With quite a few movies from the other film industries having
already released on the OTT platform due to the COVID crisis, it was just a
matter of time before the Malayalam industry also joined the bandwagon. So last
weekend, we had Friday House Productions release “Sufiyum Sujatayum” on Amazon
Prime to the delight of the movie aficionados. I was particularly keen to watch
it as my buddy; Gopesh was also part of the team as an assistant director. The
trailer had a mystic aura about it with soulful music that would endear to
anyone. So was the movie as captivating???
The film unfolds in a rustic village where Sufi (Dev Mohan)
returns after a decade to visit his Ustaad’s (Swamy Shoonya) tomb. However, he
dies soon after & the news is conveyed to Rajeev (Jayasurya). Incidentally,
Rajeev was in an unhappy relationship as his wife, Sujata (Aditi Rao Hydari) wasn’t still able to
detach herself from the memories of her pre-marital affair with Sufi. In the
hope that the mortal remains of Sufi would bring a sense of closure for her,
Rajeev decides to take Sujata to the funeral.
This is the second venture of Naranipuzha Shanavas, who
garnered considerable critical acclaim for his directorial debut in “Kari”. Apart from calling the shots, he
has penned the script as well which I felt was rather underwhelming. His choice
of artists for the titular role made sense with Dev Mohan & Aditi, matching
their parts. But their love story which is the main foundation on which this
movie is built upon is on shaky ground as the depth of their relationship isn’t
explored which would have thrown light as to why Sujata couldn’t move on in
life with Rajeev. Shanavas nailed it when it came to imparting a mystical feel
to the Sufi, but he fails to add substance to the character. The last half an
hour is gripping and provides a distinct closure to the tale. On the technical
side, it is really impressive especially the music by M. Jayachandran. His
soulful tracks be it ‘Vathikal Vellaripravu’ (sung by Nitya Mammen , Arjun
Krishna etc), ‘Alhamdullilah’ (by Amrita Suresh & Sudeep Palaad) and the
brilliant ‘Azaan’ rendered by Zia-ul-Haq
(best I have ever heard), just elevates the overall experience. Anu Moothedath
has done a fine job with the cinematography while one cant the say about Deepu Joseph
when it comes to editing as it lags at numerous sequences.
Though packaged as a Jayasurya movie for obvious reasons, he
had more of a supporting role with limited screen space. However, he was
impressive as the irritated and helpless husband who tries to salvage his
marriage. Aditi Rao is making a return back to Malayalam after she made her
debut in Prajapathi in 2006. She has done her part reasonably well as she
suited the role in terms of appearance & dance, though she failed to convey
the sorrowful emotions adequately. The same also applies to the debutant Dev
Mohan but I would put the blame for that on an underwritten role rather than
the lack of his abilities. As for the rest, Siddique and Manikandan Pattambi deserve
praise for a job well done.
Verdict: It was
certainly a movie that showed a lot of potential, but falters primarily because
of a half baked script. Shanavas gives glimpses at various instances where the story
could have been impactful as the chemistry between the lead pairs were palpable,
though it fizzles out without going the distance. Even then it is still worth a
watch primarily coz of its endearing sound tracks, mystic aura & the manner
in which it ends!!!
Rating: 2.5/5
Regards…Ben
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