Director: Shajun Karyal, Producer: Baba Creations
Cast: Mohanlal, Biju Menon, Padmapriya, Babu Namboothiri, Murali, Kavya Madhavan
Music: Ravindran, Lyrics: Girish Puthenchery
With Raveendrans magnificent music and Mohanlal’s superb performance as highlights, Vadakkunnathan is a decent achievement.
Vadakkunnathan draws comparison with the previous Thanmatra in its theme and development. Similarities may be coincidental and it is however rather weak in comparison to the perfection of Thanmatra.
Film starts with a group heading for Haridwar. (Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Rukmavathy Amma) and son (Biju Menon as Prabhakaran) has arrived there to immerse the ashes of their supposedly “dead” son. However, mother finds that his son is alive and tries to get him to return home. He has no such interest however and tries to escape her grief-stricken and repeated requests. Haridwar is very well picturised and the scenes of Ganga as always a sight to behold.
Iringennoor Bharatha Pisharody (Mohanlal) is a professor at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kaladi. He is a scholar in Vedanta and his deep knowledge in Sanskrit is well known. Bharathan Mash as he is widely known is considered one of college’s best teachers.
His relation with (Padmapriya as Meera) whom is in love with is very intense and they are very attached to each other. Although he has often been a very serious and sometimes bizarre character, eventually their marriage is fixed.
Being his uncle’s daughter she was meant for him with the blessings of the family. On the day of the marriage, Pisharadi disappears mysteriously from the scene leaving a letter behind. Crux of the story revolves around this disappearance.
(Babu Namboothri and Murali as Meera’s father) is Bharathan uncles. Both have enacted their role exceptionally well. Viswanathan (Shammi Thilakan) is his brother and his sister is Bhama (Kavya Madhavan). Sankaran kutty Maash (Risabava) is Bharathan’s colleague with whom he is never easy going. Bharatahan at times showed a weirdness in his behaviour and manners which made most people who were close to him uncomfortable.
Highlights of the movie is Raveendrans music. Songs such as ‘Kalabham Tharam’, ‘Gange’, and 'Orukili Paattumoolave’ have become hits much before films actual release recently.
Mohanlal as Bharatha Pisharody is faultless. Padmapriya has done a commendable job too. Biju Menon and Kaviyoor Ponnamma played their parts well. Kavya Madhavan as Bharathans sister played her role impressively.
Shajun Karyal deserves to be appreciated for the overall accomplishment of the movie. Girish Puthenchery does a pretty good job of the screen play.
6 marks out of 10.
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