Prakashan Parakkatte review: Dhyan Sreenivasan pens a touching, delightful, and optimistic coming-of-age tale

3.5/5

Story:

Das ‘Daasan’ Prakashan (Mathew Thomas) is a young man with a lot of dreams, who puts little effort into making them into reality. From bunking classes and touring the town with his best friend, to chasing after the girl of his dreams, Daasan never shies away from giving into his whims. His carefree outlook is a cause of worry for his mother, Latha (Nisha Sarang), and his father Prakashan (Dileesh Pothan), although the latter rarely lets it show. Will Daasan’s big dreams finally get off the ground or will his ‘devil may care’ attitude clip his wings?

Prakashan Parakkatte is, at its heart, a coming-of-age tale of a young man named Das ‘Daasan’ Prakashan, who has hopes and dreams that seem way beyond his reach. But as the film progresses, writer Dhyan Sreenivasan peels back the layers of the young man’s life in such an affecting way, that the story becomes so much more than just Daasan’s singular story.

Daasan seems to be the perfect reflection of the phase in one’s youth almost every single person has gone through. He has big dreams, but very little motivation to achieve them, and most of his pursuits are limited to bunking classes and hanging out with his equally frolicsome best friend, Anwar. Daasan is also blissfully unaware of the effect his ‘devil may care’ attitude has on his family. Although his mother Latha makes her displeasure known from time to time, Daasan’s father Prakashan rarely has a word of rebuke for his son. Latha is stern when it comes to Daasan, but softens when dealing with her youngest son, Akhil (Ritunjay Sreejith). Prakashan reserves his annoyance for his brother-in-law, Latha’s brother Kuttan (Saiju Kurup), the latter always finding himself in the line of fire due to his own unruly behaviour.

Dhyan’s script gives more than enough room for a beautiful interplay of the different shades of family dynamics, depicted in a down-to-earth and authentic way as Daasan’s family interact with each other. The writer made sure to fully flesh out his characters and make them as layered as possible, and these layers are also vividly displayed as the film progresses. Daasan, Prakashan and Latha’s characters in particular stand out for how painfully real and authentic they are. Like in many families, Daasan and his parents are poles apart. The former always has his head in the clouds with deep longings that have no solid ground to stand on. Latha and Prakashan on the other hand, have their feet firmly planted, partly due to having the full weight of their responsibilities thrust upon them. The trio have wonderful chemistry with each other that comes out in every interaction they have, which are the perfect blend of humour and emotion. Saiju Kurup as the ‘no good’ brother-in-law also nails his part as the comic relief. Young Ritunjay also makes a stellar debut as Daasan’s bright little brother.

The characters are depicted as their own people rather than mere pawns to move the story forward. We see them make avoidable mistakes, face easily avoidable adversities, be immature and act unreasonable. This authenticity also remains consistent throughout the story. Although Dhyan tries to put an optimistic spin at times, there are few attempts made to sugarcoat things. As in real life, there are no moments where the protagonist develops an enlightened moment of clarity and tries to turn their life around in an instant. Their character development is gradual, messy, leaves you wanting and above all else, is authentic to the core.

Verdict:

Prakashan Parakkatte is a story of family, love and the naivety of youth, beautifully written and carried by stellar performances. Well fleshed out characters and the authenticity of its narrative make the family drama a memorable watch.