Critics have generally received Pallichattambi (originally made in Malayalam and released in Telugu as a dubbed version) as an ambitious period action drama that shines in technical departments but struggles with a generic script. Now, if even Mollywood critics found it generic, Tollywood audiences would have to view the Dijo Jose Anthony directorial through a harsher lens.
Pallichattambi is a period drama in which Tovino Thomas is employed by the Church to protect its properties (land) from militant Communists. The ideological clash between Jesus Christ's devotees and the atheistic Commies is the hook of the story. However, this aspect is entirely alien to the Telugu audience. The Telugu storytelling culture deems such issues as heavy-duty, intellectual, and boring.
There is this teen character named Oomen Chandy in the second half. While his character is given a heroic elevation, the Telugu audience wouldn't be able to make out the reason behind such a treatment: Chandy is a former Chief Minister of Kerala. At this point, you don't know why they thought of dubbing it in Telugu for a theatrical release.
Jakes Bejoy's background score and Tijo Tomy's cinematography are described as major highlights by many. Many critics found the story predictable and felt it followed a "generic mass movie" template despite its interesting 1950s backdrop.
