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| Pakida |
Story: Pakida is about how an unexpected accident forces a youth to accompany a stranger.
Far from his boisterous happy-go-lucky outings, Biju Menon's economy of action and words stand out in Pakida where he appears as a man with a limp. There is plenty of grey in the thick, trimmed sprouts of hair on his face and head. His utterances are brief, never going beyond three lines at a time.
The vocals are pitched at consistently low-decibels, his deep-throated timbre giving an audible articulation. He smiles rarely, even when he does, it's not an open-mouthed one. The lips are parted slightly, suggestive of a smile. While playing a character named George Koshy Anthrapper, Biju Menon taps his reserves judiciously.
In a film that deals with the theme of a mysterious stranger triggering eventful sequences in the life of an impul
sive youth, Biju Menon stands out as he does often. Pakida is a rather jumbled assortment of revenge and mystery and is mostly salvaged by the presence of Menon.
A group of jobless youths, constantly pestered by their parents, face a crisis and aid is to be sought from a man they had never met before. Aadi, played by Asif Ali, takes up the challenge and together they go on a trip, the motives of which are completely unknown to Aadi.
The script, which offers promising plot, suffers from the lack of consistency. There is a dearth of sharp, swift-paced sequences that generally define a thriller. The director makes up for the cardinal deficiency by staging slow-motioned action sequences comprising men and vehicles.
Even the initial good-natured vibe that builds up the theme reeks of familiarity. The sister will continue to tease his brother and the lover of the hero remains irreparably nagging as though all girls are invariably meant to nag their sweethearts. Asif Ali is his usual self playing a carefree youth who is irritated by his chiding parents.
Towards the end, Pakida reminds strongly of the boisterous, action-stuffed Tamil mould, digressing uncontrollably from its measured beginning to a wayward ending. The film also makes use of some explicit verbal content which characterize the life of bratty youths, a ploy that could well have been tempered down even if it gels with the nature of the film.