Padakkalam film evaluate: A university supernatural flick that’s not the fantasy comedy it needs to be
Might 10, 2025 11:30 AM IST
Padakkalam film evaluate: It combines school life with supernatural parts as Jithin and buddies suspect a professor’s unusual conduct.
Padakkalam Film Evaluation
Solid: Sandeep Pradeep, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharafudheen
Director: Manu Swaraj
Stars: ★★
Each time a film is ready on a school campus with a gaggle of buddies and a few professors as the important thing gamers, you possibly can anticipate that there can be loads of laughs, some motion and maybe, thriller as nicely. Padakkalam, helmed by debutant director Manu Swaraj, goals to be simply that besides that it’s meshed with a supernatural component, a la Indiana Jones and the desi ‘parakaya pravesha’ (physique swapping).
What’s the plot of Padakkalam
Jithin (Sandeep Pradeep) is in love together with his engineering school classmate Jeevika (Niranjana Anoop) however she out of the blue decides to interrupt up with him citing private variations. Whereas a heartbroken Jithin is making an attempt to brainstorm together with his buddies – Ramzad (Arun Pradeep), Kannan (Saaf) and Nakul (Arun Ajikumar) – on what do, a school strike is on with Jithin’s division demanding that their HOD get replaced as he bought the job with faux paperwork.
Now, senior professor Shaji (Suraj Venjaramoodu) is eyeing the put up as is a youthful, student-friendly Renjith (Sharafudheen). Shaji will get elevated as HOD naturally as he’s senior however Jithin and his buddies uncover one thing is amiss when Shaji begins behaving surprisingly and their suspicion falls on Renjith. They consider that Renjith has used some supernatural energy and/or black magic to regulate Shaji and begin to examine this. They shockingly uncover that he can management individuals by some means and are nervous what his most important goal is. And so they get into a serious challenge. What has gone incorrect? What does Renjith do? How does this example get resolved?
What works and what would not
Whereas the premise of the story – the supernatural and physique swapping component – is fascinating, your entire facet of setting it in a school and utilizing it within the context of a professor who eyes an HOD chair is extraordinarily flimsy. The story is weak from the start and whereas the 4 college students, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharafudheen have been used to elicit laughs utilizing conditions, mannerisms and dialogues, it’s solely partly efficient. It’s the performances of Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharafudheen (particularly after the physique swap happens) that stand out and it’s due to them that the film retains the audiences engaged for probably the most half. Nonetheless, that is simply not sufficient to make the film completely enjoyable experience. The feminine characters within the film – Jeevika and Shaji’s spouse (Pooja Mohanraj) – hardly haven’t any main function to play and that’s unlucky.
On the entire, Padakkalam is an honest try by director Manu Swaraj to offer the audiences a clear campus supernatural fantasy comedy however it’s the poor writing that lets down the movie.
