Genre: Drama | Family | Romance
Directed by: Sathyan Anthikkad
Movie Cast: Nedumudi Venu, Namitha Pramod, Nivin Pauly, Mallika


Cruel are the waves of insecurity that incessantly lash against an artist's mind; if their creations be an indication of their inner feelings, then Puthiya Theerangal (New Shores), a story of an orphan girl living alone who finds a father figure in an absolute stranger, is a revelation of hidden fear and fond mad hope for new beginnings.

Taken out to sea as a little girl in country fishing boats, Thamara (Namita Pramod) grows up to be a seafaring fisherwoman. A trio of young male friends keeps her ever-happy with their caring, humour and playfulness. One sunny day, they rescue KP (Nedumudi Venu), a suicide case.

It may at first seem implausible that a mature young woman of morals would throw open the doors of her home to an old man of whom nothing is known.

But the urge of a woman for paternal love can be boundless, the extent of which is demonstrated in her stoic silence following his squandering of what is probably her life savings. For, this stranger saved from the very wrathful sea that brought death to her father she senses as a divine gift.

A host of funny characters from a toothless, dancing woman with a sharp tongue to an incredibly lazy fellow who dresses up finely in the morning and jumps back into bed guarantee the occasional laughs. But the bag of gags is a mix of ticklers and duds.

Nedumudi Venu, in a stereotypical role done over a zillion times, probably performed his assignments in single takes. Namita has a great dawn before her, but, beside her higher school notes, has much to learn.

The editing is fluid: the image of a man walking unhurriedly with his rear to the camera is immediately followed by that of another running towards the camera announcing the former's presumed demise.
And the sceneries are postcard; good camerawork, however, requires much more than just striking visual appeal.

Soothing too is Ilayaraja's music, but it won't send you into raptures such as in olden days. That Thamara's initiation in the fishing boats results from a single father's fear of leaving his preteen daughter on the shores subtly suggests, quite at the opening, the director's obsession with precaution.

Packing the technical unit with his regular collaborators, utilising the reliable Nedumudi Venu and Innocent, and borrowing a successful thread from his previous film, Sathyan Anthikad conservatively reinvents himself by pairing a couple of popular youth in the lead; and stays afloat.


puthiya theerangal more movie stills:click here


Keywords:Genre Drama , Family ,Romance,Sathyan Anthikkad,Nedumudi Venu, Namitha Pramod, Nivin Pauly, Mallika,camerawork,Ilayaraja's music,malayalam film news,puthiya theerangal movie review