Paranthu Po (2025), is soulful but directionless

Seeing the trailer of Director Ram’s Paranthu Po, I had high expectations. It looked like a father-son bonding story, and I was curious to see how RJ Shiva would carry such an emotional role. On both those counts, the film succeeds. But without a strong plot to back it up, the movie ends up as an average watch. Mangoidiots gives it a Raw.

The story centres around an eight-year-old boy named Anbu. His parents, Gokul and Glory, are played by RJ Shiva and Grace Antony. Both are working professionals, and Anbu is often left alone at home. As expected, the young boy becomes restless and starts acting out. To calm him down, Gokul takes him out for a motorbike ride. What begins as a quick outing to a nearby eatery turns into an impromptu road trip across Tamil Nadu. Until this point, the story works. But as the journey continues, the settings—though visually different—start to feel repetitive. Especially the sequences where Gokul chases Anbu across hills and trees become tiring after a while.

Director Ram’s touch is visible in the way he crafts the characters. The subtle portrayal of a multi-religious couple—without calling big attention to it—feels organic and relatable. Grace Antony shines as a working mother who misses her child and juggles her career with emotional struggles. A standout scene is when she’s walking alone at night to her hotel room and narrowly avoids a threatening situation—it’s executed with quiet intensity. The phone calls between Gokul and Glory also deserve mention. They convey their love and partnership without ever spelling it out.

One of the most enjoyable segments was Gokul’s visit to a village pond, where he bumps into his old school crush Vanitha, played by Anjali, and her husband. The scene was warm and grounded, offering a glimpse of who Gokul was before becoming a father.

Despite these well-done moments, the film lacks an overarching narrative. A good road movie needs to begin with a solid conflict or goal, something that slowly resolves during the journey. Here, Gokul’s smoking problem comes out of nowhere in the second half and feels like an afterthought rather than a core theme.

In the end, Paranthu Po had all the right elements—strong performances, relatable characters, and a touching premise. But without a clear direction, it ends up meandering like the road trip it portrays.