Parimala and Co Movie Review:

Circumstance. When a family is facing a particularly distressing period in their lives, what really matters is their response to the circumstances. Over the years, cinema has often told stories of families that stick together to face whatever comes their way. We have seen the Drishyams, the Koodi Vaazhndhaal Kodi Nanmais, the Kolamaavu Kokilas, the Doctors, and even last week’s release, Blast. Families finding themselves painted into a corner, and doing everything possible to get out of it, is a time-tested template, and yet… director Pandiraaj’s latest, Parimala and Co, does the one thing you shouldn’t do when it comes to making a whodunnit family drama. He makes things… boring. 

Pandiraaj loves giving interesting names to his characters, and straight off the bat, he misses the target when they reveal who Parimala is. Everyone assumed Urvashi was Parimala. It added a seemingly brilliant layer to the story of a family caught in a murder case. But then, once we are told that Parimala is Jayaram, that layer fizzles out. Nevertheless, the Co in Parimala and Co. is his wife, Sudhandhiram (Urvashi), and his daughters, Parasakthi (Sanjana) and Madhumitha (Ananthika). A typical middle-class family. If the house and their constant budgeting isn’t giving you that vibe, no problem… Parimala says it out loud enough times that it becomes irritating. But there is a lot to like about the family that is refreshingly real. 

Director: Pandiraaj

Cast: Jayaram, Urvashi, Sanjana, Ananthika, Sandy

The sisters fight a lot, one of them stands up for the other, both make questionable choices, share clothes, the world cuts them both to size, the mother is acerbic to her husband’s side of the family, albeit with valid reasons of her own, the transactional nature of their relationship is actually beautiful considering how it bonds them as a family, and then… the father, well, he doesn’t do anything. In fact, this is the biggest problem with the film. Parimala doesn’t do anything in the film except grit his teeth one time too many, react with exasperation for everything, add in a few mannerisms that Jayaram is known for, and… just laugh as if he knows everything. But does he? Does he actually help his family out of the conundrum they think they are in? Is the family actually in any conundrum in the first place? Most importantly… If Parimala and Co are removed from Parimala and Co, the story of Parimala and Co would have still had the same start, same highs, same lows, and the same ending… essentially, remaining the same film, and that is inexcusable. 

In many ways, Parimala and Co is cut from the same cloth as Pandiraaj’s very own Kathakali. A history-sheeter is dead. There, it was Thamba, here it is Varghese (Sandy). A family with an axe to grind is considered the prime suspect. Nevertheless, the genre borders on dark comedy, which is, unfortunately, not the film’s strong suit, and Parimala and Co ends up being a half-hearted attempt that goes around in circles and gets nowhere. But again, the problem isn’t in the idea, which is a fascinating one. 

Madhumitha is being stalked by Varghese. Parimala and Co don’t like it. Parasakthi insults Varghese in public. He is a drug dealer who has a murder or two to his name. He vows revenge and says she will be the victim of an acid attack. He threatens Sudhandhiram and asks her to get both her daughters married to him. Parimala is livid. And then, as the film moves on, we see many of these layers unravelling, and when Varghese is found dead, all hell breaks loose. Each member of the family thinks the other one is the killer. The narrative suggests something urgent is happening, but the family shows no signs of it. The police don’t show any signs of investigating the case. Even Varghese’s mother, who wants to wreak havoc in the lives of people who wronged her son, walks away from a protest in the police station when Inspector Emperumaan (Mysskin) says he will catch the culprit in 10 days. TEN DAYS. This lethargy extends to the narrative, which takes such random detours that you wonder whether anything the film says should be taken seriously. 

At one point, Parimala and his family are sure that one of them is the murderer, and the police are closing in on them. And the very next, they are going to Palakkad for the death of a family member, and doing inane things in the name of humour. Again, there is promise here. But the writing doesn’t substantiate the ideas, and expects us to do the hardwork of connecting dots, understanding the characters’ machinations, and whatnot. Oh, throw in two bumbling relatives (Singampuli and Bucks), who are drunk simpletons, and it has all the ingredients of a humourous ride. But wow, does Pandiraaj get his proportions wrong. 

The reason the film feels more like a letdown and a wasted opportunity is the pedigree of its performers. When you have veterans like Jayaram and Urvashi, you expect them to do much more than what they did in, say, Madhuchandralekha (2006). They perform and react in an old-school style that isn’t quite charming here. They do get a few hilarious one-liners here and there, but largely, it is a forgettable outing. Sanjana comes out largely unscathed because her performance and timing are a couple of clicks ahead, and the pace is refreshing. Ananthika dials up the naivete, but is given a raw deal as a character that you don’t really root for. Mysskin is the only one who clearly had a lot of fun as the sketchy inspector, and more often than not, that gets translated. The other members of the ensemble, including Yogi Babu, Singampuli, Bucks, and even Sandy, aren’t utilised enough.  

Also, Parimala and Co is one of the most distracting films of recent times, thanks to its erratic editing. A single scene of Yogi Babu just standing and reading a letter has seven cuts… without even a change of frame. There are a few hundred drone shots of the city line that add nothing to the narrative. There are some more random edits that pick you out of one scene and plonk you into another without rhyme or reason. You don’t settle into any emotion, and the seeming urgency is nowhere to be seen in the writing. While this is definitely an inspired choice by the filmmaker, it isn’t the best choice by any stretch of the imagination. 

See, one might argue that one shouldn’t look for logic in such films. But the point is, Parimala and Co. is not a comic caper like Seena Thaana, where anything goes. It is designed as a smart whodunnit that explores multiple angles, ranging from stalking, drug dealing, murder, death, threats of gendered violence, and a lot more. It is almost like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, with a dysfunctional family at its center. But when the smarts don’t actually translate on screen, the only thing bright is the display on your mobile phone that you fiddle with because the film ends up being what it shouldn’t be in any circumstance... You know what.