Paranthu Po (Tamil)
In Paranthu Po, director Ram offers a mellow father-son road film. Mithul Ryan, as eight-year-old Anbu, is funny and irascible. His comic timing with Shiva, who plays his father, Gokul, is almost impeccable. The affection and teasing between them feel as natural as what you might see between an actual parent and child, rather than a saccharine Kollywood version.
Such a real-life relationship would be rare, true. Gokul’s healthy responses, even when Anbu is aggravating him, give many South Asian parents something to aspire to.
The film opens with Gokul looking after Anbu while his wife, Glory (Grace Antony), is out of town at a trade fair, selling sarees. The family has multiple loans, but they firmly believe in spending all they can on Anbu’s education. However, their financial situation forces them to leave Anbu alone at home for extended periods of time. Miffed, Anbu cheekily strong arms his father into taking him on a road trip on their motorbike.
Father and son learn little lessons along the way, as they meet grandparents with misogynistic takes on working women, childhood crushes, compassionate strangers, and new friends. Both must face their insecurities too. When they do, they don’t preach to the camera. Instead, each such moment is endearingly human.
Anbu’s gleeful daredevilry in the face of every new experience bounces hilariously off Gokul’s breathless attempts to keep up.
Glory and Gokul’s relationship is shown almost entirely through several phone calls every day. Unlike most Kollywood romances, their marriage is one of equals. Again, there is no grandstanding about how progressive this representation is.
Instead of a demure figure referring to her husband with the dutiful neenga to indicate subservience, Glory is loud, kind, and her own person. She and Gokul unabashedly poke fun at each other at times, and are tenderly loving at others. And they’re funny. As an inter-faith couple, they’re quite alone. We are shown a marriage built on a mutual solidarity that often also needs a little humour to fend off their isolation.
Grace Antony shines in her role, equally at ease with comedy and heartbreak. Shiva has repeatedly shown himself to be an actor who appears unassuming, while quietly taking over the screen with well-timed one liners.
The music, however, falls flat. Both Yuvan Shankar Raja and Santhosh Daynidhidhi are credited for the score. The songs and lyrics try too hard and don’t seem to be clear about who the target listeners are. Paranthu Po is a film for both children and adults, but even children would likely find the songs a bit cringe-worthy. Not even catchy, they only become a grating distraction from the well-paced events on screen.
There’s a few hints of moralising in the film — to tick the Tamil message padam box — but it is a minor aspect. For the most part, Paranthu Po is a feel-good and engaging watch.