After the success of Pani, Joju George is stepping back into the director’s chair with his second film titled Paripaadi.
The film is produced by Venu Kunnamballi under Kavya Film Company, a banner that has been on a strong run with films like 2018, Aadu 3 and Rekha Chithram. That recent track record alone adds a certain weight to the announcement.
As of now, it is not clear whether the film is a continuation of Pani or follows a new storyline. The film introduces around 100 newcomers, who have been going through acting sessions.
Joju is handling the story and screenplay himself again, which is where the real interest lies. Pani worked because of how rooted and controlled it felt, so repeating that balance becomes important here. At the same time, this does not look like a small, contained film. Bringing in Rajeev Ravi for cinematography already suggests a certain visual ambition.
The technical team does not stop there. Music is by Yuvan Shankar Raja, which is not a combination you usually see in Malayalam cinema, and action is handled by Anbariv, who have been behind some of the more talked about action set pieces in recent years. Those choices clearly point towards a film that is aiming to be more expansive in tone.
Right now, Paripaadi feels like a film where Joju George is not just trying to follow up on Pani, but also trying to prove that he can operate comfortably at a bigger scale. Whether that shift works or ends up stretching his strengths a bit too far is something that will only become clear once the film takes shape.
