Pada tells the tale of a group of people who revolts against a law passed in the parliament that affects tribals greatly. The film is written and directed by Kamal KM. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, Vinayakan, Joju George, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Prakash Raj, Jagadeesh, Indrans, Salim Kumar, Unnimaya Prasad, Kani Kusruthi, Sudheer Karamana, Shine Tom Chacko, TG Ravi, Sajitha Madathil, Ramesh Kottayam and others in pivotal roles.
Premise of Pada
The Kerala Legislative Assembly passes a law that is unfavourable for the Adivasis of Palakkad. In light of this, a group of four activists, who call themselves the Ayyankali Pada, decide to revolt against the law. Rakesh Kanhangad (Kunchacko Boban), Aravindan Mannur (Joju George), Bapu Kallaar (Vinayakan) and Narayanankutty (Dileesh Pothan) barge into the District Collector Ajay Shripad Dange’s (Arjun Radhakrishnan) office and take him captive. What exactly does the Ayyankali Pada demand? Will the police execute a strategic operation and eliminate them? How will things end up?
Pada Has A Solid Script At Hand
The writing is top-notch with extremely natural dialogues and a tightly packed screenplay. The dialogues are powerful but don’t go to an extent where they force the viewers to believe in the ideology. The fast-paced script stays to the point and doesn’t add extra masala to make the film a commercial product. This makes Pada a real winner.
The film does not explore a few characters’ personal arcs because it sticks to its plot. The lack of character development in a way helps the film become a brisk watch. The director has incorporated the real life incidents really well. This makes Pada a fierce, thrilling and intense watch, that not just thrills you, but also makes you think about the sorry state of the Adivasis that is still prevailing in several parts of our country.
Making of Pada
Kamal KM as a director has flourished a lot with Pada. The film is an excellent piece of filmmaking. The recreation of a real-life incident by being very true to the actual incident was a good call. You are constantly intrigued by what’s to come. The vision Kamal had for the film is evident in the final product and several creative choices made. Right from the casting to the inclusion of real-life news footage, Kamal’s creative choices for making the film a powerful and authentic piece of cinema is highly commendable.
Acting Performances You Should Look Out For
Kunchacko Boban, Joju George, Dileesh Pothan and Vinayakan as the Ayyankali Pada members were great in their roles. They had a sense of revenge and fury in them, which was exactly what their characters needed.
Arjun Radhakrishnan as the collector puts forward a highly convincing performance. Unnimaya Prasad, Kani Kusruthi and Sajitha Madathil in their brief appearances do great as well. Prakash Raj, Jagadeesh, Indrans, Salim Kumar, Ramesh Kottayam, Sudheer Karamana, Shine Tom Chacko, TG Ravi and others, too, perform their roles with excellence.
Each of the cast members was absolutely brilliant with their acting, all thanks to Kamal’s spot-on direction, due to which he extracted exactly what was needed from each artist.
Technical Work
On the technical side, Sameer Thahir’s cinematography is just beautiful to watch. Several expansive shots of the forests, along with the constrained shots of the collector’s office and all the crowd and chaos around it, were superbly executed. Sameer’s cinematography was assisted by additional cinematography by Gireesh Gangadharan, Renadive, Suresh Ranjan, Vinod Illampally and Madhu Neelakandan. Editing by Shan Mohammad was crisp and slick, which gave the Pada its intriguing and thrilling feel. The background score by Vishnu Vijay was brilliantly composed and helped in elevating the emotions in each scene. The colour-grading, production designers, costume designers and the art department require a lot of credit for their valuable contributions as well.
Should You Watch Pada?
As a whole, Pada is a film that tells the tale of a revolt against the government that dared to bring about a few changes in the existing laws for Adivasis. Even though a lot of change hasn’t been brought about, it is this revolt and incident in the history of Kerala politics that initiated some change. The brilliant scripting and direction by Kamal KM, along with superb acting performances by the highly talented ensemble cast and spectacular technical work make Pada a visual experience you should not miss. The retelling of this prominent incident in Kerala history is something we all should witness and know more about. Pada is a film that brilliantly sheds light on this matter. Do not miss this experience.
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