Penguin, directed by Eashvar Karthic and now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, has an unlikely investigator. A hugely pregnant woman who must seek out a dangerous killer if she’s to find her missing son.
That Keerthy Suresh can act is something she proved to the world with Mahanati, and with Penguin, she tells us yet again that she can do so much more than play the “bubbly girl”. As a frantic and devastated mother who never gives up on the search for her firstborn though he’s written off as dead by everyone else, the actor brings considerable gravitas to the role. She’s in sharp contrast to the usual depiction of pregnant women on screen, who go into labour at the most inopportune time and cannot be trusted to get anything done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mwp1CfFV-k
Keerthy Suresh who occupies the major portion of the screen space manages to bring out the suffering, fear and trauma, however after a point, it becomes repetitive. Linga and Madhampatti Rangaraj do not even make an attempt to have an impact although their roles are minuscule. The performances of Mathi who plays the doctor and Nithya Kripa as Keerthy’s friend are hyperbolic and annoying.
While the first half moves at a dead slow pace with a back and forth narration, there’s a consolation that comes up during the interval twist.
Even as we expect something suspenseful to happen in the latter half, it drags big time. For a crime thriller of this nature, the screenplay should be gripping, but sadly debut director Eashwar Karthik’s plot is so weak that he takes a long time to get to the point.
Logic goes for a toss in some places. Like in the scene towards the climax, when the kid who has been mute all the time suddenly calls his mom for help? The interrogation scene between Keerthy and Mathy is unwarranted. The final reveal is unconvincing.
Penguin has its moments and Keerthy Suresh indeed makes the film very watchable. But it is probably time to ask if this pressure to include ‘twists’ isn’t killing a good story only because it seems too simple. The twist upon twist formula gets tiring when the writing hasn’t accommodated for them from the beginning. it’s like delivering a cold splash of water on the viewer’s face and expecting them to be happy only because they didn’t see it coming. It’s unexpected, sure, but not particularly satisfying.