PAKKIRI MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

The Ken Scott directed Pakiri opens with a montage of babies, spanning across every race and region, with a commentary about opportunities. Faith has it that the world is open for play, but this notion erodes as we are born into the world. The prologue is characteristic to the lighter and childlike wonder that ensues throughout the film.

Based on the Roman Puertolas bestseller The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe, Pakiri deals with an Indian street magician/conman Raja Kumaraguru Lakshmipathy (played by Dhanush) and his quest to meet his Parisian father he never met. Despite so many instances to milk the sentimental portions of the first half, the film doesn't dwell in those moments. The film maintains the lighter tone, despite a tragic happening in the film. The filmmaker creates a tonally consistent picture throughout.

The film really takes an enjoyable turn after Raja sets his foot in Paris, though we still don't know how he managed to pull it off despite the low resources. The film is focused as it is bereft of a travelogue-like treatment. The film invests more time on the characters. We see him gushing over the Ikea furniture, and the meet-cute moment, in which Raja enacts a familial situation with a fellow customer, Marie (played by Erin Moriarty), in the home-like confines of the store. The film takes an adventurous turn after the plot, reaches its core when Raja gets trapped in a cupboard that takes him to unexpected avenues.

The film becomes an engrossing, enjoyable ride hereafter. We get to see various characters who don't carry an air of seriousness. The story takes us to a wonderful mix of cultures and people in scenes where Raja lives with fellow immigrants and vagabonds. There is also a wonderfully staged song sequence that unfolds like a Hollywood-style musical, and the scene takes place in an immigration office. So far, we tend to buy the fairytale-like journey of Raja, as the makers do not aim to paint a harsher, realistic picture.

The second half leads to various tangents in Raja's make-believe world. Here the plot tends to get a bit overboard, and one such instance involves the sub-plot where Raja gets his hands onto a briefcase full of money, for a less-convincing reason. Still, the element of magic-realism and the endearing characters make up for it. Though the second half is replete with unsolved plotlines, the film still manages to build a fantasy adventure through the kindness of its supporting characters. The world-building is intact in the film, and some of the setups that were created in the first half tend to have their payoff, like the pen that Marie gifts Raja.

Dhanush gives a charming performance as Raja and holds the film together. The supporting characters add more weight to the film. The warm and consistently saturated cinematography by Vincent Mathias compliments well with the story. Overall, Ignoring the dubbed film concerns and few logical questions, Pakiri is an engrossing fairytale with a few good moments that can entertain family audiences and kids who can connect to the fun ride better.