Humour in free flow, with impeccable timing, could turn even poorly written films into experiences worth sitting through. But, when the humour is forced, with the effort to make us laugh painfully visible in every other scene, it can bring down even a film with a decent idea. In Sreejith Babu’s debut film Painkili, written by Jithu Madhavan, the attempts to create comedy, except in a few scenes, are akin to the efforts to push out the last bit of toothpaste from a near-empty tube.
Writing was not really one of the strong points of Jithu madhavan’s Aavesham, which turned into a major hit mainly due to Fahadh Faasil’s unrestrained, over-the-top performance. Panikili is designed in such a way that almost every character is at some point required to exhibit over-the-top behaviour, even when it does not come naturally to them. The result is a film which struggles to take off, and is confused about what it really wants to say.
Painkili is built on a scenario where the worlds of two peculiar characters collide. Suku Sujith Kumar (Sajin Gopu) fakes mental health disorders to get out of a crisis while Sheeba (Anaswara Rajan) keeps running away from her home and getting caught. Suku, who compulsively utters cheesy romantic lines, and Sheeba, who is ready to elope with just about anyone due to her situation, are bound to take a liking to each other. But when the two characters meet half-way into the film, all hell breaks loose.
A film not taking itself seriously is a virtue when the humour works, but when it falls flat most of the time, the film does not have a leg to stand on, as it happens in Painkili. The only bits that work involve Suku and his father (Abu Salim, shedding his perpetual goon image), his sidekick (Roshan Shanavas) and their neighbour Suma (Jisma). Most of this is incidental humour, rather than comedy that is integral to the narrative. This is not a surprise, considering the fact that it is a haphazard narrative that really does not go anywhere.
The entire film gives the impression of something that was quickly cobbled up without much homework. A good part of the effort appears to have been put in filming just one song, ‘Heart attack’, which went viral and ensured some initial interest in the film. Even Justin Varghese’s background score struggles to fill the gaping holes in the screenplay. Painkili is filled with lazily written characters with abrupt arcs and dead-end situations that do not evoke any excitement or anticipation. Even the lowbrow, cheesy pulp fiction of yesteryear that earned the catch-all branding of ‘Painkili’ had more heft than this film.
Painkili is currently running in theatres
Published – February 14, 2025 05:17 pm IST
Indian cinema
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Malayalam cinema
