[SPOILERS AHEAD…]

Official Trailer:

The opening sequence where Pariyan and his friends are taking a bath in a small pond ends with tragic death of Karuppi, the dog. That setups the premise for the movie where in the eyes of dominant caste, even the pets of oppressed castes don’t have a right to live. Rest of the story takes us through discrimination and humiliation Pariyan goes through in and outside classroom. Wait!! Don’t imagine yourself this is going to be another in your face movie with hyped up emotions. No. This movie is anything other than that. You are going to be in for a pleasant surprise.

Director Mari Selvaraj differentiates himself from other umpteen Kollywood movies that has dealt with caste discrimination. Mari Selvaraj doesn’t settle for black & white, one note characters, and violence as the solution. His deep understanding of caste & society shows in his deft handling of the story. He effectively brings out the humiliation, gross reality, honour killings, subtle discrimination that goes on in everyday life, dilemma of not able to let go of caste feeling, classroom discrimination, and prejudices in educational institutions without going overboard. No manipulation of emotions. He completely avoids the preachy tone. Even the critical dialogues are done away with as passing remarks with quick cuts. He leaves the deciphering to the audience. Consider this, movie is bookended with two such passing remarks, one in the beginning where Pariyan says oppressed caste has little option as long as they keep working in fields of dominant castes and at the end with as long as you continue to behave like you, we have to be like dogs, till then nothing will change. Both done away with immediate cuts and no follow-on conversation. Any other typical Kollywood director, would have given us a lecture There is love and good amount of humour that goes with the story and feels natural and organic. Movie’s big strength is characterisation. It is highly refreshing to see Pariyerum Perumal (PP) with well imagined and beautifully etched characters with layered storytelling. This movie is a great candidate for repeat viewing, and movie analysis. Mari Selvaraj holds a mirror to society and political parties, without naming a single caste. Any misstep would have triggered a communal clash asking for a ban of the movie. Hats off to Mari Selvaraj!!

Movie traces the life of Pariyerum Perumal, from an oppressed caste, struggles he goes through in his college pursuing a law degree to become a lawyer like Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, humiliation he faces due to his friendship with Jothi, who is from a dominant caste. PP moves away from violence or vigilantism as a solution. Pariyan does go through dilemma post his humiliation – should he seek help from his caste who would love to pick up a fight? He decides against it. He does revolt in his own way, he moves from last bench to front rows to show he can’t be put in place. Of course, things don’t go smoothly for him.

Great acting by everyone involved. Special mention to Kathir (Pariyan), Yogi Babu, Marimuthu (Jo’s father), and Karate Venkatesan (old man). Movie does pack in good humour that goes well with the narration. Music, songs and BGM, is a big plus for the movie, an excellent effort by Santhosh Narayanan. While Karuppi is emotional with its great lyrics, Naan Yaar literally explodes on the screen. Engum Pugazh Thuvanga brings out the painful fact that even in art we have caste, not all arts are equal when it comes to recognition.

1. The old man, who does the honour killing as a duty to his kulasami (kula samikku seyyira sevai). He epitomises the caste system that is a source of discrimination and injustice, where people are caught in caste web, not able to get out of it. He does show his civil side when he is asked to kill Pariyan, saying he knows Pariyan, he is a nice person and he can be talked to. But caste honour takes precedence than humanity, when Jo’s relatives tell him it has gone out of hand and Pariyan needs to be bumped up
2. Marimuthu, Jo’s dad, portrays a person with dilemma, stuck between knowledge of caste injustices but not able to come out of it due to need to conform. He tells Pariyan they will kill not only him, his daughter too. For him caste is like a food stuck in your mouth that you either can’t swallow or spit it out
3. Jothi grows without knowing about caste or caste discrimination. Things were easy for her and not exposed to any form of discrimination. She can speak her mind openly (from the ragging scene where she breaks the bangles) while Pariyan can’t. Through the movie she is shown not aware of humiliation Pariyan faces or ugly side of her dad. Her character represents most of current young population who are not aware of role caste plays in their life in the background till they come face to face with it later. How they respond is going to be based on their conditioning, personal impact, and exposure
4. Pariyan also goes through some growing up in the movie. He has to fight his inner battles as he keeps getting humiliated. Initially he was not proud of his dad’s profession, a street theatre artiste who performs as a female dancer in village music festivals, and hides it from others. Post his humiliations, he feels sorry for the way he felt about his dad, and wants to get back to him

There are few stretches that stand out. Pariyan goes to attend the marriage on Jo’s invite, gets beaten up (including one person urinating on him) and locked in a room with Jo’s dad telling him not to leave the room till it gets quiet and dark, else you will get killed – know your place, stay in your place and you will be fine. Another towards the end where Pariyan speaks to Jo’s dad trough a broken windshield – a barrier is broken and a new way of conversing happens. Camera shows dad’s eyes moving between Pariyan and Aruval on the dashboard, while he continues to listen. Then there is intercut of posters which portrays how honour killings are passed off as suicides and accidents, how they have been normalised in our society. The song Naan Yaar stands out with its metaphors and colours, showing the trauma of the protagonist, along with existing social prejudices, honour killings, and suicides due to humiliation.

Mari Selvaraj ends the movie on a positive note and there is this beautiful final shot which I would like to frame if I can get hold of it – it shows two glasses separated by a jasmine flower, one with coffee with milk and another with black tea, indicating the need for a debate.

This is one of the best movies to come out this year. A strong film that will beat your expectations. Must watch.