A rush of laughter
Pulivaal Kalyanam
Starring: Jayasoorya, Jagathi Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Lal, Cochin Haneefa, Kavya Madhavan
Lyrics: Kaithapram
Music: Berny Ignatius
Editing: Hariharaputhran
Camera: P Sukumar
Script: Uday Krishna, Siby K Thomas
Direction: Shafi
WHAT you expect is what you get from Pulivaal Kalyanam. Utterly unpretentious in its comedy and content, the film's big plus is its unrestrained frivolousness. Every scene has been conceived to raise a laugh and fortunately, the antics, crass obviously, work.
Director Shafi has set his priorities right. The 'I-want-to-make-a-good-film' hangover, which marred his earlier venture, One-Man Show has been done with, and he tells a non-story with all the accessories he has at his disposal. These include the ever-dependable Jagathi Sreekumar and Harisree Ashokan, a hilarious Salim Kumar and a reigned-in Cochin Haneefa.
These actors drive the film thanks to their terrific comic timing. Salim Kumar, after a long spell of skin-shows (imagine!) and double entendre, raises laugh with his own mark of comedy so what if some of his dialogues often get drowned in the stylisation. Jagathi gets a well-etched role that doesn't force him to come up with his own "numbers," and Ashokan has an oft-seen but endearing nevertheless role.
If mistaken identities had been the one common component of Malayalam comedies, Pulivaal Kalyanam's tale ticks off with a case of misplaced mobiles. It lands both the protagonists, Harikrishnan (Jayasoorya) and Ganga (Kavya Madhavan), in trouble. Hari has an eventful past. Running away from a cruel step-mother, he found solace in Karunan (Lal), who makes fireworks for a living. Hari's careless deed had cost him heavily but the man was forgiving. Hari, on his part, grows up to be a responsible brother. He also bags a first rank in engineering. Without chasing a job, he starts helping his brother in his business to marry off their sister to the son of a cantankerous neighbour (Jagathi Sreekumar).
Ganga's cell-phone changes his life. They fall in love after a chain of events, some of them funny, but Ganga's dad, a rich Sait (Lalu Alex) has other plans. How Hari goes through the path every hero in similar comedy films have walked — falling from grace of his loved ones, fighting to prove his innocence etc...— form the rest of the film.
Pulivaal Kalyanam is not a love story, and Shafi doesn't try to infuse even a semblance of sincerity into the love affair of Ganga and Hari. The affair is a given. So is its aftermath. But what Shafi does try is to give even otherwise serious scenes a wash of humour. That works.
Jayasoorya is adequate and doesn't go overboard (as he does in his live appearances) and Kavya Madhavan goes through the grind. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad either. The surprise comes from Lal, who is controlled. No loud outbursts, thankfully. Lalu Alex is elegant.
In the final count, the film rests on the comedy actors. Jagathi, Salim Kumar, Harisree Ashokan et al are hilarious. And due credit go to the script-writers Uday Krishna and Siby K Thomas, who prove that CID Moosa was no fluke. They have got a finger on the audience pulse.
Music by Berny Ignatius is ordinary, and the kind expected from a Shafi film. You could have put them in One Man Show or Kalyana Raman, and they would have worked equally fine.
On final count, the film holds together thanks to crisp, racy cuts courtesy Hariharaputhran. He doesn't let the tempo dip, and the film's success is as much his as Shafi's.
If you love to laugh at the drop of the hat, watch Pulivaal Kalyanam. It would suit you fine.
