'Palunku' means crystal. The life of Monichan, the farmer in a picturesque mountainous village in Kerala was transparent and beautiful like a crystal until he became seduced by the glamour of city life and a series of events follows that finally leaves the crystal shattered.
Like Kaazhcha and Tanmatra, Palunku also carries the stamp of Blessy's exceptional skills. His sensitive portrayal of the nuances of day to day life reminded me of Aravindan in his 'cheriya manushayrum valia lokavum' (a cartoon serial published in Mathrubhumi weekly in the sixties).
In his movies, Blessy has chosen themes that are tragic, but his main focus is on the strengths of innocence and simplicity and how 'education' that is associated with urban civilization, bureaucracy and the legal system only undermines these strengths. As such, his movies, although disturbing, are undoubtedly educative - they are able to point to some very basic facts and makes us question our values associated with urban notions of success and quality of living.
Blessy left me in awe with the way he has made the actors including a seven year old child live their roles. He is the only Malayalam director I have known who can make actors transform into their characters so completely that we tend to even forget who the actors are.
I don't want to see this movie again (it is powerful enough) but Blessy has consistently given me something to look forward to in life his next movie.
