‘Ponman’ movie review: Basil Joseph headlines an engrossing character study that’s worth its weight in gold

‘Ponman’ movie review: Instead of becoming another film with a progressive message against dowry, Basil Joseph’s ‘Ponman’ turns out to be an engrossing, non-judgemental study of characters

First impressions can be hard to change, but in Ponman most of our initial assumptions about the characters turn out to be wrong, as it happens in thoughtfully-written films. This change is not brought about by deceptive writing or staging of scenes, but it slowly gets revealed to us in the organic unravelling of the plot from one event to another. Nor is the change achieved through a quick whitewash job of characters we had judged harshly, but by consistently giving us those little pieces of information that would make us understand their actions in a better perspective.

The central concern of acclaimed art director Jyothish Shankar’s debut directorial Ponman, based on GR Indugopan’s novel ‘Naalanchu Cheruppakkar’, is dowry. But rather than from the perspective of the shameless dowry seekers or the plight of the families forced to borrow heavily for their daughters’ weddings, the film approaches it through the eyes of an agent who provides gold jewellery with the aid of financiers and collects the money gifted to the family during the wedding. It is a job which is as niche as it can get and Ajesh (Basil Joseph) appears to be a cut-throat master of it, until we get to know him better.

In fact, we get to know almost all of them better, as well-rounded characters are shaped by the changing circumstances right in front of our eyes. Steffi (Lijomol Jose) transforms from a shy but reluctant bride to one who takes an unexpected, courageous turn, only to take a more nuanced, humanitarian stand when she understands her adversary’s plight better. Bruno (Anand Manmadhan), her brother’s arc, extends from a hot-headed, violent political worker to a helpless man who easily loses his zest for life. As for Steffi’s husband Mariano (Sajin Gopu), we get something more than the easy portrayal of a brute husband.

The depth that these well-defined character arcs which bend in glorious ways, provide Ponman is immense. But these alone would not have sustained the film. The screenplay, written by Indugopan and Justin Mathew, is punctuated by remarkable events — one of which takes place inside a dingy lodge room, another in a prawn farm and yet another in a household where a wedding has just taken place. The rhythm the film attains in its initial phase is sustained all through, with the plot taken forward by the mildly humourous exchanges in the beginning and intense dramatic encounters towards the end.

The weaknesses which turned Oru Thekkan Thallu Case, the film adaptation of another interesting Indugopan story, into a staid affair are not visible in Ponman. Along with better screenwriting, some credit for this has to go to cinematographer Sanu John Varghese and music director Justin Varghese. Not to forget, the performances of the lead actors, especially Basil, who pulls off a role which is nowhere near his comfort zone.

Ponman could have easily turned into another film with a progressive message against dowry and the unhealthy obsession with gold. But what we get instead is an engrossing, non-judgemental study of characters, most of whom are victims of social malaise. Ponman is worth its weight in gold.