Por Movie Review: A refreshing, engaging youthful entertainer that impresses!

About Por

Director Bejoy Nambiar’s Por is kind of intense in its own unique way and exudes a charm that keeps you hooked to the screen.

Por cannot be dismissed as a light-hearted entertainer for apart from being a breezy entertainer set in a college campus, it does touch upon several important issues such as caste and abuse and the need to fight the two.

At a more psychological level, the film deals with egos. It shows how pent up anger can turn into rage over a period of time and how rage can turn even those considered nice into vengeful monsters.

What is heartening about the film is the manner in which Bejoy narrates the story with maturity. There are several points about this film that are bound to strike a chord with audiences and all of the are significant, valid ones.

The story in brief

The story revolves around Prabhu (Arjun Das), who is on the verge of completing college and Yuva, short for Yuvaraj (Kalidas), who just enters the university as a fresher.

Both have their own set of admirers for their own reasons. While Prabhu is liked for his ability to stay in control and bring things under control without actually having to flaunt his authority, Yuva is admired for his ability to do the exact opposite — rebel against those trying to subdue him, despite being badly outnumbered.

At one point, both these characters come face to face with each other and it reminds Yuva of a humiliation he had to suffer in his childhood. Yuva holds Prabhu responsible for the pain and humiliation he underwent and decides he will inflict pain that is 10,000 times more than what he underwent.

What he does and how Prabhu responds is what ‘Por’ is all about.

Characterisation

The way Bejoy has designed each of the characters (and there are many in this film) is just fascinating and interesting.

Consider this, Prabhu (played by Arjun Das) is the man in command, his close friend’s sister Rishika (Sanchana) is the peacemaker. Gayathri (T J Bhanu) is the firebrand revolutionary while Yuva (Kalidas), a victim of sexual abuse as a child, is the fearless challenger.

All these are not designations or titles. The behaviours of each of these characters is so consistent with the description given above that you cannot but admire the characterisation in this film.

Por is refreshing in more ways than one.It’s story is new and relatable. The characterisations and the manner in which it is narrated are all impressive.

But what is most impressive about it are the actors and their performances in the film.

Arjun Das is just brilliant as Prabhu. Calm, patient but in command always (his deep voice helps), Arjun exudes an aura and really owns his part.

Kalidas, who plays Yuva, comes across as a worthy challenger. He slips into the fearless, street smart and flirtatious character of Yuva with absolute ease.

Sanchana as Rishika showcases a side that we haven’t seen of her before this film. She plays an adorable friend always caring for everybody around her and being empathetic to everyone’s pain.

Bhanu as the firebrand revolutionary Gayathri, who believes in questioning injustice, no matter who her opponents are, is also equally impressive.

Sanjith Hegde, Dhruv Visvanath and Gaurav Godkhindi’s music is awesome as is the background score of Harish Venkat, Sachidanand Sankaranarayanan, and Gaurav Godkhindi.

The visuals of Jimshi Khalid and Presley Oscar D’souza too impress.

Verdict

On the whole, Por is a refreshing, engaging entertainer that impresses.