Palthu Janwar

Sangeeth P. Rajan's 2022 Malayalam film follows Prasoon, who takes a government post after his father's death. He had been working in animation; now he has to serve as a livestock inspector in a village and knows nothing about the job. The humour comes from that mismatch. Prasoon is learning to deliver calves, give injections and talk to villagers; the narrative does not stop at making him incompetent and builds his slow turn towards taking the work seriously. Basil Joseph leads. Rural Kerala is shown in detail and the scenes of working with animals are at the centre. The tone is warm, there is no violence and the narrative produces no large event. Who it's for: those who like warm Malayalam town comedy. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a driven narrative; the film proceeds through daily work.