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For this untitled venture, Sathyan starts the shooting in picturesque locations of Idukki, Vagamom and Thodupuzha. The distributors are panicked that the movie was still unnamed even before 50 days of its planned release date and how to promote it.Sathyan after much of delibration names as 'Rasathanthram' translated into "Chemistry". One of the most appropriate titles where there is so much of chemistry between everyone involved - be it Meera & Mohanlal, Mohanlal & Sathyan Anthikaud, Sathyan Anthikaud with Azhagappan (cameraman) & Illayaraja. No wonder it created a tremendous hype before its theatrical release that made half battle won in the box office. The day it opened, it was lapped up instantly by critics and masses alike.
My reasons for choosing to view this movie are - Meera Jasmine, Sathyan Anthikaud and Illayaraja... Necessarily in that order. The cross dressing act of Meera Jasmine was compelling to see the movie. I caught it up late even after hearing the reviews.
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Sathyan Anthikaud's evident touch of same sex paternal love is again one of the crux of the movie. If you had noticed his previous movies all celebrated the affection of father & son - (Veendum Chila Veettu Karyangal, Manasinakkare, Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal...) & in "Achuvinte Amma" it was the love between a mother and a daughter. Also like other his recent movies a Tamil character or tamil milieu plays an important role. Here Meera Jasmine is a Tamil girl.
Premachandran (Mohanlal) a carpeneter by profession is a good human who likes to see the people around him without any problems. He shares a deep bond with his father (Bharat Gopi) and in a situation he happends to see a slaved & tortured Tamil servant maid Kanmani (Meera Jasmine). He tries to save her and in the process she had to masquerade herself as a boy Velayudhan Kutty, leading to a laugh riot. When police nabs them Kanmani blurts in the court that she is in love with Mohanlal leading to fresh problems (not only for Mohanlal, but for us also)
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Mohanlal is wonderful as a normal man next door. His timings on comedy was perfect with funny expressions. Infact I like Mohanlal devoid of any "Savari Giri Giri.." larger than life routines. A veteran actor, so I neednot elaborate on his acting prowess.
{mosimage}Jasmine - a perfect acting machine. Any other younger actress would have get lost before Mohanlal, but Meera Jasime is a perfect foil to Mohanlal in the movie. As a tormented Tamil maid Kanmani, she steals your heart with sympathy and makes you laugh a lot with her Velayudhan Kutty act. The biggest let down for Meera Jasmine is her poor characteristaion that she is literally reduced to nothing in the second half of the movie. But whatever screen time she gets, Meera definitely makes use of it. Her "Chemistry" with Mohanlal was wonderful in the "Aatrin Karayorathe" song, beautifully picturised on the beautiful locations of Vagamom.
Supporting cast is of very larghe canvas with almost all the prominent character artistes featuring in this but everybody stands out without getting lost in the crowd. The presence of Innocent, Mamu Khoya, Bindhu Panikker, KPAC Lalitha and short & sweet appearance by Jagathi Srikumar works towards the betterment of the movie. This happened to be "Oduvil" Unni krishnan's last movie.
Azhagappan's contribution towards the movie is the technical finesse he had brought for a technically careless Sathyan Anthikaud's movie. Infact Azhagappan is one of the very few cameraman who captures the natural scenic beauty in a major way. (It is easy to shoot a beautifully erected set but you have less control over the nature and the way it looks). Fine angles and beautiful camera movements make lot of frames in the movie a postcard perfect shots.
{mosimage}Illayaraja - deivam. Vera enna solla? There are lot scintillating background scores that will keep lingering in your ears even after you leave the theatres. Sathyan always keeps few silent scenes to get the best from Raja Sir. Notice the BGM score in the scenes that build up Meera's characterisation and scene where Innocent realises that Velayudhan Kutty is actually Kanmani. Hear for yourself, you'll understand what I mean. "Aatrin Karaiyoram" sung by Manjari and picturised on Meera Jasmine and Mohanlal in the stunning locations of Vagamom is easily the best pick of the album. The other songs "Devaram nokkunnunde...", "Ponnavani paadam.." and "Poo kunkuma poo..." are equally melodious.
Now the worst part - it is nothing but its screenplay. The screenplay drags and drags in the second half to endless. Sathyan's maiden attempt at screenplay writing limps post interval. There is so much of melodrama in the secnd half. I think.. to woo the lady audience from the mega serials Sathyan had added the melodramatic elements more than needed. Also the plot loses its focus after the cross dress act is over. Unnecessary plots like - their house being demolished, Premachandran's brother & sister's selfishness (I believe aimed at elevating the hero's caharacterisation - A malayalee way of heroism) just adds to your woes. My sincere suggestion is cut off yourself from theatre or VCD once the song "Aatrin Karaiyorathe.." is over. All the best part of the movie ends there.
To sum it up, it is not that bad but not the best even by Sathyan's standards itself. But beware of the greedy second half that in the process of getting a "wholesome entertainer" tag, grates your nerves with unwanted sentiment stuffs.
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