Another woman-centric movie after Ponmagal Vandhal gets a digital premiere on Amazon Prime.
With Keerthy Suresh playing the pivotal role, Penguin is a thriller that captures a pregnant mother’s search for her son and the traumatic journey she undergoes. The whole story unfolds in Kodaikanal.
Directed by debutant filmmaker Eshavar Karthic, the movie begins as a thriller with eerie moments with what-will-happen-next curiosity. First half provides moments to engage, but a flat latter part end up with a cliched revenge drama.
Penguin is about Rhythm (Keerthy Suresh) who lives a happy life with her husband and child Ajay. One fine day, the child goes missing. The parents begin their frantic search with the help of local police.
Problems crop up between couple and they estrange. Rhythm is now married to Gautham (Madhampatty Rangaraj). She gets pregnant. But never gives up her hope to get her first child back. She one fine day finds Ajay in forest and brings him home only to see changes in him.
A man dressed as Charlie Chaplin appears now and then in pursuit of Ajay. The rest is all but how Rhythm unmasks the masked man.
It is Keerthy’s show all the way. She is at it giving her best. Anger, agony, emotion, frustration all have been brought out well. It is indeed a complex role of a pregnant woman encountering eerie moments in the pursuit of her missing son. She seems to have pulled it off well. Advaith as Ajay is good. And the rest of the cast have little to do to leave an impact.
A thriller like Ratchasan or Psycho that hit screens recently had less emotional drama but a strong villain. Penguin seems to have lacked the punch. The justification by the villain for all evil acts in climax sounds artificial. Also a few things go unexplained as to why police could not trace a culprit for years when a small dog manages.
Due credits to Kharthik Phalai whose lens has captured Kodaikanal at its utmost beauty complimented by Santosh Narayanan’s music. More blood and detailed description of children being killed could have been done away with. The movie is neither a thriller not a revenge drama. Watch it for Keerthy’s good show.