Pyali HD Released

 

Orphans Pyali (Barbie Sharma) and Ziya (George Jacob), who are originally from Kashmir, are slum children in Kochi. Ziya sells trinkets at the road signals, working under the child mafia headed by Nikola (Mamukoya) and his right hand, played by Appani Sarath. Nikola and his team wanted to send the little girl too for begging, but Ziya refuses, and they are forced to leave the slum. They find a place to live with the help of Ziya’s friend and he starts to work at Sayed’s (Sreenivasan) scrap godown.

Ziyah aims to build a house with wings, which is his little sister’s dream. The artist in Ziyah makes it possible with scrap, plastic waste and other items which he gets from the godown. Will he be able to live with his sister in the house peacefully? How these two little children face the cruel world, where not even a little girl is safe, makes the rest of the movie.

Barbie Sharma as the titular Pyali is adorable onscreen, and from the first scene to the last frame she enchants you with her sweet smile, and mix of Hindi and Malayalam dialogues. This cute, innocent girl steals your heart. Ziya, played by George Jacob, is perfect in his role as a non-Malayali but who speaks Malayalam fluently; he makes you cry and think. His friend, played by Ambarish, excels with his acting and provides comic relief.

The debut writer-director husband-wife duo, Babita Rinn, has done a commendable job, creating many incidents that make you laugh and think about the society we live in, where Ziyah’s friend has to tell him, “This world is so cruel, please take care of your cute sister.” The highlight of the film is that there are no fights and no specific villain; society is the villain in these kids' lives. It also shows the lives of guest workers and the atrocities they have to face.

Though the leads are played by kids, this is not a children’s movie, it cleverly unmasks the slum of Kochi, child labour mafia, child rescue homes and the officials here. Pyali has a similar feel to movies like Salam Bombay and Slumdog Millionaire, which talk about slum children. The art direction, where all the items at Ziyah’s house were made of scrap, are amazing; the State Award for Santosh Raman is well deserved.

The surprise cameo with a top star is excellent and he has carried it off well. Sreenivasan as Sayed and Mamukoya as Nikola do their roles well, lifting the movie with their presence. Other actors Sujit Sankar, Althaf Aslam, and Appani Sarath all execute their parts wonderfully.

Prashant Pillai’s music is very nice with meaningful lyrics. Jiju Sunny’s camera beautifully captures the city, the slum area, the waterfront, rain, Fort Kochi, and almost the entire Ernakulam including Nedumbassery Airport. In the middle of action, suspense, and thriller movies, Pyali comes like a gentle breeze that makes you feel good, and refreshed.

The only flaw is that the movie lags a bit post interval, but even that is excusable. Also, will Malayali audiences connect with the Hindi songs?

This is a movie for this weekend to enjoy with your kids, a well-told story executed well and acted fantastically.