Varsham

There is a peculiar essence about the start of the film which will remind you of last year's Christmas release, Jeethu Joseph's mega- hit, money-pumping plagiarizer "Drishyam." Over-happy parents living for their sole all-rounder son in a neighborhood filled with bigots and vultures, as they nag him to be on top of the world. I'm sure the makers envied Joseph's luck and thus, adopted his style. But, Varsham fails in comparison with Drishyam, as the story is not a thriller, but a weepy family drama directly out of an old, pious lady's motivational life diary.

Mammootty and Asha Sharath play possessive parents of a normal child. They all succumb to their exclusiveness in one way or another as the story narrates about Venu's (Mammootty) selfish, stingy attitude toward life. He has millions of money, yet calculates penny's worth of accounts, be it his son's school fees or his house-helper's urgent native travel. It reflects real life personalities who accumulate money in their cupboards, yet fail to relish the small things in life. 40 minutes into the film, a tragedy occurs and all hell breaks loose.

Aunties sitting around me started weeping uncontrollably as I tried to shift my glances from them to the screen. The hall was filled with sobs and sneezes. Mammootty and Sharath portray graciously and the latter seemed to be mixing her role of Drishyam with the homemaker one in here. Mammootty is glamorous as ever and manages to re-establish himself, along with Munarriyippu, after his early 2014 debacles. Mamata Mohandas is a courteous doctor and all sweet and plump after her second stint with the big C. Supporting cast is fine.

While I appreciate the writers for silver-lining the main theme of selfishness with elements like that of unscrupulous finance schemes in and around Kerala and the political hand it uses to flourish, I really didn't find any newness in what followed next. The second half is less weepy, but is more of a biographical inspiration: how one can expend his resources and turn into philanthropy after all's lost. Sounds like cliché!

Well, it definitely is. I lost interest further as the primary characters started fictionalizing themselves just to power up the story they tell. Director Ranjith Sankar knows his tactics as the back of his hand, yet he fears ingenuity. Screenplay and editing are both seamless and not much to talk about. The film loses traction because of one petty mistake in the statutory warning: they misspell the word "alcohol," which I would interpret as sheer carelessness from the editing department. A single notch high in efforts from the makers would've worked wonders.

BOTTOM LINE: A family drama which will definitely gobble you up. It has good performances and a fine narration, which will at least not bore you. If I had to compare this week's two releases, I'd go for Varsham over "Iyobinte Pusthakam."

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

The film is definitely a family drama, but not an entertainer that puts you through a lot of twists or turns. It neither has soap opera moments nor vivid dance and music. Instead, the director takes you through heart-warming moments of emotions.

Venu (Mammootty) runs a small finance and gold loan company, which is called a blade bank in local parlance. The company is in the name of his teenage son Anand (Prajwal Prasad).

Venu is a self made man. He is a cocky businessman for whom the line between right and wrong is blurred. His wife Nandini (Asha Sarath) shares similar characteristics.

She wants her son to be good in everything that her neighbour's son does. The husband and wife keep fighting, but they have a common dream for their son: that he should become a doctor.

Venu in a way is blind to others around him other than his family. His only son is the apple of his eye and has huge expectations over him. The egoistic father in him expects only the best from his son.

But one incident changes his attitude towards life. The film then portrays Venu's struggle to come in terms with things around him and how he copes to move ahead in his life amidst his complex thoughts and composite society he lives in.

The director must be applauded for exploring the possibilities of human life and psyche. After a point of time, the film raises itself as a reflection of the society by an average Malayalee and his concerns of leading a life. The makers have made a conscious effort to convey the desired message and concept through some light-hearted dialogues and satirical situations.

As Ranjith said before, the USP of the movie is definitely the performance by the actors and the casting of the movie requires a special mention. Mammootty has carried the whole film on his shoulders with his impeccable perfection in acting. He makes sure that the character of Venu is given the right dose of emotions and histrionics to make him look convincible.

In terms of screen space, Asha Sarath has given tough competition to Mammootty. The actress again had made her character memorable and excels as an envious wife and mother. Parjwal, who plays the role of Anand, the couple's only son justifies his directors' choice.

TG Ravi reminds of the quote on vintage wines which turns stronger day by day. The veteran actor proves that there is more in him that is yet to be explored and tasted.

Harish Perady's screen presence in the role of Venu's elder brother is highly remarkable. Mamtha Mohandas too has justified her character.

Santhosh Kezhattoor and Irshad have made sure that they have a safe future in doing character roles. Sajitha Madathil, Sarayu, Sunil Sughatha, Sudheer Karaman and Govind Padmasoorya justify their roles with excellence.

The script of the film doesn't have great highs or lows, but is beautifully peppered with emotions that carry the feel of the movie till the end.

As the title "Varsham" suggests, the script has a feel of rain that can cleanse one's soul but the nature of the script is more like a poetical melancholy drizzle than a ravishing heavy thunderous rain.

The cinematography and editing of the film make sure that the momentum and the mood of the film is not lost. They have helped to add the involvement of viewers in to the movie. The costumes and make-up adds to the originality of the characters and blurs line between reality and fiction.

The sound department of the movie has also done a commendable job. The music composed by Bijibal adds charm to the mood of the movie and lyrics of the songs compliments the storyline of the movie.

Over all, "Varsham" is a movie worth investing your time and money. The makers have made an honest approach to make the film a pleasing one to watch, and the director, the cast and the crew deserves appreciation for bringing out something worth watching.

verdict - 7/10 +1 for acting = 8/10