Karyasthan review: Mediocre yet entertaining in segments!!!

This Diwali witnessed the release of Dileep's 100th film "Karyasthan" directed by debutant Thomson. Coming on the back of a personal hit "Pappy Appacha" & a hit in "Malarwadi Arts Club" as part of his production house...Dileep would definitely be looking forward to this latest release to make a killing at the box-office to celebrate his ton in style. Anywaz this review will throw light as to how I felt about the movie.The plot basically involves two families Kizhakkedath & Puthezhath headed by the patriarchs Madhu & G.K Pillai respectively who are at loggerheads owing to a family dispute which dates back to many years. This paves the way for the entry of Dileep as Karyasthan for the Puthezhath family & in the process he plans to bring peace between these two warring factions. What connection does Dileep have with these families ??? how did these families became arch rivals...the answer to these questions forms the crux of the movie.

The story by Udaykrishna & Sibi.K.Thomas just doesnt bring anything new to the plate..its basically a rehash of many of the movies that we have seen before like Hero No.1 to cite an example. The first 15-20minutes of the movie is definitely one of the worst that I have seen in Malayalam in recent times...giving the impression of a B grade film. However after that, the film picks up & makes it a much more enjoyable venture thanks to the humour element. The debutant director doesnt have much of a story to rely on but still its execution is decent (except for the beginning) though he has used the conventional oft used path.

In the performance department, Dileep doesnt have much to do in this movie & being his ton, I naturally expected something different. He tries to play to the gallery with his humour & to a certain extent wins at certain places. Akhila (host of Munchstar Junior Singer) as Sreebala has given a pretty decent performance & gets to prove her dancing credentials in the song "Krishna" after all she was the runner up of Vodafone Thakadhimi in 2007. Suraj is back to one of his humorous best & though bordering along the "chalu" side...he was definitely able to evoke laughs. With a host of other characters being projected...most of them are just for numbers rather than performance.

The songs by Berny Ignatius are pretty average & at times seems unwanted as well...however there is one song where an array of stars from the silver screen descends to render a performance which makes for an interesting watch..reminiscent of Om Shanti Om or Serial Artists 20-20.

Verdict: It will garner a good initial being the festive season & also due to the added attraction of being Dileep's 100th movie. It will definitely recover its cost, but will it be a hit???  Well it could... since his previous venture "Paapi Appacha" wasnt even as good as this...however a good deal will depend on the humour element. In my opinion, if you dont mind a surfeited storyline & want some laughs..watch it or else avoid it!!!

Regards...Ben