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Vesham
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'Vesham' An emotional tearjerker with hackneyed plot

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Mammootty is the flavor of the season. The Mega star, who rode the roller coaster of success in 2004, seems to be savoring the slice of luck in the new year, too. If his latest film Vesham is doing well at the box office, it is mainly due to the Midas Touch of the popular Malayalam actor and superb acting by veteran Innocent.

Otherwise, Vesham is old wine in new bottle. If you have seen Mohanlal’s Balettan, you have seen it all. Such is the thematic similarity between the two. In Balettan, Mohanlal plays the elder brother who sacrifices a lot so that his family prospers.

Mammootty

does the same in Vesham. In fact, he has done it before as well in films like Valsalyam, etc.

The redeeming factor is that the hero manages to strike a responsive chord among the viewers, especially the female component of it. The film, replete with typical tear-jerking scenes, goes down well with the women, who have an innate capacity for empathy with the sacrificing hero or heroine. And that precisely is the success of Vesham, directed by V M Vinu. To put it in other words, it is sentimental stuff at its best (worst for the detractors!).

It would be no exaggeration to say that for Vinu, who directed Balettan, it is all a repeat act. Fortunately for him, the film has clicked. For the success, he must profusely thank Mammootty, who plays the elder brother with customary panache and savvy.

Vesham chronicles the story of Appu (Mammootty) who is a business magnate. For Appu, a quintessential family man, work is worship. Everything comes next. His family consists of his father Pappettan (Innocent), brother Hari (Indrajit), Appu’s wife Aswathi (Mohini) and Hari’s life partner Revathy (Gopika).

It is a hard row to hoe for Pappettan, who works as a coolie at the vegetable market. Hari, much younger to Appu, is an MBA.

Sivan (Sai Kumar) is the villain who is out to ruin Appu’s life. And to accomplish the mission, Sivan works on Hari and succeeds in winning him over with the help of his secretary Vani (Sindhu Menon) and her lover Deepak (Riyaz Khan).

Things take an unexpected turn with the murder of Deepak, which was the handiwork of Hari, albeit an accidental one. To save his brother, Appu confesses to the murder. The stage is now set for Sivan to implement his devious plan. The villain tries to take over Appu’s company.

But his plans go awry as Appu manages to come out on bail. The climax is predictable with the villain paying the penalty.

Another saving grace of the film is poignant portrayal of the father-son bond. Here, Innocent, who normally excels as a comedian, has done a fantastic job. At times he steals the scene even from the seasoned Mammootty. Mohini and Gopika are adequate.

There is nothing great about the music, composed by S.A.Rajkumar, the Tamil music director. Incidentally, it is his debut in Malayalam movies. The songs remind you of his earlier hit songs in Tamil.

All said and done, Vinu has managed to weave an emotional tearjerker out of a worn-out plot. The film is redeemed by a great performance from Innocent, ably assisted by Mammootty. No wonder, the women go for the hankies! It’s sentimental stuff all the way.

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