Janapriyan review: "Bland yet enjoyable story of an endearing simpleton!!!"

Just as it has been the trend since the last few years, more & more people are coming forward to display their craft in movie making. So to add to this list, arrives director Boban Samuel who is quite an household name for his TV serials. To aid him in his debut venture "Janapriyan", he has sorted the help of script writer Krishna Poojapura who has quite a good track record of three hits except for his last venture "Four Friends", which was a debacle. Hmm, so will the debutant taste success or will it be a sour pill to swallow???

Just as the title states, the film talks about the story of a simpleton, Priyadarshan (Jayasurya) who is a jack of all trades but with a heart of gold for his fellow beings. Vaishakan (Manoj K Jayan) is an employee of a Taluk Office who nurtures the  dream of making it big in the film industry & repeatedly make futile efforts with utter disregard for his job. This eventually forces him to take leave at the behest of his superior to pursue his dream. It is at this juncture that Priyan takes up the vacated post & in due course of time his selfless hard working nature makes him the darling of all those he comes in contact with. At the same time, he falls in love with Meera (Bhama) mistaking her to be the servant of his rich neighbor. Things seems to be working out fine until Vaishakan call it quits & decides to rejoin the job while Meera's folks starts searching proposals for her. So how is Priyan going to tackle both these issues???

Krishna Poojapura has definitely risen up from the debacle of "Four Friends" & has come up with a simple feel good movie. Though there is hardly any twists & turns, the endearing character of Priyan makes the movie for an enjoyable watch. Another positive is the clean situational comedy which is in complete contrast to the double meaning vulgar comedies which is in vogue nowadays.  However, I do have to concede that the movie doesnt offer anything new & Priyan's nature at times has a striking similarity with Mammootty's in "Loudspeaker". Boban Samuel's direction has definitely not done any harm to his nascent reputation. As for other aspects, the music by Gautham was hummable while the visuals by Pradeep Nair was commendable.

In the performance department, Jayasurya as always has done total justice to his character. Its common knowledge that he is always willing to go that extra yard in terms of diction or appearance to make his performance count & it very well reflects here also. Manoj K Jayan seems to be enjoying his newly attained status of a comedian & continues his act here in a much more convincing manner. Bhama has done a decent job along with ample support from Jagathy & Lalu Alex.

Verdict: The movie doesnt have anything new to offer but the endearing portrayal of Priyan by Jayasurya should keep the audiences interested. With hardly any twists or turns coupled with some clean hilarious situations, it should be able to get a decent return on its investment. In short, it would certainly wont hurt if you give it a try!!!

Regards...Ben