Ponman - Grit and Gold

Ponman

Malayalam - Comedy / Drama

125 mins
JioHotstar

Steffi Graf (Lijo Mol Jose) is set to marry a shrimp farmer, Mariyano (Sajin Gopu). Her widowed mother and good-for-nothing brother, Terrance, are not well off and struggle to arrange the gold needed for the wedding. Terrance, a hot-headed party worker, has an altercation with a local church member, further complicating matters.

Enter Ajesh (Basil Joseph), a gold lender / wedding financier, who seems like just the man they need. He lends the family 25 sovereigns of gold, with the expectation that they either pay him back using the money received as wedding gifts or forfeit the equivalent amount of gold they cannot repay. 

Steffi’s family hopes that the local community, the church and the party will be generous with their gifts. However, Terrance’s actions have alienated them from both the church and the party, resulting in poor attendance at the wedding.

When Ajesh tallies the money, it barely covers for half the gold and he expects to take back the rest of the it as per his terms. Steffi leaves for Mariyano’s home. Determined to reclaim it, Ajesh follows her there, posing as her cousin, putting her—and her new family—in a sticky situation.

Mariyano is a powerful figure in his community, and he intends to hold onto the gold. With his own financial commitments, including a married sister to support and another ready for marriage, he is unwilling to part with it. This sets up a thrilling showdown between Mariyano’s dominance and Ajesh’s relentless pursuit.

The initial scenes unfold with dark humor, particularly around Ajesh’s introduction, before evolving into a situational drama centered around the struggle for the gold. Without passing judgment on its characters— who are only victims of their circumstances—the film beautifully weaves in themes of dowry, abuse and other social struggles.

Basil Joseph is absolutely phenomenal—easily the best performance of the year so far. He is uniformly brilliant throughout the movie, but his outburst in the lodge with Terrance, where he explains why the gold matters so much to him, is breathtaking. 

Sajin Gopu, the goofy sidekick role in Aavesham, transforms into an entirely different beast here, using his intimidating presence to great effect. Lijo Mol Jose (Jai Bhim) remains largely silent for the first 60% of the film but delivers some lovely moments towards the end, particularly in her scenes with Basil.

The cinematography beautifully captures the stunning locations, especially the waterways that serve as Mariyano’s home. Once again, though, I wish the casual alcoholism in the film was toned down.

With its unique premise, sharp execution, and an absolutely barnstorming performance by Basil Joseph, Ponman is worth your time.