Nivin Pauly in ‘Prathichaya’. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
One of the obvious shortcuts to writing an engaging political drama is to take ample inspiration from real-life events. In the 1990s and early 2000s, screenwriters and filmmakers in Malayalam often incorporated thinly veiled references to the political events of the time. In the midst of a hectic election season, director B Unnikrishnan brings back the essence of that era in Prathichaya, woven around the political events that rocked Kerala more than a decade ago.
With this story as a base, the filmmaker, who also wrote the screenplay, fills in the gaps with family drama and stories of corporate thugs, both of which have political implications. The film imagines a political arena where everything depends on the image of the leaders, manufactured or otherwise, and much less on their policies or ideologies. Thus, visual media also emerges as a key player in the drama, as one of the spreaders of lies that destroy lives.
prathichaya (Malayalam)
Directed by B Unnikrishnan
Cast: Nivin Pauly, Balachandra Menon, Sabitha Anand, Sharafudheen, Neethu Krishna, Vishnu Agasthya, Nishanth Sagar
Duration: 162 minutes
Plot: After a powerful politician gets caught up in a political conspiracy, his son steps in to redeem his image
The careful myth-making lies in creating the character of Chief Minister Varghese (Balachandra Menon), whose life events remind us of a real-life politician. He is not the squeaky clean and idealistic politician usually found in such films. Rather, he has his share of gray areas and corrupt practices, regardless, he is portrayed as a righteous person who has equal amounts of pragmatism and cunning. A political scandal erupts that threatens his reputation when his son John Varghese (Nivin Pauly), a technocrat reluctant to enter politics, enters the scene promising to restore the leader’s lost image.
While Prathichaya is slightly better than some of Unnikrishnan’s recent output, it is also poisoned by the ills that have marred his films, be it heady drama or unnecessary exposition in a few scenes. The operations of a corporate entity trying to control governance by targeting powerful politicians and John’s “clever” ways of building his image and responding to his adversaries have an air of familiarity and predictability. It won’t shock or surprise you. Solving problems seems all too easy and convenient. Some of the fictional elements inserted into the true story are unintentionally funny, especially the CM’s son’s ideological and family ties to the opposition party.
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The only saving grace is perhaps Balachandra Menon’s controlled performance as CM, delivering dramatic lines with rehearsed elegance. Nivin Pauly is clearly not in his comfort zone as he fails to bring the necessary gravitas to the role of a political power player. The characters are written without any element of surprise, especially in the case of the corporate honcho played by Sharafudheen, who is clearly on the side of evil from the start.
Even with a bucket of lime, this old-fashioned political thriller can’t get a contemporary facelift.
Published – 26 March 2026 18:18 IST
