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Pandippada
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'Pandippada' Spine Tickler

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

When in doubt, play the trump. That is the cardinal rule in a game of cards. Well, that is what Malayalam actor Dilip has done. He has teamed up with director duo Rafi-Mecartin to deliver yet another hit: Pandippada.

Well, you can’t blame Gopalakrishna Pillai-turned-Dilip. After all, he has not had one decent hit in 2004. Kochirajavu only partially revived his sagging fortunes. So, in sheer desperation, the man turned to his lucky mascots Rafi and Mecartin in his hour of trial. And they have not failed him.

Once

again, the trio have come up trumps with a rip-roaring comedy that has the stamp of a superhit, a la ‘Punjabi House’ and Tenkashipattanam, the two earlier blockbusters the triumvirate has churned out.

With Pandippada, the threesome can be said to have completed a hattrick of sorts. Dilip certainly knows how to wriggle out of a tight corner.

As in Punjabi House and Tenkashipattanam, Rafi and Mecartin have tapped Dileep’s flair for comedy. Racy narration adds to the quality of the film. You will rarely find a dull moment. That speaks volumes for Rafi and Mecartin’s directorial skills.

Spiced up with witty one-liners and crisp dialogues, Pandippada seeks to tickle your funny bone and accomplishes the task in a handsome manner. You go back in a lighter mood.

In Pandippada, Dilip plays Bhuvanachandran, a real estate broker in Kochi, who has an uncanny knack of getting into trouble time and again. The last straw came when he is taken for a mighty ride by a Tamilian who sells 30 acres of disputed land to Bhuvan. The land belongs to Karuvilangadu, a village in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Having got it rather cheap, Bhuvan is over the moon. At last, good days seem to be round the corner. So he thinks, unaware of the trouble that awaits him.

Trouble arrives in the form of two chieftains of village Karuvilangadu, who are bitter rivals. The land which Bhuvan has bought is a land of discord between the warring chieftains Karuppusamy (Rajan.P.Dev) and Pandidorai (Prakash Raj). Bhuvan learns to his horror that the duo have vowed to kill anybody who dares to buy the land.

As chance would have it, Bhuvan runs into his erstwhile partner Bhasi (Harishree Ashokan). They think up an ingenious plan to take possession of the disputed land without disclosing their identity. As per the plan, Bhuvan works his way into the house of Pandidorai. He charms the chieftain so much that soon, Bhuvan has the fearsome Pandidorai and his mother (Sukumari) eating out of his hands!

But trouble erupts when Bhuvan falls for Karuppusamy’s daughter Meena (Navya Nair), blissfully unaware of the fact that Pandidorai himself has an eye on the girl.

How Bhuvan extricates himself from a difficult situation and gets back his land forms the rest of the laugh riot.

To say that Dilip has done extremely well in the lead role is to state the obvious. After all, comedy is his forte, and his sense of timing, as usual, is immaculate. Harishree Ashokan as Bhasi is a perfect foil. Veteran Rajan P. Dev is in his elements as Karuppusamy.

But it is Prakash Raj who springs a surprise as the mean Pandidorai. Raj proves, if proof were needed, that he is a consummate actor. It is a challenging role that requires him to act out comedy, villainy and romance. Like in Anniyan where he plays the police officer, Prakash Raj comes up with a fabulous performance. Navya Nair has nothing much to do except fluttering her eyelashes and sing duets with Dilip.

Suresh Peters has contributed his mite with some good songs that enrich the film.

If you are in a sour mood, then Pandippada is the best antidote. You will not only snap out of the blue mood but freak out too!

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