Pathram
Director: Joshy
Cast : Suresh Gopi, Manju Warrier
Music :
Press freedom is the guard of the human rights and social development where all the bureaucratic
set up fails to bring justice and harmony in the society and human wellbeing is in danger of the manipulated hands. Director
Joshy could effectively and convincingly present the press freedom and its rights through his thriller, Pathram though it
has indirectly criticised major news papers of Kerala with a socialist thinking pattern. With the help of an integrated story
the movie goes beyond the normal expectations of the audience, where movie considered as only entertainment.
The story is about a local news paper and its chief editor, Sekharan (Murali) who has very strong
revolutionary background, is trying to bring out the wretchedness of a don, Viswanathan (N F Varghese). In this tiresome effort
the chief editor and a police officer, Prakash ( Shammi Thilakan) are trapped by the Viswanathan’s ‘Gunds’ and being killed. Sekharan’s daughter, Devu, Journalist (Manju Varyar) and the
emergence of an another brilliant Journalist celebrity, Nandhagopal (Suresh Gopi) who is the son of Chief editor’s comrade
with the same spirit of the late chief editor and was working as an associated editor for another wide circulated news paper,
took the pledge to bring out the underground manipulations of the wicked businessman, Viswanathan and his unfair relations
with insincere police officers. Nandhagopal’s duty bond to protect press
freedom and his lover who is the daughter of the Shekaran, achieved its aim through the help of a sincere police officer,
Firosh ( Biju Menon) and a press photographer, Nidhin but he has to pay a lot for that. The story is developed with enough
twist through out the movie.
Supreh Gopi with his punchy and powerful dialogs as in Commissioner is very successful. Murali
with his depth personality as chief editor and Manju with her spontaneity as his daughter are fit for the characters. Manju
Warryar bagged State’ Best Actress Award in 1998. Late N. F. Varghese as Viswanathan shifted his “soft-character”
robs to a villain in his carrier. Bijumenon as police officer one again proved that he is suitable for action roles.
Though there are no songs scenes and panorama scenes, the background music keep the tempo of a
Bollywood thriller and captures the whole attention of the audience. A thriller with all its vigour, logic and very breed
of insights is worth seeing.
