Pennum Porattum ending explained: Does Tovino Thomas-voiced Suttu escape? Is Basil Joseph part of the film?

The latest Malayalam film Pennum Porattum, which dropped on Netflix recently, is an absurdist satire by actor-turned-director Rajesh Madhavan. The film depicts the ordeal of dalmatian Suttu, voiced by Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas, as it is being chased by the people of Pattada village. So does Suttu escape from the clutches of crazy humans? And is actor-filmmaker Basil Joseph too part of the movie? Let’s break down the ending of Pennum Porattum.

What is the plot of Pennum Porattum

Pennum Porattum, with the English title Girl And The Fools Parade, begins from the POV of Suttu who faces much abuse in its household and breaks free, only to be labelled a rabid dog. Only Charulatha (Raina Radhakrishnan) cares for Suttu, but her reputation also comes under a cloud after Kumar makes a lewd request. The film follows the two narratives of Suttu’s ordeal and the tussle between villagers of Pattada over Charulatha, both being hunted down by a society which does not pause to think whether they are at fault or not.

Also read: Pennum Porattum Review: Rajesh Madhavan marks brilliant debut with thought-provoking yet hilarious drama

What happens in the climax of Pennum Porattum

Written by Ravi Shankar, Pennum Porattum exposes the prejudices of a high-handed society. Kumar’s mother conducts a function (payattu) at her home for fund-gathering for his marriage, which he said he won’t have. This house becomes witness to an all-out mayhem as Charu’s parents, along with their supporters, come to Kaumar’s house, seeking a solution after his discreet request becomes the talk of the town. A melee breaks out as both groups charge at one another even as the animals, from cows to hens and ducks, run helter-skelter.

But in a neat reversal of the hunter-vs-prey situation, the arrival of Suttu chases the villagers back into the home and they are locked in together. Calmness returns and they reach a consensus to get Kumar married to Charu, and it is not anyone’s concern that the young woman is not around or whether her consent needs to be sought. Rajesh Madhavan too makes an appearance as her brother, but he too joins in with his family after initially objecting to the proposal. Finally, it takes Charulatha to turn up and literally smack some sense to the villagers. She then goes out looking for Suttu with her boyfriend who was also part of the group finalising her marriage.

Parallelly, we see poor Suttu literally running for his life as the villagers try to take him down at a quarry with lethal weapons, resembling a strife zone. But Charu turns up, and Suttu rushes towards her. However, when she says, "Let’s go home", Suttu realises that the same torture would be awaiting him and runs away.

He joins other dogs and animals that seem to be going far away from the land of humans. One of the dogs is voiced by Basil Joseph, a friend and frequent collaborator of Tovino.

Through the eccentric tale set in the fictional village of Pattada, Rajesh Madhavan explores issues of mob justice, morality, and more.