Painkili movie review: Sajin Gopu, Anaswara Rajan-starrer is a disastrous caricature comedy

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Suku Sujithkumar (Sajin Gopu) makes a living running a local shop. A happy-go-lucky man with a penchant for all things painkili (clichés), his personality is reflected in his Facebook username, Suku Vezhambal (Great Hornbill), and his cringe-worthy writings in his social media group. He spends most of his time with his neighborhood friends Kunjayi (Chandu Salimkumar) and Paachan (Roshan Shanavas). However, Suku’s life takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself caught in an incident with serious legal consequences. To avoid getting convicted, he pretends to have mental health problems, hoping to take advantage of the legal exemptions granted to people under Section 84 of the IPC and Section 22 of the BNS.

But things take a more chaotic turn when Sheeba, in yet another attempt to elope, crosses paths with Suku and tags along with him uninvited — dragging him into even deeper trouble. As the situation spirals, Suku not only struggles to deal with the mess but also finds himself developing feelings for her.

Watch Sajin Gopu and Anaswara Rajan’s Painkili trailer here:

While the film sets its tone at the start itself with exaggerated moments and caricaturish characters, director Sreejith Babu’s handling of Jithu’s story stumbles early on. Although Jithu previously showed a knack for crafting humour even in ordinary situations by amplifying the moments through keen observations of his stories and characters’ behaviour, that sharp attention to detail is entirely missing in Painkili. Instead, the characters and situations feel as though they have been inserted into preset jokes rather than emerging organically.

Compared to his previous works, Jithu has opted for a more over-the-top, hyperbolic style of humour and it’s evident throughout. However, Sreejith’s handling of the story suggests that the writing may have been too ambitious for its own good as the director appears to have completely missed this point, instead shaping the film with the visual tone and aesthetics typical of slapstick and situational comedies, where overt exaggeration isn’t always necessary. Because of the restrained execution of moments that should have felt absurd and heightened, much of the film comes across as artificial, lacking the natural spontaneity that could have made the comedy work more effectively.

In several instances, the one-liners and jokes that were clearly intended to work in an over-the-top manner have instead been delivered in a more subdued, casual tone. Remember the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Oru Yamandan Premakadha (2019), written by Bibin George and Vishnu Unnikrishnan, which felt as though it was pieced together from the remnants of their previous film Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan (2016)? In many places, Oru Yamandan Premakadha seemed to recycle the same comedic style and even jokes from the 2016 movie. A similar issue plagues Painkili. The film struggles under Jithu’s excessive reliance on observational comedy rooted in characters’ personalities and surroundings — something that worked brilliantly in Romancham and Aavesham, but clearly falls flat here. One of the key reasons for this is the lack of depth in its characters, who all feel superficial and underdeveloped.

Not just the characters individually, but even their equations and chemistry come across as contrived — and so do the incidents meant to drive the narrative forward. A prime example is how Sheeba and Suku’s paths cross, which feels overly convenient and built on a stale plot device, and the same can be said about the ‘one-sided love’ of his neighbour Suma (Jisma) towards Suku.

Also, although the film shows Suku’s life taking a turn after he attacked the man who stole his bike, resulting in the latter’s “murder”, this crucial event is inexplicably forgotten soon. Though Paachan later discovers that the police have closed the case as a hit-and-run, the film never revisits it, despite the significant role it played in shifting the story’s course — further highlighting the flimsy nature of the writing. At the same time, the characters themselves lack consistency and, rather than possessing individualistic personalities, they simply adapt to whatever the story requires at a given moment, feeling more like pawns manipulated by the writer than fully fleshed-out individuals.

The Sajin Gopu and Anaswara Rajan-starrer Painkili marks actor Sreejith Babu’s directorial debut. (Credit: Instagram/@bhavanastudios)

Despite its flaws, the film remains watchable largely due to Sajin Gopu’s performance. He adapts to his role with remarkable fluidity, seamlessly molding himself to fit every situation. Though his efforts are occasionally hindered by weak characterisation and writing, he compensates with a crisp portrayal, completely shedding any resemblance to his previous roles — be it the iconic Ambaan in Aavesham, Niroop in Romancham, Saji Vypin in Jan.E.Man or the foul-mouthed jeep driver in Churuli. His uninhibited, all-out performance in the climax is particularly commendable, though the scene in itself is problematic for its blatant mockery of mental health problems.

Anaswara Rajan also does her best with Sheeba, though the role lacks depth, and delivers an impressive performance in moments requiring restraint. However, she struggles in some of the more exaggerated sequences. Meanwhile, Roshan Shanavas shines as Paachan, effortlessly eliciting humour through subtle glances, body language and dialogue delivery. Jisma also impresses, while Chandu Salimkumar’s performance, unfortunately, is hard to sit through.

Although the film attempts to reimagine actors Abu Salim and Riyaz Khan — both usually typecast as goons or villains — by placing them in comedic roles, the artificiality in their characters and dialogues leave their performances difficult to watch. The same issue extends to director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s portrayal of the ex-rowdy.

While Justin Varghese’s songs are impressive, the same cannot be said about the background score, which often feels overly loud. Arjun Sethu’s cinematography and Kiran Das’ editing stand out, especially in the “Heart Attack” song and the climax sequence. Meanwhile, Vishnu Govind’s audiography deserves special mention for the way it has intricately built the world of Painkili through sound.

Painkili movie cast: Sajin Gopu, Anaswara Rajan, Jisma Vimal, Roshan Shanavas, Chandu Salimkumar
Painkili movie director: Sreejith Babu
Painkili movie rating: 1.5 stars