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Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie review: Anaswara Rajan, Arjun Ashokan lead a delightfully light-hearted, fun comedy thriller

Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie review: If you're looking for a chance to switch the brain into hibernate mode and enjoy a light-hearted watch, this Anaswara Rajan and Arjun Ashokan-starrer could be the perfect pick for your weekend.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie review: If you're looking for a chance to switch the brain into hibernate mode and enjoy a light-hearted watch, this Anaswara Rajan and Arjun Ashokan-starrer could be the perfect pick for your weekend.Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie review: Mahesh Madhu's Ennu Swantham Punyalan, starring Anaswara Rajan, Arjun Ashokan and Balu Varghese in the lead roles, is now running in theatres. (Image: Mahesh/Instagram)

Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie review: With life being emotionally heavy, unbearable and overwhelming all the time — much like most of our films — the chance to switch the brain into hibernate mode and enjoy a light-hearted watch becomes absolutely essential. If — amid all the intense, bloody or intellectually demanding movies that have arrived on our screens lately — you’re looking for a film that quiets the noise in the mind and takes you on a short, fun escape through a misty village on the hillocks of Idukki, debut director Mahesh Madhu’s comedy thriller Ennu Swantham Punyalan could be the perfect pick for your weekend.

Born into a wealthy family as the only son to a couple with over half a dozen daughters, Thomas (Balu Varghese) was destined by his parents to become a priest as soon as they welcomed him. Despite having no interest in priesthood, especially due to a childhood romance with his school sweetheart, Thomas eventually succumbed to family pressure and joined the seminary, ending his relationship. Later, after a conflict with the head priest Fr Nicholas (Renji Panicker), Thomas is handed a punishment transfer to St Patrick’s Church in Chilanthiyar, Idukki, under the terrorising Fr Benjamin Valiyakandam.

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As soon as he arrives at Chilanthiyar Church, the life of Fr Thomas Chacko — yes, Balu’s character shares the same name as Mohanlal’s iconic role in Spadikam — takes an unexpected turn as troubles begin to pile up. The first one arrives in the form of Meera (Anaswara Rajan), a young woman who seeks refuge in the church after fleeing her home with her boyfriend Shanu (Vineeth Viswam). Seeing their desperation, Thomas agrees to shelter Meera until Shanu returns with his friend, who promised to help them get married. However, Shanu, who vowed to return within an hour, doesn’t come back even after half a day, leaving Meera stranded in Thomas’ room on the church premises. While Meera hides in fear of her father, Thomas is equally petrified, thinking about the consequences if he — a priest bound by a vow of celibacy — is spotted with a woman. To make matters worse, a thief (Arjun Ashokan) breaks into the church and stumbles upon them. And now, his silence comes at a price: Thomas and Meera must help him steal the church’s golden cross. What unfolds next forms the rest of the movie.

Although the film might remind some of director Boban Samuel’s Romans (2013), particularly due to its setting, Mahesh Madhu skilfully ensures that the resemblance ends there and delivers an engaging experience filled with both humour and intrigue. Samji M Antony, who penned Ennu Swantham Punyalan, and Mahesh also effectively provide a proper overview of Chilanthiyar and the key characters with just the right amount of storytelling. At the same time, the makers have also avoided making desperate attempts to force humour, which could have undermined the experience if the jokes failed to land. Instead, they rely on simple situational comedy, allowing the situations and humour to emerge organically from the narrative. Even when the narrative picks up pace, Ennu Swantham Punyalan maintains its tone, keeping everything as light as possible. Throughout the film, the director handles each scene with care, avoiding overwhelming the audience with excessive details or cluttered visuals that could detract from the viewing experience. By keeping things simple and focused, he ensures the film remains an enjoyable and breezy watch.

Watch Ennu Swantham Punyalan trailer here:

However, Ennu Swantham Punyalan’s biggest flaw is its lack of jokes. While the film offers enough light-hearted moments that keep it from becoming dull, it rarely delivers genuine LOL moments. Even as the narrative becomes more gripping and attempts to evoke small laughs, the absence of good jokes remains a notable shortcoming — one that is only partially compensated by the lead actors’ performances. Hence, it is doubtful if the film would hold the same appeal when watched at home, where one can easily pause or switch to something else.

Despite being set in a fascinating location, with a major part of the story unravelling in an ancient church surrounded by myths, Ennu Swantham Punyalan fails to fully utilise this setting, limiting the narrative to its three main characters. Although we see a couple of villagers here and there occasionally, the film misses the chance to explore the locality, the people and their cultural ethos, which could have greatly enhanced the story. Though the church is introduced as a place steeped in unique customs that connect the local Christian and Muslim communities, these elements are touched upon only superficially and unfortunately, Samji and Mahesh never fully develop these aspects into something as compelling as they sound. Moreover, aside from Meera, none of the characters possess real depth and even she is only fully fleshed out toward the film’s end. Until then, the characters merely react to situations without many layers, making it hard for them to leave a lasting impact and these flaws all contribute to leaving Ennu Swantham Punyalan a middling affair, cinematically speaking.

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Interestingly, Anaswara manages to make up for her underwhelming performance in Rekhachithram the very next day itself with an impressive portrayal in Ennu Swantham Punyalan. She is an absolute delight to watch here, especially in humorous moments where her expressions and body language alone effortlessly evoke laughter. At the same time, she also displays remarkable control over her character, convincingly conveying Meera’s emotional turmoil. Anaswara excels in the action sequences as well, showcasing her physical agility and further proving herself to be a powerful talent in Malayalam cinema.

Balu Varghese, meanwhile, excels in capturing Fr Thomas’ helplessness and cluelessness, making the audience feel the same suffocating pressure he endures. While he is widely known for his comedic talent, his portrayal of Fr Thomas proves that he is equally capable of delivering more. Although his character carries too much eccentricity — similar to his iconic Sinu Solomon in Romancham — and hence the freedom to go over the top, Arjun Ashokan maintains control and delivers a commendable performance.

Sam CS’s music stands out as the most impactful element on Ennu Swantham Punyalan’s technical front, skilfully enhancing even seemingly mundane or less impactful moments. Renadive’s cinematography, Aneez Nadodi’s production design, Appu Marayi’s art direction and Dhanya Balakrishnan’s costume design also deserve recognition for their excellent work in effectively capturing and conveying the film’s atmosphere.

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Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie cast: Anaswara Rajan, Arjun Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Renji Panicker, Althaf Salim, Baiju Santhosh
Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie director: Mahesh Madhu
Ennu Swantham Punyalan movie rating: 2.5 stars

Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at anandu.suresh@indianexpress.com. ... Read More

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