Pennu Case Review: A Con That Saves Its Best Trick For Last
There is a peculiar honesty to Pennu Case, which lies in the fact that it doesn’t pretend to be a genre breaker, a social statement, or a wickedly clever thriller. It simply rolls out at its own unhurried pace and leaves right when it senses it has said enough like a neat little shrug of a film that knows its strongest move is to wait till the end.
Directed by debutant Febin Sidharth, Pennu Case opens with Rohini (played by Nikhila Vimal) already caught, arrested mid-con for defrauding men through fraudulent marriages across Kerala and Karnataka. From there, the narrative walks backward and forward through her past, her motives, and the police investigation led by CI Manoj (Hakim Shahjahan), who is trying to figure out whether Rohini is a mastermind, a victim, or merely a convenient decoy in a much larger scheme.
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The film’s biggest gamble is also its most noticeable trait, it is deliberately ordinary for a long stretch. The writing, handled by Febin Sidharth along with Reshmi Radhakrishnan, leans heavily into familiar terrain, rural backstories, conveniently placed humour tracks, predictable beats, and character arcs that rarely surprise. It almost feels like the film is daring the audience to get ahead of it, to mentally list out all possible outcomes before the second half even warms up. And you probably will, Pennu Case wants you to.
By keeping things comfortably familiar, the film clears a runway for its climax, which borrows the skeleton of a well known Hollywood thriller twist and repackages it within the framework of a marriage scam. The idea itself isn’t fresh, but the adaptation is smart enough to feel rooted rather than plagiarised. The “what” is foreseeable, the “how” carries the film’s only real sting.
That said, the journey to that point isn’t always engaging. The police investigation, which should have been the engine of intrigue, rarely invites us into the thrill of discovery. We are told that Rohini has deceived numerous men, but we are rarely shown the craft of her deception. There’s potential here for a sharp character study or a playful exploration of cons and performance, but the film chooses restraint, sometimes mistaking it for subtlety.
Nikhila Vimal, meanwhile, doesn’t get the flamboyant playground the promos promised. There are fewer shades of the trickster and more of the aftermath, and she plays that version of Rohini convincingly. Her strength lies in making the character feel human without asking for sympathy on demand.
Hakim Shahjahan is a pleasant surprise as CI Manoj, balancing gruff humour with an underlying empathy that grows organically. Shivajith, stepping slightly away from his usual mould, leaves an impression despite limited screen time.
The supporting cast is a mixed bag. The parade of grooms played by actors ranging from seasoned performers to social media personalities mostly exist as sketches rather than characters. Aju Varghese makes a brief appearance, while the Ramesh Pisharody, Abin Bino combination works effortlessly. Pisharody, especially, understands exactly how much to give without begging for laughs.
On the technical front, Shinoz’s cinematography keeps things grounded and functional, never flashy, but never careless either. Ankit Menon’s music knows its place, supportive, unobtrusive, and effective without trying to manipulate emotion.
Ultimately, Pennu Case is a film that plays a careful game. It lowers expectations, dulls curiosity, and then gently nudges its final card onto the table. You may not walk out thinking about it for days, but you also won’t feel cheated. And perhaps that, in its own modest way, is the film’s quiet success.
