IBTimes Rating 4
Every Keralite has at least one friend or relative who is struggling to support his/her family by working tirelessly in Dubai. Megastar Mammootty's "Pathamari" is about such struggling Malayalis in Dubai.
While we have heard many success stories of Malayalis in abroad, there are many struggling middle class people as well who continuously work hard to support their families.
As it is a familiar story for many of us, there is no suspense element in it, but we still sit firmly on our seats just to see what happens next.
Without any twists or turns, "Pathemari" is the story of sacrifice and hardships of thousands of people, who spend majority of their life in a different country just to support their family financially.
Plot
Pallikal Narayanan (Mammootty) migrates illegally to Dubai along with many other teenagers in Launchi Velayudhan's (Siddique) sloop as he is forced to take up the responsibility of his family (his parents, brother and sisters).
Even when he decides to settle with his family in his hometown years later, the circumstance forces him to go back to Dubai so that he can make ends meet.
Cast
We don't see Mammootty as a mainstream hero in "Pathemari" as he lives as Narayanan, representing many such Narayanans' of our society. Undoubtebly, this is one of Mammootty's best performances till date.
Sreenivasan has also done justice to his character Moideen, who is Narayanan's close friend.
Portraying a Dubai-based Malayali's wife, Jewel Mary has also delivered a strong performance in the film. Despite appearing in minimum scenes, Siddique and Joy Mathew have also portrayed their charatcers well and Siddique's son Shaheen has made a decent debut as Narayanan's son.
Direction
The story is not new, but the way it has been presented along with the right casting makes it a must watch. Hats off to director Salim Ahamed for bringing such a real life story to reel life, helping many realise the struggles of each and every pravasi.
Technical Aspects
Madhu Ambat's cinematography, which captures the life of Narayanan and the beauty of Dubai and Kerala is appreciable. Oscar winner Resul Pookutty's background score and Bijibal's music perfectly match the emotional situations of "Pathemari". Vijay Shankar's editing by mixing the past and present life of Narayanan looks convincing.
Final Verdict: "Pathemari" is a must watch and is sure to bring tears to your eyes.
