Pavi Caretaker review: Malayalam actor Dileep’s previous outing this year in theatres, Thankamani, didn’t meet box office expectations. This time around he is back with Pavi Caretaker which is directed by Vineeth Kumar and produced by Dileep himself. Dileep plays the titular character of Pavi or Pavithran, the caretaker of a large apartment complex. (Also Read: Manjummel Boys OTT release: When and where to watch the Malayalam hit)
Pavi Caretaker’s story
Pavi, who came back after many years in the Gulf, has spent all his earnings on his family and is now forced to work as a caretaker to earn his living. He is a bachelor who takes his job quite seriously, strictly adhering to rules, and believes that he is the only one who can genuinely safeguard the people in the complex. But he is a bumbling caretaker who messes things up in the name of being principled, resulting in numerous comical acts.
Pavi is quite nosy and a loner and doesn’t show much interest in women. In fact, he ends up constantly fighting with the women he works with. But all this changes one day. His landlord, former SI Mariyamma (Radhika Sarathkumar), says he has a new roommate and presumes it’s a man until he’s shocked to learn it’s a woman. But Pavi works during the day and night, as a watchman, and he never sees her. They communicate only through letters and get to know each other over time. But she suddenly leaves one day due to an issue between them. What happens between Pavi and her and if they ever meet is what follows.
A throwback to Dileep’s comedies
Pavi Caretaker reminds one of the older slapstick comedies of Dileep which showcase him as a nice guy doing various funny antics. Director Vineeth Kumar tries to capitalise on the nostalgia factor to give the Malayalam actor’s fans a taste of the old Dileep. Unfortunately, the slapstick comedy seems highly exaggerated and not funny as such. There seem to be scenes repeated from his older films and even Hollywood comedies. The comical scenes don’t flow smoothly in the story and pop up at regular pre-planned intervals not really evoking laughs.
The romantic and emotional tack between Pavi and the mystery woman is also not impactful. In fact, it’s a diluted version of the Hindi film The Lunchbox and Hollywood romance You’ve Got Mail. Writer Rajesh Raghavan has been unable to craft a story that is compelling enough with Dileep’s being over-the-top for the most part. Raghavan clearly is a fan of Dileep’s work but unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to capitalise on his talent in this flick. There are many characters in the movie but they’ve been wasted in just a few scenes here and there.
The performances
When it comes to performances, Dileep aces the role of the bumbling Pavi. Since there is no new dimension to this character, it doesn’t present the actor in a fresh way. It’s a Dileep we have all seen before.
The movie has music by Midhun Mukundan and some of the songs are a pleasant touch. Sanu Thahir’s cinematography and Deepu Joseph’s editing are par for the course.
It’s time for Dileep and the directors he is working with to think up stories that can put him in the league of his contemporaries – like Mammootty and Mohanlal – who are pushing the boundaries and exploring new genres. Having said that, Pavi Caretaker is timepass and will appeal just to Dileep fans.
