The fine intent notwithstanding, ‘Shubharathri’ does not seem to acknowledge the tremendous transformation that has occurred to cinema in this corner of the world. A bit too aged to make an impression on today’s viewers, it’s a film with a valid message that unquestionably deserved a much finer treatment.
Vyasan K P’s ‘Shubarathri’ is a night that takes its own time to unwind, and starts off with a statement that it is based on an article that appeared in ‘Madhyamam’. After the film, we even hear a reference to the man on whose life the film finds inspiration from, and establishes sans doubt through its theme, that not everything is lost from the world.
What does seem to be lost though, is the cinematic essence that has gone missing from the film. A bit too obsessed with the story that it has to tell, and the truckloads of goodness that it purports, everything else in ‘Shubharathri’ appears secondary, which also includes the capability to keep the viewers transfixed on the screen.
The film starts off with news of a man from Kerala having been killed in Syira, where he had gone to serve with the ISIS. His father (Saikumar) is shattered and cannot believe that he has raised a son as this, and confides in his best friend Mohammed (Siddique) that he doesn’t want anything to do with him.
Back home, Mohammed gets busy getting all set for the Hajj, and his wife Khadeeja (Santhi Krishna) looks forward to the dinner that they are about to host for friends and relatives. As the day of departure gets closer, on a fateful night, Mohammed opens the door of his bedroom to find a man standing outside in the dark, and in shock slams it shut, that sends the man sprawling over and down the staircase railing of the top floor.
There is also a parallel tale of Krishnan (Dileep) and his wife Sreeja (Anu Sithara), along with their young daughter, who despite being poor, seem to be doing pretty good in a contented space of their own. When Krishnan is arrested for a crime that he had been a part of, several years back, life comes to a standstill for Sreeja and Sreekutty.
The entire first hour of ‘Shubharathri’ has Mohammed appealing to the ones that he had wronged for redemption. Accordingly, he willingly puts an end to a long winding family feud, and makes peace with his aunt (Sarasa Balussery) and his cousin (Nedumudi Venu). He meets up with a friend (Indrans) whom he had thrown a stone at, while in school, and even his old flame Suhara (Asha Sarath) arrives to wish him good.
Brimming over with integrity, ‘Shubharathri’ stresses on the need to maintain uprightness, and through Mohammed’s tale lays out a moral story before us, to diligently pursue. What is disheartening is that despite all its honest intentions, ‘Shubharathri’ fails to move you as a film, even as you nod at and acknowledge the point that it flaunts.
Siddique plays the lead in the film, while Dileep makes an appearance in the latter half. There are decent performances throughout, while it remains that barring Siddique’s earnest feat, there is nothing much that you would carry back with you. The technicalities are nothing much to rave about either.
The fine intent notwithstanding, ‘Shubharathri’ does not seem to acknowledge the tremendous transformation that has occurred to cinema in this corner of the world. A bit too aged to make an impression on today’s viewers, it’s a film with a valid message that unquestionably deserved a much finer treatment.
Verdict: Average