A movie that talks about father-daughter relationship is not new to Tamil cinema. But what makes Peranbu special is that ‘extra love’ (as the title suggests) and the intense relationship parameters explained by the film’s director Ram in his very own style.
The one-liner of the movie is how a father battles with the social and emotional problems of his daughter who was born a spastic.
Actor Mammootty plays the father while baby Sadhana of Thanga Meenkal-fame is his daughter. Actress Anjali plays a prominent cameo in the film. As the story revolves around the father and daughter, the director has lined up a number of social issues, perceptions, social taboos and more.
Expectations were high among movie buffs / critics as the director had already presented a successful father-daughter sentiment movie, Thanga Meenkal, that won several awards. However, Ram succeeded in narrating an entirely different plot under the same theme with deep emotions.
The first half of the movie is entirely set in Kodaikanal. Mammootty who works in a foreign country for his living, returns to his native place. He then learns that his wife, tired of taking care of their spastic child and careless husband, had left them to lead another life. Left out as a single father, Mammootty’s family and flat members pressurise him to give up on his child.
Not wanting to abandon ‘Paapa’ (the character’s name) and to earn some love from her, Mammootty takes her to an interior place in Kodaikanal. The cinematography has been worked out very well by Theni Easwar in the first half of the movie with the picturesque shots.
At a point, a real estate group in the locality asks them to vacate the place for commercial purpose. Here comes actress Anjali and there is a twist in the plot here. She works as caretaker and then Mammootty marries for a second time. At that point, he finds that Anjali had cheated him and actually belongs to the real estate group. Besides, the child faces teenage issues and it eventually rises as there was lack of communication and social life in the place where they lived.
For various reasons, the father and daughter come to Chennai. Left without a job, place to stay and a special child to take care of, Mammootty faces a lot of struggles. How he tries to understand his daughter’s emotional needs and how he supports her forms the rest of the story.
Known for his in-depth narration, Ram’s stamp can be spotted throughout the movie. The bold representation of social taboos is laudable.
Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background music can be said to be a pillar of support for the movie. In fact, the entire movie travels with the support of emotional BGM. Songs were also set out according to the mood. On the whole, one can get a totally different perception about raising a special child and the inexplicable calmness in them after watching Peranbu.