By Malini Mannath
Director- Disney
Cast- Santhosh Prathap, Archana, Ganja Karuppu, Madhusudhanan, Nishanth, Akhil, Dileep, Dhileepan,Dhanya.
Rags to riches stories have always provided a fascinating study of human endeavour depicting how the relentless pursuit of one’s goal will not go unrewarded. Disney who had directed the psychological crime thriller ‘Naan Sivanagiren’, attempts a different genre this time. This plot depicts the success story of Sundaram who from low beginnings rises to be a successful entrepreneur. It’s an inspirational tale no doubt. But the screenplay seems to be a time warped one, the sketching of the characters and situations clichéd.
Sundaram (Prathap) a helper at an eatery in the city soon becomes the owner of a small hotel. A simple kind hearted man he would distribute the left-over food from his kitchen to roadside dwellers. He had even adopted three orphans and raised them as his own. He had let go the girl he loved, when he felt that she may not fit into his scheme of things. His rise to being the owner of a popular chain of hotels in the city may have changed his lifestyle, but not his humanitarian outlook. Betrayed and humiliated by the ones he blindly trusted, its about how he thrown out on the streets and back to penury, resurfaces like a phoenix. The plot and the crucial incidents here remind one of the Hindi film ‘Avathar’. An iconic scene from that film and a popular line too is replicated here. Where, Sundaram helps out a needy man with money to send his son abroad for higher studies, with the cryptic warning ‘don’t trust anyone in life’.
Essaying the ageing Sundaram is a challenging task for Santhosh Prathap and the actor has played it to the best of his ability. Archana (from the Kannada screen) as Sundaram’s love interest, gets little screen space. Getting to play a sober role as Sundaram’s confidante and constant companion throughout the ups and downs in his life, Ganja Karuppu adapts himself suitably. In fact it’s from this character’s perspective that the story unfolds. The track of Madhusudhanan as an unscrupulous entrepreneur on a hotel grabbing spree to extend his franchise, and the scenes of the antics of Sundaram’s wayward kids, are cliched scenarios.
The film is an inspiring tale (132 minutes) of perseverance and of achieving one’s goal against odds. Only, it’s been told before and in a more skilful manner.
Malini Mannath 