Quite often, the first few minutes into a film gives you a hint about the rest of it. You instantly tend to gauge the depth, substance and aesthetic quality that is in store. Sometimes you get betrayed and at times, not. Basically, what drives you to the theatres for every new release is the staunch desire to cherish the joy of being beaten and blown over. But that seldom happens these days and Kumabasram, the latest flick by Aneesh Anwar, is no different.
The subject is set in the backdrop inundated by tearful pathos and perpetual despair that petulantly toils to keep a lump in your throat from the outset. A trail of hackneyed theme and overused sequences and dialogues is the prime dampener. The relentless badgering by emotions and sentiments punches the patience out of you.
A major portion of first half revels in emotional bouts that smack of tear jerking soaps that spawn the mini-screen these days. Chasten those actions with slow motions and the drab is complete. Of course the instrumental cacophony would yank you from dozing off. The degeneration begins when romance of the kids is set in motion. It looked completely out of place and unnecessary.
Jayasurya here simply resuscitates characters he donned in many of his previous movies. So, Alby, the character portrayed by him in Kumbasaram, with all his distraught eyes, hapless countenance and crestfallen aura evokes no curiosity. Meanwhile, the character of Meera, played by Honey Rose, never bargains on shedding tears and that looks meaningless. The character of Jerry is the only respite and makes some sense. Vineeth's Rafi also lacks substance and has nothing much to express.
Of course there are a few saving graces. Though the theme is mundane, the situations and the reactions of the characters are original. The picturesque charm with which each of the frames are composed lends the visuals an ethereal charm. And, there are a few baffling moments, that spurt out of the sluggish trot, which stir the senses.
Otherwise the movie grabs no attention. Even the twist effected towards the fag-end of the tale slips the groove and digress into a moribund sub-plot that is never convincing.
A film like Kumbasaram from the hands that so dexterously wove a breezy saga like Zakariyayude Garbhinikal is really a disappointment. Having said all this, Kumbasaram is nonetheless a sincerely made film – it's a confession.
Rating: 2.5/5