Punyam Aham

Punyam Aham is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Raj Nair. Prithviraj, Samvrutha Sunil, and Nedumudi Venu play the lead roles in this film.

Plot

Punyam Aham is set in a small village in northern Kerala. The protagonist is Narayan Unni, a young man with a Brahmin father and a low-caste mother, who are separated, leaving the mother to raise him alone. The film tells the story of Unni leaving home and searching for his identity, and then repeating many of his father's mistakes in life. It is based on the story in traditional folklore about Naranath Bhranthan and his father Vararuchi.

Cast

Prithviraj Sukumaran as Naarayanan Unni
Samvrutha Sunil as Jayasree
Nedumudi Venu as Kaarackal Easwaran Namboodiri
Nedumudi Harikumar as Shopkeeper
Nishanth Sagar as Georgekutty
Roslin as Antharjanam
Sona Nair as Eldest Sister
K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Jayasree's Amma
M. R. Gopakumar as Pappanassar
Sreejith Ravi as Pankan
Sreekala VK as Narayanan's mother
Binda as Younger sister

Production

Punyam Aham was the directorial debut of Raj Nair, the grandson of novelist Thakazhi Shivashankara Pillai. Filming began in January 2009 at Ottapalam, and then shifted to Kuttanad. It premiered at the Mumbai International Film Festival in October 2010.

Critical reception

Paresh C. Palicha, writing for Rediff Movies, criticised the plot for being "too intellectual".