Basil Joseph received a lot of love last year for his role in the film ‘Ponman’. Now, director Rahul Ravindran has openly praised the movie.Rahul, who directed the Rashmika Mandanna starrer ‘The Girlfriend’, shared his thoughts on social media. He wrote, “#Ponman…. Wowwwww Don’t even know where to begin. Won’t be able to stop if I begin. Absolute modern classic. Just wow! Please watch immediately if you haven’t! PP Ajesh joins my list of favorite fictional characters ever! Like top 20 ever worldwide. Probably top 10. The director, Basil and the whole team… I bow down to your talents. One of favourite films of this decade so far. Is the director on Twitter?”
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
Fans agree
The post was soon filled with comments from movie lovers. One person wrote, “The scene where he tells the girl that without the gold she is now truly glowing and flawless Peak Cinema!!.” Another wrote, “What truly sets Ponman apart is its nuanced take on dowry culture. Rather than becoming preachy or message heavy, the film integrates its social commentary effortlessly into the narrative, keeping the storytelling engaging instead of didactic.“
Praise for Basil Joseph
Many viewers spoke about Basil Joseph’s performance. One comment said, “Absolutely agree. What stood out for me was how Basil balances restraint and intensity, no loud exposition, just pure character-driven storytelling. Ajesh works because he feels lived-in, flawed, and deeply human. That’s rare. This is the kind of film that grows on you even after the credits roll. A true modern classic..” Another added, “Happy to hear that you enjoyed it. This is kind of filmmaking that the Telugu film industry must attempt..”
Why ‘Ponman’ feels special
More comments kept coming in. One wrote, “Two of the masterpieces Malayalam produced last year – Ponman and Eko.” Another shared an interesting detail, “PP ajesh is a Real life character brother. This story happened between the director jyothish & his friends. They made indugopan to write the novel then he directed the movie. Sad part is they have no clue where real ajeesh is.”‘Ponman’ is a drama film directed by Jothish Shankar. The film stars Basil Joseph, Sajin Gopu, Lijomol Jose, Anand Manmadhan, and Deepak Parambol. It is based on the novel ‘Naalanchu Cheruppakar’ written by GR Indugopan.
