Pyali

When you make a children’s film, it is not necessary that it should only satisfy kids. We have witnessed a lot of films in the past that connect emotionally despite being a bit on the louder side. Babitha and Rinn’s Pyali intends to showcase the world of two kids with remarkable talents. But the script runs out of ideas for making the journey eventful for the brother and sister. In the end, you get a safe formula that covers its unimaginative writing behind the cute smile of its title protagonist.

Siya and Pyali are siblings who are living in the slums of Kochi. Siya is a talented young kid who made toys and stuff from waste materials he got to make his little sister Pyali happy. Their parents were from Kashmir and lost their lives in a construction site accident. Siya aspires to give a better life to Pyali. But their refugee status comes in the way of his desires. Siya’s efforts to take care of his sister are the core of Pyali.

Talented orphan kids are like a recurring theme in movies with kids as central characters. What the script lacks here is the intrigue factor. In films that have worked for us, the characters’ journey becomes memorable due to their peculiar nature. The shifts in the story of Pyali cant evoke any peculiarity. Santhosh Raman’s excellent art direction, which has a significant role in elevating the film’s climax, never really got the kind of appreciation from a writing point of view.

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Barbie Sharma, as the cute-looking Pyali, is a treat for the eyes, and I must say that her dialogue delivery was so good, considering how dramatic the writing was in most places. George Jacob as her brother Siya is struggling with the dialogue delivery. Sreenivasan was memorable in his role. Unni Mukundan as the wannabe Charlie was a bit annoying. Mamukkoya, Aadukalam Murugadoss, Althaf Salim, Appani Sarath, Sujith Shankar etc. are also a part of this movie.

As I said, the unimaginative writing of the film takes away the life from the story. The film’s visuals and the production design are key areas, and those departments have done an impressive job. But Babitha and Rinn are not so clear about placing hurdles in the path of these siblings. The scene where Sreenivasan’s character appreciates Siya for his talent feels flat, and there is this unnecessary buildup for the character played by Sujith Shankar. And certain things that happen in the climax portion are a bit vague.

If your kid is less exposed to the visual content out there on various platforms (which is a rarity), they might enjoy Pyali as a big-screen entertainer. From a creative perspective, Pyali struggles to move the audience with its story. The smile of Barbie Sharma as Pyali will definitely put a smile on your face, but don’t confuse it with the quality of the film.