Penguin - Movie Review

Watching debutante Eashvar Karthic’s, ‘Penguin’, instantly reminded me of Mysskin’s ode to Alfred Hitchcock – ‘Psycho’ (Tamil – 2020). While the plot and setting of this amazon release are different, there are quite a few similarities in the craft and subtexts, especially the handling of the gore. Also, it has a raw weirdness seen in movies by ‘off-beat’ directors, such as Mysskin. Named after a character from a kid’s story book, Penguin, headlined by a spectacular Keerthy Suresh, is a thriller about a mother’s unshaken resolve to find her missing son.

Like ‘Psycho’, Penguin is set in an eerie, misted-by-fog area (its’ Kodaikanal), has a recurring Christian cross and multiple references to Mother Mary, a not-so-subtle subtext of primal mother, under whose shadows we see an equally determined mother, Rhythm (Keerthy Suresh), looking for her lost son, Ajay (Master Advaith). Rhythm and Raghu (Lingaa) are a married couple living in a sprawling house in Kodai with their 2-year old son, Ajay, and a Labrador, Cyrus. Their child goes missing and years later, while Rhythm is pregnant again, the poor boy is found in the dark forests that hold the secret behind his disappearance and possibly, his captor. The rest of the story is how Rhythm tries to stitch the pieces together to unravel the mystery.

Penguin has a promising start, with the brilliant camerawork by Karthik Phalani, that captures the hills and valleys in misted hues of blue and grey, which add to the thrill. The makers use their shots to also convey their protagonist’s frame of mind – convoluted top shots and a reversing waterfall as Rhthym drives through winding roads, as she regresses to her past. This is complemented by the music of Santhosh Narayanan, which does not merely create cheap-thrills, but provides a rather complementing background score. Again, I invoke ‘off-beat’ Mysskinism here – when Rhythm and Raghu spot shoes and clothes of (presumably) their son, the music is not sad or emotional. On the contrary, it is positive (almost celebratory) with accordions playing away. This signals that though we may be staring at an impending doom visually, but there may be more than what meets the eye. Also, some details are well thought of – Ajay’s nomadic mental & physical state upon returning from captivity and Rhythm’s presence of mind in most challenging situations.

Technically, Penguin has a lot of strengths and deserves a pat for achieving these through mostly newcomers and novices. However, it falters in its writing and casting (barring its protagonist). The writer-director Eashvar Karthic chooses a formulaic ‘vengeful mother’ theme, which we have seen umpteen times, most recently in Sridevi’s Mom (2017). Though he sets out promisingly, he meanders into unnecessary tropes for thrills and gives us a contrived climax. While he jumps back and forth seamlessly in time, he does not develop characters well enough for us to relate to them in the unexpected (and disappointing) climax. In fact, the Labrador – Cyrus, gets better arc and space in the narrative than Rhythm’s husband. Speaking of characters – the casting is the other let down here. Except for Keerthy Suresh, who literally carries the film on her able shoulders, the supporting cast are one-tone and perform badly at their already poorly-written roles. Also, the screenplay has some loopholes such as Rhythm’s recurring dream, which remains unexplained.

Right from the posters and promos it was evident that Keerthy Suresh will do all the heavy lifting. And boy, she does it so well! She is convincing as a mother with unflinching conviction to find her son and does not lose steam for one bit. It’s so good to see her utilise her potential and makes me wonder why does she choose abysmal and inconsequential roles like Nila in Vijay’s Sarkar (2018). As Rhythm, she is not a superhero and is aware of her fallacies. It is her convincing portrayal that makes Penguin a decent watch.

Penguin had a lot of potential, but the convoluted second half culminating in an unconvincing climax, leaves you unsatisfied. It’s got enough thrills and gore, suitable for a mature OTT audience. Add a terrific Keerthy Suresh and you should be able to sit through.

My Rating – 2.5/5