manikandan Pattambi play the protagonist and antagonist, respectively. The flavor in their acting that makes their performances believable is there in this outing. Rachana Narayanankutty is the TP Balagopalan MA Shobana equivalent motivational heroine of the leading man. Sanuja Somanath is the only face that we have not seen in any of the sitcoms. People like Niyas Backer, Sneha Sreekumar, and Vinod Kovoor are given largely inconsequential roles mainly to please the Marimayam fans who would wish to see everyone on the big screen. Other than SP Sreekumar, almost every familiar face in the Marimayam universe is there, along with new ones.
As I said, it is an extension of the Marimayam-like storytelling. The writing is pretty basic, and it depends on the momentary humor to be in that non-boring space. There are numerous subplots in the film that don’t really blend well with the main thread. The script is trying to showcase various troubles faced by the hero, and after a point, this placing of a series of problems starts to feel redundant. There are certain themes, like the financially struggling hero, that need reinvention to feel cinematically engaging. And when Panchayath Jetty slips into a sentimental song when the brother-in-law offers help to the hero, the outdatedness made me look at the calendar rather than the watch.
On the whole, Panchayath Jetty is simply a low-on-craft fan service for the people who are fans of Marimayam. Rather than a few giggle-worthy jokes in the narrative, there is hardly anything fresh or compelling there in this political satire.
Rather than a few giggle-worthy jokes in the narrative, there is hardly anything fresh or compelling there in this political satire.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
