Ace filmmaker Ram delivers a warm, musical road comedy in Paranthu Po — a film that feels like a timeless bedtime story, gentle yet profound, one that invites you to return to it again and again, each time discovering something new to love and reflect upon.

In today’s digital age, where music and movies are just a click away, we often lose the emotional connection that came from physically holding a tape or MP3 player — a feeling of ownership and intimacy. Watching Paranthu Po evokes that same yearning — to hold on to its charm, to dwell in its world a little longer. The film marks a refreshing shift in Tamil cinema, as Ram steps away from his usually intense narratives and presents a story with simplicity, humour, and heart.

Paranthu Po paints a relatable portrait of countless Indian middle-class families — people whose dreams are often shackled by their routines and realities. It’s about the struggle to escape that loop, to look at life through the innocent eyes of a child who can climb a mountain but doesn’t yet know how to climb down. With minimalism and elegance, Ram weaves a story that’s as playful as it is poignant.

Right from the opening scene — a drone shot accompanied by a nursery-rhyme-style tune — the film sets the tone. The lyrics subtly critique how the apartment complex in Chitlapakkam, Chennai, is built over an encroached lake — a metaphor for the fragile foundation upon which many working-class dreams are built.

The heart of the story is eight-year-old Anbu, played brilliantly by Mithul Ryan, whose boundless energy keeps his parents constantly on edge. His father Gokul (a wonderfully grounded performance by Shiva) runs an organic food business, while his mother Glory (the ever-charming Grace Antony) is away in Coimbatore, manning her saree stall and yearning to return home.

Paranthu Po is both a social reflection and a delightful family tale — gentle in its humour, sharp in its subtext, and rich with emotional texture. It’s a cinematic hug that leaves you smiling, thinking, and maybe even dreaming a little.