In Perusu, the death of a patriarch leaves everyone in his family open-mouthed – and embarrassed.
When Halasyam – serenaded by a seductive Ilaiyaraaja song and probably some Viagra – drops dead, his sons Samikannu (Sunil) and Duraikannu (Vaibhav) hardly get a moment to grieve. Their eyes hover a few inches south, to Halasyam’s unyieldingly erect penis.
“Seththa unga appa maari saavanum.” If one must die, he should die like your father, they have often been told. The siblings and their family members, including a slippery aunt (Deepa Shankar), have to fix the problem before the mourners start pouring in.
The jokes and double entendre flow abundantly in Ilango Ram’s Tamil remake of his Sinhalese film Tentigo (2023). Aided by Balaji Jayaraman, who has written the remake’s dialogue, Ram infuses Perusu with enough characteristic Tamil humour to evoke chuckles. The scenes featuring the brothers struggling to inform squirming bystanders, especially two female doctors, of their mortifying discovery are especially effective.
While the two actors and real-life brothers share an easy chemistry, Vaibhav does much of the heavy lifting. Duraikannu is a perennial drunk, while Samikannu is the stuck-up firstborn. The sons share a complicated relationship with their father, which is left unexplored. Instead, Perusu offhandedly throws in a few sentimental moments amidst scene after scene of deadpan comedy.
The women are a hoot, even though they don’t get enough screen time. We have Halasya’s wife, who has a second problem to worry about. The daughters-in-law (Chandni and content creator Niharika NM in her debut) snicker about the inadequacies of their own husbands. The supporting characters include a nosy neighbour, a know-it-all auto driver (Redin Kingsley) and a hilarious uncle (Munishkanth).
A film that relies on milking a single central joke often walks a fine line between funny and tedious. Perusu slides into monotony at times before rising to the occasion by veering into absurd territory. It’s a bit late, but it’s alright.
