PimpinAinttEasy Dear Salim Ahmed, I commend you for making a movie on the first illegal Malayali immigrants to the Gulf nations. It is such an interesting topic - from a cinematic point of view, the possibilities are endless. Somehow, this is a topic which Malayali filmmakers have often ignored. Sure there have been social satires like Visa, Akkare, Diamond Necklace and Arabi Katha. And comedy films like Nadodi Kattu and Madhura Naaranga.But here was a chance to make that one film that revealed all the suffering. And disappointment. A film about the prevalent social conditions that forced Malayali youth to jump onto an illegal ship. Live like animals on it. And then jump off it to swim to the Arab nations. Only to work like slaves in a hostile nation. Interacting with people from many other nations. So that they could send money back home. To relatives who did not care about them.I was damn interested when I heard about your movie, Ahmed. I said to myself, this could be that one Gulf Malayali movie to beat all the earlier ones. The one that really nails it. I missed it in the theatres, but I finally got to watch it yesterday on DVD. And I can safely say ..... this is not that movie.I mean, what the hell were you thinking man? The film starts off like a lot of other recent Malayalam movies where a narrator (who sounds like a news reader) hits us on the head with the social context of the film. And then you played that awful modern dance song during the titles. Wtf? The narration switches between the past and the present. The film is silent about the social conditions that forced Malayali youth to runaway to the Gulf nations. You have the usual trite scenes of poverty and unemployment.The scenes on the ship were mildly interesting but in the end they were marred by uninspired acting coupled with unimaginative writing. I mean, here were a bunch of young men on an adventure. There were so many interesting possibilities. But you just chose the dullest among them.Things don't really improve once the action shifts to the Gulf nation in which our protagonist Pallikkal Narayanan (played by Mamooty who sleepwalks through his role) works. How did he interact with his environment? Whom did he meet? The scenes are confined to the room in which he lives with other immigrants. It seemed like you were trying desperately to foreground the sacrifices of the protagonist.What could have been a great social adventure drama ends up as a weepy. How is this different from Vathsalyam? Best Regards, Pimpin.(5/10)

Cinish Narayanan "Pathemari" is a very studied thorough effort to portray the lives of those keralite men who leave their families away and move to the middle east to work and save their brethren from the clutches of poverty. Presented against thorough research with consistent content throughout the movie, it was a very satisfying movie watching experience.The movie starts with a fable like depiction of how Dubai came up followed by it's city sights. The movie then makes nice smooth transitions in time between past and present, telling the story of Narayanankutty ( played by Mammootty ) who, motivated by the abject poverty at home, takes the challenging and long journey across the seas on the pathemari( big boat) to find work in the middle east. The movie details out the specifics of the challenges of the journey, making some insincere attempts at using special effects to depict the sea storms which was probably the only thing that did not fall in place in the movie.Thereafter, the movie portrays how he wants to push the family out of poverty and get back home himself as soon as he can and how his family continues to push in more and more demands on him and he is essentially forced into fifty years of gulf life. The subtle family situations that he gets put into have been chosen out of real experiences of many many such gulf malayalees through all the detailed research that has clearly gone into making the movie.I would contend that each and every situation in the movie has been drawn out of real life, unaltered from multiple real people. There needs to be some conscious thought to understand someone who you do not see everyday. This movie is to push those thoughts into the minds of people who are not making the heart for them.Mammooty has acted really well and becomes Narayanankutty. His subtle acting stands out beautifully. Narayanankutty has almost found a place in my memories now. I really hope that this movie serves as an eye-opener and allows at-least a few 'Narayanankutty's a fairer go at life.The review would be incomplete without the mention of the songs penned by 'Rafeeq Ahammed' and music directed by 'Bijibal'. The lyrics capture the pain of the story so nicely that it can serve as a concentrate for the script. The music does great justice to the movie and adds another feather to my rising respect for Bijibal.

Afsal Hussain (afsalthodupuzha) When half a dozen of national award winners meet,one will not expect anything short of a memorable experience and Pathemari is nevertheless a truly remarkable piece of film-making that brims with grandeur from acting,directorial and technical brilliance.Undoubtedly among the best films to come out this year,Pathemari is a heartfelt tribute to all those expatriates who struggled & is struggling hard for their loved ones without expecting anything in return.Director Salim Ahammed solidifies his position in Malayalam Cinema with yet another striking movie after critically acclaimed Adaminte Makan Abu & Kunjananthante Kada.There's something masked behind the Yardley perfumes and colorfully covered chocolates that we correlate with a gulf returnee and Pathemari throws light on those numerous souls who had strong belief that the most important achievement in ones life is the betterment of his loved ones rather than his personal well-being-A hearty tribute in all means! For someone like me who has dealt with and known people like Pallikkal Narayanan in person,Pathemari gave a feeling as if I'm a part of the narration with a major share of hard-hitting dialogs and situations experienced before or heard of.The climax portions were simply outstanding and Mammookka nailed it with his brilliant act that made it difficult to control tears rolling down the cheeks.If someone ask me the most touching movie of 2015 I watched from theaters ,my immediate answer will be Pathemari.Period.Hats off to our pride Mammookka for the touching portrayal of Pallikkal Narayanan who reminded me of few I know in person.Megastar enacted various transformations in the life of protagonist excellently with necessary variations and perfection.A class apart you are,Mammookka <3 Siddique and Sreenivasan were impressive in their respective roles as Launch Velayudhan and Moideen respectively.Jewel Mary made her debut performance memorable.Saleem Kumar,Joy Mathew,Santhosh Keezhattoor etc come in supporting roles and did their part well.Music & score by BijiBal was soulful and calls for repeated hearing.The title song in Shahabaz Aman's vocals was the best part of the album and blessed with thoughtful lyrics by Rafeeque Ahammed.Oscar winner Rasool Pookkutty did his best part with sound design.This review ill be incomplete if I left out veteran Madhu Ambaat who captured the visuals brilliantly.Another name to be noted is of Pattanam Rasheed who did a commendable job in the makeup department producing convincing make-ups for various transformations of Narayanan.Overall,Pathemari is a must watch film for all those who love good films that reflects life as it is.Watchout for the climax which is sure to bring tears to your eyes !

VisHnu S Fantastic movie from great director Salim Ahemed And Great actor MAMMOOTTY A best Class movie from Malayalam Pathemari is an interesting watch that tells you an already familiar story, but in a way that makes you sit up and realize that more often than not, the life of those we know living in the Middle East is not that cozy and comfortable as we often assume it to be. Or at least it was not for those who moved there before it became the buzzing urban centre it is today. A tribute to the hordes of Malayalis who leave home to go work in the Middle East to bring a better life to their families, Pathemari narrates the story of Narayanan (Mammootty) who travels to Dubai as a teenager and spends a major part of his life away from his parents, siblings, wife and children.As far as the narration goes, the film takes you through familiar territory, like what we have seen in films like Arabikkatha, but let's just say that Pathemari is highly laced with empathy. At the end of the film, you can't help feel empathetic about the suffering and chronic homesickness that every Gulf Malayali or any expatriate would be going through for that matter.Mammootty, as Narayanan, has delivered an impressive performance. You would really feel for this character who is caught between his own wishes and the needs of his family. Jewel Mary, as Narayanan's wife, has given a subtle yet strong touch to her character. One performance to watch out for is Siddique, who, despite very little screen time, has the most powerful lines and moments in the film.The director, Salim Ahamed, has narrated this story with a pace and style that is now familiar to us through his last two films Adaminte Makan Abu and Kunjanandante Kada. To note are some one-liners that subtly pass through the scene, but says more than entire scenes put together. Madhu Ambat's camera holds you down from the opening shot. The opening credits of the film show you Dubai in a way you've probably never seen the Emirate before. Resul Pookutty's sound shows through, especially the portions where the sea is involved. Bijibal's score is beautiful and unobtrusive. It serves as the right backing for the manner in which the story has been told. Vijay Shankar's editing is seamless as it takes you to and fro from Kerala in the 60s and forward to the present day.