Perusu - Laid to Rest, Almost!

Perusu

Tamil - Comedy

125 min

Netflix

I had briefly read about Tentigo (a Sinhala movie) which gained quite a bit of attention at film festivals in 2023/24. Perusu is the Tamil remake of the same, written and directed by Ilango Ramanathan, who also helmed the original.

The plot is very straightforward, and we’re thrown right into the thick of it. An elderly man, “Perusu,” passes away one fine morning. He is survived by two sons — Samikannu (Sunil) and Duraikannu (Vaibhav), (they are brothers in real life as well). The trouble is, a rather woody situation visibly arises with the mortal remains. 

Perusu was a much-loved figure in the village, and naturally, everyone wants to come pay their respects. Realizing the potential embarrassment, the brothers (along with their family) work hard to keep this firm secret under wraps.

That, in essence, is the absurd one-liner plot of the film. If you’ve watched director Nelson’s films, you will instantly recognize much of the cast. Sunil, as the mellow, calm, “good boy” elder son, is excellent (we have never witness this side of him!). Vaibhav, playing the younger, drunken wastrel, is terrific. The supporting cast mostly have walk-on roles and are serviceable.

The writing and dialogue are sharp — there is plenty of clever wordplay and you need to pay attention to the references. That said, there are only so many ways to keep the premise erect. Eventually, the gags (and the thesaurus) start to run out of steam. The ending is fairly predictable.

Honestly, with a little snip-snip and 15–20 minutes shaved off the runtime, this could have been a laugh riot. While I was critical a few weeks ago about how the violence in Marco slipped past the Censor Board, I actually appreciate their willingness to allow a premise like this through.

If you’re looking for a no-brainer, goofball ensemble comedy, this is a decent one-time watch.