Still from Pallichattambi
Subtlety has never been filmmaker Dijo Jose Antony’s forte, but even by his standards, the choices he makes in his fourth film Pallichattambi are quite odd. Like the idea of introducing the dreaded antagonist by killing his dog with a fork just for barking a little too much. This act was also intended to send a message to the two men who had come forward with unfavorable information during his dinner.
The cinematic treatment of history also follows a similar pattern, the landing of a sharp fork in the pages of history. Set in the tumultuous period of the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle), led by revanchist forces against the land and education reforms introduced by Kerala’s first communist government in the late 1950s, the film’s hero is Pothan (Tovino Thomas), a strongman chosen by the church to lead ‘Christopher Sena’ to resist the communists.
pallichattambi (Malayalam)
Directed by: Said Jose Antony
Cast: Tovino Thomas, Kayadu Lohar, Vijayaraghavan
Plot: A village church brings in a strongman to resist the communists, but things don’t turn out the way the church authorities expect.
Length: 130 minutes
However, without taking sides, the filmmaker has brought in a fictitious external enemy, a powerful feudal lord from abroad, and lays all the blame for the violence and bloodshed at his feet. It is natural for historical fiction to take such liberties with the truth. But in the present context, people tend to have a distorted understanding of historical events due to such interpretations. Filmmaker TV Chandran has in the past portrayed Vimochana Samaram in a more historically accurate manner in films like Ormakal Undayirikkanam and Dany, portraying it as a counter-revolution of the privileged classes against the politics of emancipation.
As if to make up for the treatment of history, Pallichattambi has taken a very dated approach in writing and filming. Dijo Jose’s loud treatment in his previous films like Jana Gana Mana and Malayalee From India is repeated here. Though Suresh Babu has scripted Pallichattambi, instead of Dij’s usual screenwriter Sharis Mohammed, there is not much difference in approach, which shows the significant authorial role of the filmmaker. The exposition is thus complete. It covers even the smallest details and leaves no room for interpretation or reflection. The heavy-handed approach is evident in Pothan’s budding romance with KPAC’s Rebecca (Kayadu Lohar).
The lead star’s cameo also fails to lift the film. In fact, most of the characters and their relationship with each other are weakly established, so much so that even the most shocking events fail to make an impact.
ALSO RED: Interview | Malayalam filmmaker Dijo Jose Antony: A Malayalee from India tells the story of a laid-back guy from a village in Kerala
Tovino Thomas brings an admirable physicality to the role, but the weak script doesn’t allow him to do much more. The period setting is inconsistent. Another dampener becomes the climactic hint about the sequel without fully resolving the narrative conflict in this installment. The director follows the easy decision that many filmmakers and screenwriters make these days, never making a sequel. Pallichattambi is an ahistorical period film that fails to take off.
Pallichattambi is currently running in theatres
Published – 17 Apr 2026 17:06 IST
