“We want things to change here. The British who ruled this land once framed several laws. And each one of those laws alienated the adivasis. The governments supported encroachment on forests and looting of forest resources. They have been oppressing adivasis for ages. Our children, women and ailing elders raised their slogans and sang their songs. In the end they seized our lands and left us their songs.”

A woman’s clear voice rings out as a part of a protest in the background as we see the movie's protagonists prepare for what is going to be an intense few hours of action in the Palakkad collectorate. Pada is based on a real life incident in 1996 when a group of four men who went by the name of Ayyankali Pada held the then Palakkad collector under hostage for nine hours to protest against the amendments to the Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction of Transfer of Land and Restoration of Alienated Land) Act 1975 which legalized encroachments made into the land inhabited by adivasis. 

Pada is written and directed by Kamal K, who returns from a decade long gap since the critically acclaimed Hindi language film "ID" which tells the story of migrant workers in Mumbai. Starring Vinayakan, Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan and Joju George( who form the Ayyankali Pada) the movie is held high by excellent performances by a wide array of actors who perfectly execute Kamal’s fearless writing and clear vision. With Cinematography by Sameer Tahir, music by Vishnu Vijay and editing by Shan Mohammed, the technical side of the film is done well enough to present the very real sequence of events as an enthralling cinematic experience.

Opening with scenes that throw light on the everyday lives and social-economic backgrounds of the protagonists the viewer find themselves invested in the Ayyankali Pada much before the movie plunges into action ensuing in a gripping drama involving the district collector played by Arjun Radhakrishnan and chief secretary of police played by Prakash Raj and other important figures including the then Kerala chief minister EK Nayanar.

Perhaps the sharp references to people in power who stood apathetic to the plight of the adivasis can be one of the reasons why the movie didn't receive much support from Kerala's mainstream “progessive” political discourse. However Pada certainly would have made an impact on the viewer, sharply drawing attention to the issue of adivasi rights hitherto disregarded by governments that ruled the state since independence. More than just being a convincing portrayal of history, Pada stands tall as a work of dissent against a system that breeds injustice.

-Kiran Palathingal