Whenever a new Dileep film comes out these days, a familiar refrain echoes across social media platforms: “This marks the return of the old Dileep,” suggesting that he’s returned to his former glory with a “strong and impressive” performance reminiscent of his 2000s hits. However, the lifespan of this line has always been as short as that of adult mayflies and most of his recent films have bombed miserably, and for the right reasons. Following the release of Pavi Caretaker’s trailer too, the same chorus resurfaced, singing the same tune in the future tense. Nevertheless, the film proves that both the actor and filmmakers should cease attempting to resurrect the “vintage Dileep” and instead focus on creating something fresh.
Similar to actor-director Vineeth Kumar’s previous filmmaking endeavours Ayal Njanalla (2015) and Dear Friend (2022), Pavi Caretaker also starts directly without unnecessary buildup, introducing Pavi alias Pavithran (Dileep) in the first shot itself. As the title suggests, Pavi works as a caretaker, at a high-end apartment complex in Kochi. A middle-aged single man, Pavi spends most of his time in the building, often working double shifts including nighttime security duty to improve his financial situation.
The irritating behaviours common among many middle-aged men have surfaced in him too and he’s extremely nosy and believes the world revolves around him and the building. A short-tempered loner, Pavi finds solace in his pet dog, Bro, and his rented house where he sleeps during the daytime. Meanwhile, the house’s owner, ex-cop Mariyamma (Radhika Sarathkumar), decides to rent out a portion of the top floor, where Pavi resides, despite his initial objections. Pavi, who has never met this person due to his night shift work, learns from Mariyamma that the tenant is a woman. He slowly begins communicating with her through notes left on their shared table, eventually developing feelings for her. However, a miscommunication leads to the woman moving out abruptly, leaving Pavi heartbroken and affecting his work performance, previously done flawlessly. Whether they will ever meet again forms the remaining part of the movie.
Much like Ayal Njanalla and Dear Friend, Vineeth Kumar, here too, follows his instincts, disregarding conventional formulas and styles, which indeed brings charm to the movie. However, from the outset, Pavi Caretaker struggles to find its tone, bombarding viewers with unnecessary slapstick comedy typically found in Dileep’s hits. Injected at various points are multiple shots of him slipping and/or falling in a “funny” manner, exaggerated facial expressions and mispronunciations, all of which have worked well for the actor in the past. At one point, the film even recreates the hilarious kitchen brawl between Dileep and Harisree Ashokan in Ee Parakkum Thalika (2001), as Pavi tries to take on a civet, resulting in chaos and turning the entire kitchen upside down.
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Yet, in Pavi Caretaker, it soon becomes apparent that these instances were included solely to cater to or evoke the “vintage Dileep”, as they don’t fully match his character. Unlike Thenkasipattanam (2000), Kuberan (2002), Kalyanaraman (2002) or CID Moosa (2003), where slapstick and physical comedy form the foundation of his characters, Pavi, when not at the centre of humorous scenes, leaves one wondering if he’s the same person who acted so goofily just moments ago, especially since none of the comedic moments feel coincidental or natural, but rather forced into the narrative simply because that’s what Dileep is known for. In fact, not only the slapstick comedy but also many other attempts at humour in the film feel contrived, seemingly inserted just to appease the actor’s fanbase, which the industry continues to believe mainly consists of family audiences who like this sort of stuff.
Even in the dramatic moments, particularly as the romance develops between Pavi and the anonymous woman, the film fails to deliver a strong emotional impact and these scenes pass with a rather subdued tone. Whether due to writer Rajesh Raghavan’s inability to craft more impactful moments or because such instances were lost in Vineeth’s translation of words into visual language, the moments that should have connected with audiences were simply wasted.
Apart from select instances, such as the heartfelt conversation between a shattered Pavi and his fellow security guard Maathan (Johny Antony) and the scene where Pavi reluctantly gives up Bro for adoption (primarily because it involves a dog and anything that hurts a dog is bound to bring tears to our eyes), even the emotional moments fail to fully connect with audiences, despite Dileep’s improved efforts to deliver a better performance, something he didn’t even care to bother in most of his films such as Thankamani (2024) and Bandra (2023).
Though the film features quite a few side characters, including Mariyamma, Maathan and Pavi’s friend Ratheesh (Dharmajan Bolgatty), they come and go at the movie’s convenience, contributing little of significance to the overall narrative due to weak characterisation and writing; and consequently, end up being rather forgettable.
At the same time, the narrative’s striking similarities to some of Dileep’s old films like Bodyguard (2010), with the blossoming romance between the protagonist and an anonymous woman, and CID Moosa, to some extent, due to the portrayal of the bond between Pavi and Bro as akin to brothers, also cannot be overlooked, as they appear more lifted than mere hat-tips.
Despite its flaws, one of the saving graces of the movie is Dileep’s slightly improved performance, which makes it worth watching despite numerous moments where one might consider giving up on it. Particularly in the non-“Vintage Dileep” scenes, the actor effectively portrays Pavi’s emotions, partially redeeming the film.
However, none of the other actors, including the familiar ones, make a lasting impact. Although Pavi Caretaker features five heroines, as it claims — Rosmin Thadathil, Swathi Konde, Shreya Rukmini, Joohi Jayakumar and Dilina Ramakrishnan — most of their characters suffer from underdevelopment due to, again, weak writing. Nevertheless, they all deliver noteworthy performances with whatever is available to them.
Sanu Thahir’s cinematography also contributes significantly to the film, adding a pleasant and warm atmosphere to the visuals. Despite limited opportunities to showcase his skills, Sanu excels in bringing flair to unexpected moments, giving Pavi Caretaker a visual uplift. While Deepu Joseph’s editing is commendable overall, there are instances where it feels like significant portions were imprudently cut out, impacting the viewing experience negatively; though the editor cannot be entirely blamed for this. Nimesh Thanur’s production design also leaves a positive impression. Although Midhun Mukundan’s tracks are impressive in some parts, they don’t always complement the movie seamlessly.
In short, for Dileep to find relief, he must recognise the need to push boundaries and explore new territories, as the formula that once served him well is no longer effective.
Pavi Caretaker movie cast: Dileep, Johny Antony, Radhika Sarathkumar, Dharmajan
Pavi Caretaker movie director: Vineeth Kumar
Pavi Caretaker movie rating: 2 stars