Pariyerum Perumal

Plot

Pariyerum Perumal alias Pariyan, a young man from the oppressed Devendrar caste in Puliyankulam village near Tirunelveli, loses his dog, Karuppi, to caste hegemony. Later, Pariyan secures admission to Government Law College in Tirunelveli, aspiring to become a lawyer like B. R. Ambedkar. He meets Jothi Mahalakshmi alias Jo, a naive student from an upper-caste family of Ambasamudram, who offers to teach him English. Jo eventually falls in love with Pariyan. Their friendship draws the ire of Sankaralingam, Jo's cousin and fellow student, who asserts his caste superiority over Pariyan.

Unaware of Sankaralingam's hostility, Jo invites Pariyan to her sister's wedding. At the venue, Sankaralingam and his friends severely assault Pariyan and humiliate him. Jo's father intervenes but strictly orders Pariyan to stay away from Jo. Unaware of the incident, Jo berates Pariyan for missing the wedding. Distressed, Pariyan attends class intoxicated, resulting in disciplinary summons from the principal. However, he hires an actor to impersonate his father.

Sankaralingam continues to harass Pariyan, eventually pushing him into the women's restroom and locking him inside. The consequent commotion causes another summon from the principal. This time, Pariyan brings his real father, who works as a folk dancer working in drag. The principal acknowledges Pariyan's innocence and motivates him to persevere against discrimination. However, as they leave the office, Sankaralingam's gang hazes Pariyan's father and strips his clothing. Pariyan's father flees in humiliation, and Pariyan takes him to a hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, Jo's father observes his daughter's growing affection for Pariyan. Fearing social ostracization if she marries outside their caste, he hires "Thatha Maistry", an elderly contract killer who commits honor killings disguised as accidental deaths. Maistry considers his work a divine duty, vowing to end his life if he ever fails a contract. At the hospital, Pariyan contemplates revenge but his mother dissuades him, warning that violence will only add to their problems. Jo visits Pariyan at the hospital, urging him to restore their friendship, and he agrees.

Maistry tricks Pariyan into giving him a ride on his bicycle and attempts to murder him by tying him to a railway track, mimicking Karuppi's death. Pariyan manages to break free and subdues Maistry, along with Sankaralingam and his associates who arrive at the scene. Pariyan privately confronts Jo's father, warning him that he is sparing his life only to protect Jo from discovering her father's true nature, and demands an end to the harassment. Having failed his contract for the first time, Maistry commits suicide on the railway track.

Production

Development

Pa. Ranjith registered his maiden film production company, Neelam Productions in late October 2016. Although the company had produced two documentary films, Ranjith announced his debut as a feature film producer, with his association with Mari Selvaraj, a former assistant of Ram, in his directorial debut, titled Pariyerum Perumal, in December 2016. The film was inspired by Selvaraj's Thamirabaraniyil Kollapadathavaragal, a short story collection and Marakave Ninaikiraen, a serial in Ananda Vikatan. Sridhar, Selva R. K. and Ramu joined the team as cinematographer, editor and art director respectively.

Casting

Mari Selvaraj stated, "I wanted faces that reflected a kind of simplicity and innocence, and Kathir and Anandhi fit that description perfectly". Kathir stated that after he heard about the project, he personally approached the director and was cast. Mari Selvaraj later revealed that Atharvaa was his first choice for the role as he was impressed with the actor's performance in Paradesi (2013), but Atharvaa could not spare dates. Anandhi's role was inspired from the characterisation of Shweta Tripathi in Masaan (2015). Anupama Parameswaran later revealed that she was the first choice for the lead actress but declined due to scheduling conflicts. The film notably features a cross-breed dog named "Karuppi", which has traits of the Chippiparai breed. According to the director, "The film incidentally starts and ends with her travel".

Filming

Principal photography commenced in late January 2017, with Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi regions serving as the principal shooting locations. The film's shooting was completed in March 2018. That November, the makers released a video titled "Pariyerum Perumal Making Video", showing how some of the film's perceived disturbing scenes were shot.

Music

Pa. Ranjith's regular composer Santhosh Narayanan, was assigned to compose the music and background score of Pariyerum Perumal. The album was launched by Dhanush on 9 September 2018.

Marketing and release

The film's first promotional poster which released on 14 February 2018, featured a dog with a collar and leash around its neck in the foreground while the silhouettes of a number of people can be seen in the background. The film was originally slated to release in March 2018, but its release was postponed due to the standoff between Nadigar Sangam and Digital Service Providers on the increase of Virtual Print Fee charges. The first trailer of the film was unveiled in June 2018, and received rave response from all corners. The film was released theatrically on 28 September 2018, after receiving a U certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification with no cuts but two mutes. Despite being released in 121 theatres, the film got limited screens, due to the higher profile Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. However, after the positive response received by the audience, theatre owners increased the number of shows and screens. Many filmmakers and actors heaped praise on the film, as did the politician M. K. Stalin. The film opened to theatres across Karnataka on 12 October 2018, and in Kerala on 26 October 2018, following its positive critical acclaim. After its successful theatrical run, the film was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video from 11 November 2018. The film was screened at the inaugural New York Dalit Film and Cultural Festival in 2019 along with Masaan (2015), Kaala (2018) and Fandry (2013). Along with few other Tamil films, it was showcased at the 49th International Film Festival of India.

Reception

Critical reception

Pariyerum Perumal received critical acclaim. Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote "With such strong statements to make against caste, the film could have easily adopted a dark theme but it prefers to stay hopeful. The climax is easily among its most touching moments. If there's one film you're watching this year, it has to be Pariyerum Perumal." M Suganth of The Times of India gave the film 4 out of 5 stars "Pariyerum Perumal is a hard-hitting anti-caste drama." Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle rated 4.5 out of 5 and then stated it as "Pariyerum Perumal is a film that goes beyond your expectations and should not be missed at any cost!" Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated "Pariyerum Perumal is more depressing when you realise everything that pans out in this disturbing film has actually happened or is happening or will continue to happen in our country." Anjana Shekar of The News Minute reviewed as It can be quite easy to bind a film under seals of approvals like 'masterpiece' and 'milestone'. But there are few films that venture beyond the confines of such labels and Pariyerum Perumal is one such example. At a time when Tamil cinema is turning to look back at its portrayal of caste, more importantly, to rewrite its portrayals, Pariyerum Perumal can effortlessly be called its luminary."

Baradwaj Rangan, writing for Film Companion, gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated "This film is a powerful, yet level-headed, drama about an oppressed youth carving out a place of his own." Sify gave the rating 3.5 out of 5 and stated "Pariyerum Perumal is an artistic masterpiece from debutant filmmaker Mari Selvaraj and set the standards high for directors who have noble intentions but end up making preachy propaganda films." Ashameera Aiyappan of Cinema Express gave the film 4 out of 5 and stated "The subtexts are painfully brilliant in a film that doesn't paint the world black and white." Ravichandran Bathran, writing for Firstpost, said, "Pariyerum Perumal is a great movie to watch. However, the movie is neither anti-caste nor casteist. Rather, it merely discusses popular forms of discrimination and evokes memories of some earlier instances of caste violence. The movie eventually tries to find solutions within the caste system itself." Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express said, "Pariyerum Perumal shows it's not easy to overcome the challenges of all-pervasive caste. But it may not be impossible either."

Box office

Pariyerum Perumal collected ₹5.5 crore (US$570,000) in its lifetime box office collection, also receiving a share of ₹3.5 crore (US$360,000), and became a sleeper hit.

Legacy

The portrayal of the film's central dog character Karuppi, became popular among audiences. Inspired from the famous 'Dogelore' (which refers to the meme universe featuring dogs), the character was featured as the new addition. The dog playing Karuppi died in November 2024 after an accident. Some of the film's plot inspired the 2020 Telugu film Colour Photo.

Remakes

Pariyerum Perumal was remade in Kannada as Karki (2024) and in Hindi as Dhadak 2 (2025).