Is it so difficult to win a girl's heart? 'Premasoothram' directed by Jiju Ashokan narrates the tale of a village youth who is head over heels in love. His never-ending quest to win over a lass, who never shows any interest in our reel romeo, dictates the trajectory of the plot.
The movie unfurls through a story narrated by a man (Dharmajan Bolgatty) to his younger friend (Chethan Jayala) about on old love-saga in the village.
The story of Prakashan (Balu Verghese) and his deep-rooted love for his classmate Ammu (Lijo Mol Jose) dates back to the time when they were in class V. Prakashan has been trying various ways to win Ammu's attention, albeit in vain.
Years pass and Prakashan is grown up now, but there is no change in his fortunes. It is at this point of time when VKP (Chemban Vinod) an expert in “Vedic theory of romance and love” makes an appearance.
Prakashan takes lessons from VKP and applies them one after the other but fails repeatedly. He also has his man Friday in Suni to support him all along. Meanwhile, VKP who seems to have no job in particular, is engaged in liaisons with a woman in the village, whose husband remains unheard of for over nine years.
However, the main conflict arises when Suku, whose favorite pastime is killing tiny reptiles and birds, also has a love interest in Ammu. With all the venomous traits of a spoilt child in a well-off family, Suku is a foil to Prakashan as well as VKP.
VKP's character brings in an element of mystery and no wonder his cronies are in awe of his theories and techniques based on the ancient texts on the anatomy and psychology of women. Ironically, the well-versed romancer himself is a perpetual failure in his love life.
Though the script looks incoherent at the beginning, the movie gets engaging as it unfurls. The canvas gets captivating as colourful hues of romance is pitted against hatred and vengeance. The dialogues are crafted meticulously.
Though a moderate visual treat, the story provides some profound moments towards the end. Balu Verghese and Lijo Mol Jose (Ammu) showcase fantastic piece of acting. Music by Gopi Sunder is absorbing and the camera cranked by Swaroop Philip has minutely captured the nuances of nature. Though it doesn't give a thorough aesthetic fulfillment, Premasoothram goes beyond the trailers and video songs.
Rating: 3 / 5
