Revenge has often been used as a theme for framing stories. As part of our TIFF coverage, we had an opportunity to watch “Paka (River of Blood),” Nithin Lukose’s directing debut, which is an exciting take on a revenge story set in a small town.
The story is set in Kallody (a town in Wayanad, Kerala). We see people around the river, and one older man with a big white mustache jumping into the river and getting a body out of the river. While all this is going on, we meet a schoolboy, Paachi (Athul John), who returns home and mentions the event to his grandmother.
Pacchi has a brother named Johnny (Basil Paulose), who drives a car around the city and loves Anna (Vinitha Koshy). Anna and Johnny go to a courthouse with their friends to pre-process their secret wedding. We meet Kocheppu (Jose Kizhakkan), who has an unkempt beard and an intimidating aura.
He is also Johnny’s uncle, released from prison after a decade. As the story goes ahead, we learn about the history between Johnny and Anna’s family, which has been going on for decades, with deaths on both sides. Kocheppu gets to know about Johnny’s wedding with Anna. Then, we get to see that he is the one who killed the father of Anna; while he confronts Anna, he mentions how much he regrets killing him. He has paid for his sins.
When it feels like this will go smoothly, Anna’s family learns that Kocheppu is out of prison, which makes his family member Joey (Nithin George) furious. He gets to avenge the revenge killing and throwing Kocheppu’s body in the river. Johnny is scared and angered by his uncle’s death and decides to call the wedding off.
Johnny is calm and not in favor of violence; on the other hand, Joey is the opposite, and he wants to finish all his family there. The grandmother of Pacchi, whose face we never see, often reminds him that he has to take vengeance for the family, and blood is the answer. She also reminds him he should not be gutless like his brother, Johnny. The climax takes place in the church festival, which leads to consequences for both families. Will this vengeful, cross-generational bloodletting end? The answer lies within this gripping revenge saga.
Written and directed by Nithin Lukose, “Paka (River of Blood” is also produced by Raj Rachakonda and Anurag Kashyap. Lukose has perfectly crafted a story that revolves around cross-generational retritubtion. This story takes time for character building, and this works. The story finds balance between lite and challenging moments that perfectly balance character’s themes and complexity.
In one scene, the killer is shown getting emotional while watching a B-grade film, and this reflects clever writing. The plot takes appropriate time to build, and when the right moment comes, it hits us hard. For Lukose’s direction, he’s made some bold and impressive creative decisions that pan out perfectly for the story.
He has used the background music of WWE star Undertaker undertaker to define the characters, showing ferocity that does not petrify, but leaves the right impact on you. It’s his first film as a director, but he put out a mature work that has been framed seamlessly. Srikanth Kabothu’s cinematography perfectly captures the town and people’s vibes superbly, and his work with wide shots and chase scenes is noteworthy. Music by Faizal Ahamed’s music and Arunima Shankar’s sharp editing helps the story set the right tone.
The film’s cast is a mix of professional and nonprofessional actors from the town. Yet they do the proper justice in their roles; it’s one of the films where the acting looks natural, which helps the film the best way. The stand-out performances of the film are of Basil Paulose as Johnny, Nithin George as Joey, and Jose Kizhakkan as Kochappan, leaving an impressive mark with their acting.
“Paka (River of Blood)” has all the elements that a good thriller requires. It asks the right questions, and indeed answers them. The film has a good story, direction, and acting that anyone will look for; it’s a compulsive take on a revenge saga.
“Paka (River of Blood)” plays on Sept. 18 at 5:00 p.m. as part of the Toronto International Film Festival. If you’re in Canada, you can rent it online here.
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Excellent reviews .