‘Lalitham Sundaram’ will perhaps not speak so much for the directorial skills of Madhu Warrier, or for the writing skills of Pramod Mohan. And with the script out to pasture, the brilliant cast can sadly do little to make up for all the patchiness on show.
Madhu Warrier’s directorial debut ‘Lalitham Sundaram’ is a saccharine take on familial relationships that is disconcertingly sloppy in execution. It barely climbs up the pit of ordinariness into which it has plopped into, and hardly has anything in it to keep you engaged or amused. Or may be there is, but onto that later.
There are heaps of wistfulness for an age long gone that Madhu Warrier unloads before us, and these initially appear in the form of VHS cassettes, Reynold ball pens, Soda lime bottles and Doordarshan programme clips that flash before us in the opening credits. For a while they seem charming, but beyond the initial five minutes, the nostalgia disappears without a trace.
Sunny Mary Das (Biju Menon) is at the brink of a divorce and has his umpteenth unsuccessful business fast sinking in Cochin. His younger sister Annie Mary Das (Manju Warrier) is a successful entrepreneur in Mumbai, whom the media cannot get enough of. Their youngest sibling Jerry Mary Das (Anu Mohan) works at an IT company in Bangalore with memories of a tragic event still hounding him like there is no end.
The three of them, have over the years drifted away from one another, with Sunny being much farther from the other two than he had ever intended to. They arrive at their ancestral home where memories of their late mother Mary (Zarina Wahab) linger around through the numerous video clips that she had shot while alive. It is here that their father Das (Raghunath Paleri) also reveals that Mary had a final wish on her death bed that she wanted her children to fulfil.
There is a flashback tale that throws light on Jerry’s past ordeal, that is just about convincing, and you come to terms with the young man’s hostility towards his elder brother. Almost. And then the writer brings in an extra twist that lends Sunny the divine element that he had been apparently been sporting but hiding all along. Sunny is further elevated onto a pedestal when his wife Sophy (Remya Nambeeshan) arrives at the climax with her share of laments.
Onto the sole individual that you feel like reaching out to, the one whom I had been talking about earlier and who also pockets the best moments in the film. Sandeep (Saiju Kurup), Annie’s husband has given up his job as a Merchant Navy Captain to let his wife pursue her professional dreams. He is happy being at home and looking after their two kids, and comes across as a spry soul who spreads positivity all around.
The writing is especially sharp (only) when it comes to Sandeep, and the film lives up to its name every time he appears on screen. There are a few light hearted moments that he offers us, and barring these, ‘Lalitham Sundaram’ is a charmless film despite all the colours that are thrown in and all the stars that walk in and out of it.
A self-confessed Manju Warrier admirer like me flinches every time I catch her in a non-happening film as this, and it doubles my distress that this has been produced by her as well. Even more disheartening is to watch Biju Menon wander around as if in a wonderland, which is not a very common happening. We could very well single out two actors – Saiju Kurup and Raghunath Paleri – from among the lot who stand out from the crowd, for all good reasons ofcourse.
‘Lalitham Sundaram’ will perhaps not speak so much for the directorial skills of Madhu Warrier, or for the writing skills of Pramod Mohan. And with the script out to pasture, the brilliant cast can sadly do little to make up for all the patchiness on show.
Verdict: Average