‘Appatha’ (2023) Movie Review - A Family Entertainer

Appatha is about an old lady who lives in the village. She is the owner of Appatha Pickles. Being a learned woman, the people of the village respect her. She runs a business selling pickles, the same thing which her son is ashamed of. He went to live in Chennai and contacted Appatha only in times of need.

One day she received his call. The man didn’t even wait to make a conversation with his mother and directly stepped on the main topic. He wanted her mother to sell their village home so that he could pay off his loan. This was low, even for the standard of a single child. The man didn’t even think for once about where his mother would stay.

Appatha is soon contacted again by him. This time he wanted her to babysit the dog while his family went on a vacation. The poor lady who herself was afraid of dogs was asked to look after it for days. Swamy (the son) could have at least shown her a bit of respect. She carried lots of snacks and pickles, not knowing that he son wasn’t exactly excited to meet her, instead he just wanted her to look after the dog.

Things Zeus (the dog) does when Appatha indulges in fights with him are hilarious. The dog created a ruckus and it was difficult for Appatha to control the situation. Thanks to the friends she made in Sam’s society she finally managed to cut a truce with the dog.

Appatha is a very nice film. It touches upon the subjects like how elders are neglected by their kids. In this film, we saw that Appatha’s son didn’t contact her for eight long years. For him, she was just a source of money. The day he started facing financial problems was the one when he remembered her. It’s heartbreaking how elders are visualized just as a backup source of money. I felt really bad for Appatha as her only son treated her like she was nothing, and that too in front of so many people. Even when he was just a kid, he used to tell her friends that she was his maid. It was difficult to watch scenes in which a son was ashamed of his mother because a mother’s love is indefinite and you can not reduce it to little things like the constant smell of pickle. The woman worked so hard and in return wasn’t even able to receive the love of her only child. The scenes in which she pretends to talk to Pavadaiswamy make you emotional.

The lady was a support system for the women of her village, but when it came to her, she was helpless. Someone could have helped her, but that would have been possible when she opted to share her feelings. Appatha feels so relatable because we see similar things happening around us. Who among us hasn’t heard of children who don’t treat their parents with respect or who sold their parents’ property just for their benefit? When Sam asked his mother to live in a single room in the warehouse, I wished that the lady would just disown the child.

A beautiful plot with a strong lead is what makes Appatha a perfect find for this weekend. You can sit and enjoy this film with your family. The woman is an example of bravery because when nothing was in her favor (like her husband’s death and son’s neglect) she still didn’t give up and lived for her herself. Becoming a motivation for many, she changed many things.

In all, this movie by Priyadarshan with the lead role being played by Urvashi is a very light film that touches upon subjects without going too deep. The messages are delivered in a very alluring manner. With the correct dose of humor, it is a good watch. Zeus deserves a special mention here as he was the little angel who changed Appatha’s life.

Final Score – [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times