''There's a movie release tomorrow,'' that was part announcement, part plea, as that means I will be spending Onam at my work. My mom responded quick with a positive question, “Which one?”
''Oru Muthassi Gadha,'' the answer left me with a pinch, not because it's a matinee-release on an Onam day, but the expectation about the movie was high.
''Oh... the Jude Anthany movie.'' My mom was sure in her element. She, being a person who sits for a movie only out of compulsion, was relating to a new release not with any star, but with the director's name was a surprise to me.
That was the magic Jude created with Ohm Shanthi Oshaana, which glued her daughters to the TV sets whenever it was screened on channels. Zoom to OMG FDFS review:
Oru Muthassi Gadha is about a regular family comprising of a father (Suraj Venjaramood), a mother (Lena), a son, a daughter (Aparna Balamurali) and a grandmother (Rajini Chandy). Like the trailer told you, the grandmother is the biggest problem in the family. While she is happily engaged in being a busybody, not all the members in the family are enjoying it in the same way. Things change when rest of members of the family decide to go for trip without the grandma; leaving her behind with another granny Sussamma (Bhagyalakshmi). The incidents between the duo and the real reason for grandma's turning into 'Rowdy' Leelama carries the movie forward.
While on the title card Nivin Pauly has been credited as the man behind the story idea of Oru Muthassi Gadha, writer and director Jude Anthany has managed to deliver a feel good family entertainer for this festive season. Jude has re-created an engaging drama in his signature style (he has repeated the celebrities who did cameo for him in OSO and we get some glimpses of Vineeth Sreenivasan, Renji Panicker, Vijayraghavan and Lal Jose).
Though the story develops around aged people and moves towards a predictable climax, it offers a freshness in its treatment. Jude has added bits and pieces of surprises and moments of excitement in between to keep the tempo of the movie up.
Vinod Illampally has carry forwarded the charm in cinematography from OSO. Shaan Rahman also has delivered with the BGM and songs. The video song 'Thennal Nilavinte...' has been on chartbuster since it was released on Youtube.
When it comes to performance, Rajini Chandy takes away the cake along with dubbing artiste turned actress Bhagyalaxmi, almost the major portion of the movie is managed by the duo. At some points, debutante Rajini would remind one of Sheela of Minasinakkare. Aparna Balamurali and Vineeth in their retro looks impress us. Seasoned actors Suraj and Lena need no mention as they have done total justice to the job handed to them.
OMG is not just about the concerns surrounding grandparents (which is cited as one of the biggest problems of today's society), but about chasing one's dreams and doing something for others before you leave for good. Overall, with some decent performances, Oru Muthassi Gadha could be a good pick for families with its share of happiness.
Epilogue: Through the words of Lal Jose...
''Filmmakers like us often try to present the stories of youth and teenagers and only a very few times stories of the elderly are portrayed. OMG is one from the latter category - that has come through a magical lamp.''
P.S: Jude Anthony proves that some directors also can match up with the established actors. :-)
Rating: 3.25/5
