Pravinkoodu
Shappuis
a
quirky
whodunnit
with
its
fair
share
of
laughs,
observes
Arjun
Menon.
The
Agatha
Christie
who
dunnit
template
offers
a
goldmine
of
opportunities
for
storytellers,
and
Pravinkoodu
Shappu
is
the
latest
addition.
We
have
seen
the
uber
rich
be
made
the
subjects
of
ensemble
whodunits,
and
we
have
also
seen
films
where
the
accumulated
sense
of
mistrust
and
secrets
within
a
tiny
subset
being
put
to
test
by
an
all
knowing
investigator.
Recently
in
Malayalam
cinema,
the
Mohanlal
starrer
Twelfth
Man
(2022)
told
the
story
of
a
group
of
friends,
whose
easygoing
getaway
turns
into
a
trainwreck
of
a
night
filled
with
embarrassing
revelations.
Pravinkoodu
Shappu
inverts
the
gaze,
as
the
mystery
plays
out
between
the
disenfranchised
demographic
in
terms
of
onscreen
representation
in
this
particular
sub
genre:
The
blue
collar,
daily
wage
worker.
This,
coupled
with
the
dramatic
editing,
gives
it
a
refreshing
flavour.
The
film
starts
off
on
a
promising
note,
showing
us
the
death
of
a
toddy
bar
owner.
All
the
customers
visiting
the
bar
on
that
faithful
night
become
suspects.
Their
backstories
are
slowly
divulged,
including
past
feuds
with
the
victim,
and
it
immediately
makes
us
learn
in.
The
Edgar
Wright-ishque
pop
music
editing
rhythms
work
through
various
facets
of
the
tensions
boling
underneath
the
seemingly
cozy
group
of
men,
who
all
harbour
resentments
and
half
truths
of
their
own.
The
slightly
caricaturish
‘Sherlock
Holmes’
cop
Santhosh
(Basil
Joseph)
is
put
in
charge
of
the
comically
absurd
investigation.
The
film
takes
its
time
in
setting
up
Soubin
Shahir
as
the
focal
point
of
the
investigation
and
we
get
some
good
laughs,
as
the
two
actors
banter
on
screen.
The
police
officer
with
a
long
held
trauma
taking
up
a
case
as
his
final
chance
at
redemption
checkbox
is
ticked
off
early
on.
Pravinkoodu
Shappu
is
a
fun
hang
when
it
leans
into
the
absurdity
of
the
character
types
and
when
it
refrains
from
taking
itself
too
seriously.
Midway,
the
film
ditches
the
Agatha
Christie
approach
to
become
a
template
cat
and
mouse
game,
with
the
occasional
laughs
thrown
in
by
the
supporting
cast.
Basil
Joseph
does
most
of
the
heavy
lifting
when
it
comes
to
the
comic
relief
digressions
in
the
latter
half.
The
film
dismantled
all
the
goodwill
it
has
built
in
the
former
half
with
randomly
thrown
in
scenes
and
interactions
that
are
quirky
by
design
but
belong
in
an
entirely
different
film
from
the
one
we
have
been
thought
to
watch
till
then.
Debutant
Sreeraj
Sreenivasan
keeps
things
interesting
with
the
occasional
detours
to
the
world
of
magic
and
fantastical.
In
an
early
scene,
you
see
a
180
degree
camera
movement
that
makes
use
of
the
foreground
and
middle
ground
with
marvelous
visual
detail,
involving
two
objects
being
passed
on
frame.
The
properties
and
characters
on
screen
are
orchestrated
with
a
clear
cut
precision
in
some
early
sequences
and
you
can
see
the
polished
eccentricity
working
its
charm.
But
the
end
revel
is
too
stretched
and
feels
unearned.
Pravinkoodu
Shappu
is
too
sloppy
and
self
congratulatory
with
jerks
and
banal
scene-setting
that
comes
back
to
mean
something
else
later.
It’s
like
the
germ
of
a
great
idea
is
there
somewhere
but
the
unwarranted
need
to
dilute
the
fun
with
an
underdeveloped
political
subtext
unsettles
the
film’s
tone.
Shyju
Khalid’s
glowing,
effervescent
frames
nicely
compliment
the
‘chip
on
the
shoulders’
approach
of
the
film.
Soubin
Shahir
is
well
cast
here
and
carries
the
insecurities
and
vulnerability
of
a
physically-deformed
man
put
through
the
wringer.
Basil
generates
a
few
laughs.
But
the
real
surprise
is
Chandini
Sreedharan.
She
effortlessly
switches
sides,
plays
up
the
comedy
and
looks
vibrant
on
screen.
This
Anwar
Rasheed
produced
crime
drama
is
an
interesting
exercise
in
suspense
that
ultimately
breaks
under
its
own
pressure.
Pravinkoodu
Shappu
Review
Rediff
Rating:
