How Paranthu Po managed to portray a likeable child character that Maaman failed to do?

Both the films, Paranthu Po, and Maaman, have young boys as protagonists, and are available for streaming on OTTplay Premium

Maaman; Paranthu Po

On this week’s Tamil OTT space, two films dropped. The Soori-starrer family drama Maaman and director Ram’s musical comedy Paranthu Po. Even as the films released with a big gap in between them, and are contrasting in their conflicts and approach, both have one thing in common; a notorious young boy at the forefront. When Maaman focussed on the relationship between a man and his nephew, Paranthu Po is about a young boy day of adventure with his father. But only one out of the two had a likeable child character designed, and keep reading know which one and why.

How Paranthu Po managed to portray a likeable child character that Maaman failed to do?

Truth be said, it is quite hard to design a likeable child character onscreen. Simply because as adults, our perspectives are so in tune with viewing the world from a grown-up perspective that we almost forget how it was to be a child. So, it is very natural that films do not explore more such characters. But this week, with OTTplay Premium, you would be able to watch two Tamil films, Maaman and Paranthu Po, both with young, notorious boys as lead characters. However, only one of them came up with likeability.

In Ram’s Paranthu Po, eight-year-old Anbu (Mithul Ryan) is city-bred and gets everything he wants from his parents who are balancing EMIs, career, and personal lives all for the well-being for their son. But when Anbu and his father Gokul (Shiva) have a day out away from the busy life of their apartment, the child has curious questions to ask, one being if a dinosaur would hatch out of a duck’s egg.

Anbu is full of questions born out of curiosity, and his antics are both real and enjoyable onscreen. When Anbu makes his father climb mountains, walk kilometres, run for hours, you get to know that these are not mere byproducts of notoriety, but also childishness that invariably gets passed on to his father as well who gets into the groove right in time when Anbu’s mother Glory (Grace Antony), joins their day out.

Also read: Paranthu Po movie review: Director Ram crafts a delightful and whimsical road trip drama that makes you pause and smile

The problem with Maaman

Coming to Prasanth Pandiyaraj’s Maaman, the shift is rural where Nilan aka Laddu (Master Prageeth Sivan) is nephew to Inba (Soori) and was born after much waiting. The gimmicks of notoriety are unleashed in Maaman where Laddu is a brat and comes across as a child who cannot be controlled or instructed. His overtly attachment issues to his uncle creates problems surrounding privacy when the uncle gets married and his wife’s needs are gone unmet.

Maaman, which again, centres on a young boy’s hyper enthusiasm, fails to craft a character that solely relies on likeability. It is a thin line between showing a child’s innocence and par beyond age maturity, and Maaman fails to do that to its Laddu. The film, by glorifying Laddu, antics and tricks, fails to explore the pockets of important topics that it had opportunities to do. For example, the mere mention of hyperactivity in Laddu by Inba’s wife, is twisted to calling him mad, and the film never rises above to explore the concept, which could have salvaged the story to an extent.

Also read: Maaman movie review: Soori's family drama suffers from misdirected emotions and overstretched familial bonds

In both Paranthu Po and Maaman, even as the stories are different, set in varying milieus, and the lessons it teaches are not connected, they are bound by the idea of having a child as protagonist. When Paranthu Po ends on a note where the child and his parents learn something from each other, and find the meaning of belongingness, Maaman ends on a note where the child and the adults surrounding him, do not have anything changed in them. Both the films are reflection of children of today’s times, but the treatment in exploring the characters and how they presented, make it how one character comes across as a darling while the other doesn’t leave a good impression.

FAQs

Q. Is Maaman available on Ott platform?

A. Yes, Maaman is available on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium.

Q. Is Paranthu Po a hit?

A. Yes, Paranthu Po is commercially hit as it collected Rs 7.3 crore against its budget of Rs 3 crore.

Q. Is Maaman hit or flop?

A. Yes, Maaman is commercially hit and eighth highest grossing Tamil film in 2025.

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