Padakkalam

While the premise of the story - the supernatural and body swapping element - is interesting, the entire aspect of setting it in a college and using it in the context of a professor who eyes an HOD chair is extremely flimsy. The story is weak from the beginning and while the four students, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharafudheen have been used to elicit laughs using situations, mannerisms and dialogues, it’s only partly effective. It is the performances of Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharafudheen (especially after the body swap occurs) that stand out and it is thanks to them that the movie keeps the audiences engaged for the most part. However, this is just not enough to make the movie totally fun ride. The female characters in the movie - Jeevika and Shaji’s wife (Pooja Mohanraj) - hardly have no major role to play and that’s unfortunate.

Regardless, the movie is kept afloat by the decent performances of the actors, particularly Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharaf U Dheen, who showcase their comedic strengths and strike silver (yes, only silver) now and then. Suraj’s attempts at physical comedy, with particular focus on facial expressions, reminiscent of his iconic characters such as Dasamoolam Damu in Chattambinadu (2009), do amuse, but they never reach lofty heights owing to the inherent lack of humour in the writing. Sharaf’s portrayal of the witty schemer Ranjith is also commendable. Bizarrely, in my opinion, Sandeep’s performance as Ranjith (after the Parakaya Pravesha) came across as sharper than his portrayal of Jithin. Arun Pradeep, Saaf and Arun Ajikumar also do their parts well, adding some essence to an otherwise flavourless dish that is Padakkalam.