Pathaam Valavu review: Suraj Venjaramoodu’s emotionally charged performance saves this old school revenge drama

It has become a tiring job to watch formula movies at a time when viewers are exposed to different narratives and unconventional characters. Joseph fame M Padmakumar’s latest directorial Pathaam Valavu traverses through the familiar terrains of revenge and family drama without attempting anything different or thrilling.

The movie starts with the day of a police officer Sethu, played by Indrajith, who is awaiting the birth of his first child. However, even before seeing his baby for the first time, Sethu is ordered to bring back a convict named Solomon (Suraj Venjaramoodu) who’s absconding after being released from jail on parole. After a lot of effort, Sethu and his team are able to catch Solomon. On the way back, the police get curious about Solomon’s backstory, as he reveals that he needs to murder one more person before going back to jail.

We have heard the backstory of Solomon a thousand times before. An ideal man living a perfect life with his wife and daughter before his life turns upside down due to some external factors. We have seen a lot of revenge movies with similar threads, and Pathaam Valavu is no different.

With Pathaam Valavu, Suraj Venjaramoodu once again proves his range as an actor. The performance of Suraj is the highlight of the movie while the scope of other characters including Indrajith’s is limited. Aditi Ravi as Solomon’s wife does her part convincingly.

Overall, a predictable storyline makes Pathaam Valavu a dull watch. The only respite is Suraj’s intense performance as Solomon.