Banner: Kunchu Veetil Films
Cast: Urvashi, Saikumar, Bhama, Kunchakko Boban
Direction: Radhakrishnan Mangalath
Production: S. Gopakumar
Music: M G Sreekumar
She can be loud but still be appreciable. And when it comes to comedy there is no other star to beat her in Mollywood …Yes, Urvashi, once again proves why she is one of the most demanded actress in Mollywood even in her comeback with a senior look. In the movie ‘Sakudumbam Shyamala’, built on very illogical storyline ala channel comedy soaps, the title character offers plenty of space for its lead actor to show off her finesse in comic timing and acting.
Directed by debutant Radhakrishanan Mangalthu, who is known for his over the top comic serials of mini screen, ‘Sakudumbam Shyamala’ is a very light take on the silly fighting life situations of a brother and sister. District collector Sekharan IAS (Nedumudi Venu) who had brought up his kid sister Shyamala (Urvashi) with great affection is devastated when Shyamala elopes with Vasudevan (Saikumar), a tutor in a parallel college. Later Vasudevan becomes an office staff with Shekharan and is also living in the neighbourhood of the collector, but never do the sister and brother see eye to eye and both take every step to harass each other for that lone incident that happened 25 years ago.
Shyamala, meanwhile nurtures hopes of getting her only son, Aakash, a video editor by profession, married with a girl of an NRI parents, though Aakash is in love with a channel anchor Nandhana (Bhama), the daughter of an idealist Viswanathan. On the insistence of Pappan (Suraj Venjarmoodu) a leader of a local party, Shyamala accidentally becomes an MLA and later a minister, but the fights between the collector and the new revenue minister is the only agenda that goes on, now in public. The movie moves on to tell what dramatic events make an U- turn in the life of Shyamala who had by now turned into an epitome of greed and selfishness
Krishna Poojappura, after his two big hits, weaves a full length film around a very few characters and succeeds in taking it to the last scene with links, that never appear genuine. You may find prototypes in real life who managed to make big names just by getting lathi-charged in front of the secretariat. And you could even remember visuals of party men trying to stain themselves with the blood of some other workers who were assaulted by the police, to emerge newsmakers. But here the transfer of a homemaker to the revenue minister is the least believable episode of many more that are offered.
Urvashi makes a cake walk through the role of Shyamala and it is her caricaturist performance with intense comic flair that keeps our interests in the proceedings. Nedumudi Venu and Saikumar plays to their roles while Bhama returns with a role that aptly suits her, though her modern dress codes in the songs doesn’t. Kunchakko Boban has a limited role that he dons with flair while Suraj and Jagadheesh appear as sidekicks in every scene trying to elicit some laughter with their regular numbers, that we had been part of in the past.
Jibu Jacob has created some fine visuals once again while Manoj has also done some decent cuts. But the musical scores by M G Sreekumar and their picturing can be easily forgotten without any regrets. And that chroma-keyed fantasy song is totally out of date and strictly unwanted.
‘Sakudumbam Shyamala’ is for those who don’t demand any quality entertainment to make loud laughs. It may appeal to family viewers and can kill their 137 minutes, if they can admit that every movie is not made to be a classic on decent logic. Some movies like this one are insignificant, on mushy scripts but can entertain you in parts.