Jomonte Suvishengal Review: This Family Tale Has been Seen Before

Sethumadhavan

Sathyan Anthikkad’s films have a world of their own, populated by characters that we hate or love, or feel something unexplainable about. These characters revel in situations, many of them have gone on to become memorable, making us still look forward to his films even today. So what if he has been playing it safe and sticking to his comfort zone mostly of late. So in case of his latest release, Jomonte Suvishengal we see this in the form of characters portrayed by actors like Innocent and Shivaji Guruvayoor, as they bring a smile on our faces with their earnest portrayals. Sathyan Anthikkad is a rare breed among the veteran Malayalam filmmakers; he has been actively making films since 1982, the year when he made his debut with Kurukkante Kalyanam. What’s amazing is to see that he still enjoys a good success rate even today which is definitely admirable. With Jomonte Suvishengal he joins hands with one of the most popular actors in Malayalam cinema these days, Dulquer Salmaan.

The film was initially looked forward to as one of the major Christmas attractions (2016) but unfortunately due to the film industry strike in Kerala,  Jomonte Suvishengal (along with others) got delayed. Well the days of uncertainty are definitely over and Jomonte Suvishengal has finally become the first Malayalam film to release after the strike was called off. The promos of the film looked quite promising, what with Dulquer and Mukesh playing son and father and with the promise of a good humour quotient, a vital ingredient in all Sathyan Anthikkad films. So does the film go on to become another feather in the cap of success for Sathyan Anthikkad? Does the film go on to see Mukesh and Dulquer deliver charismatic performances, making the film work? Well for the answers to all these and more, hang on as I share more details of the film first.  

The film revolves around Vincent (Mukesh) and the relationship with his younger son Jomon (Dulquer Salmaan). Vincent is among the most successful businessmen in Thrissur, having worked his way to the top with grit and determination. He is supported by his friend and old associate Ravunni (Shivaji Guruvayoor).  Vincent’s children are all well settled and leading a comfortable life, except for Jomon who is still struggling to finish his MBA and is financially dependent on his dad, being unsure of what to do in life. The film has a refreshing first half; the humour is well and truly on display but always subtle and never over the top. Midway through the film we get to see Vincent reaching a dead end as he ends up facing unexpected problems on the business front and soon he ends up losing all his properties to the financier from whom he had taken a huge loan. Just when you were warming up to the cute little romance between Jomon and Catherine (Anupama Parameswaran), the daughter of an extremely wealthy NRI, aided by Jomon’s own family members, Sathyan Anthikkad reverses the course of the ship.

The rest of the film is all about how Jomon goes on to handle the situation, finally coming to terms with life in the process, even as he goes all out to redeem everything and prove that he is the worthy son of Vincent. This is precisely where the problem starts as Jomonte Suvishengal soon turns out to be a pale copy of last year’s successful Malayalam film, Jacobinte Swargarajyam.  Dubai and iron and steel exports of Jacobinte Swargarajyam are replaced over here by Tiruppur and textile business, while in case of both the films the plot talks of a son coming to terms with the harsh realities of life, even as he goes about taking charge of the family in an attempt to steer it out of trouble.

Considering that Jacobinte Swargarajyam is still fresh in the minds of the audience it is quite surprising to see Sathyan Anthikkad taking things a little too casually in the second half of the film. And for all the obvious similarity with Jacobinte Swargarajyam it is also clearly noticed that Jomonte Suvishengal is no match at all on any front as such. For a film that is already faced with an identity crisis of sorts in the 2nd half it is very sad to see the film go on and on. At a run time of 163 minutes, the film is way too long for the tale it sets out to convey. Vidyasagar’s songs have of course worked,  “Nokki Nokki” (lyrics by Rafeeq Ahammed and vocals by Abhay Jodhapurkar and Merin Gregory) being the pick of the lot.

In terms of the performances, Vinu Mohan, Irshad, Muthumani , Indu Thampi etc play the usual family members of Vincent and Jomon, routine stuff from them indeed.  Innocent is in good form and is still a treat to watch, while Shivaji Guruvayoor registers an impact too. Manobala’s character reminds us of many other similar characters that he has portrayed in Tamil films, but is effective nevertheless. Both Anupama Parameswaran (Catherine) and Aishwarya Rajesh (Vaidehi) have nothing much to do in the film, with Aishwarya Rajesh getting better screen time in comparison.  It is an absolute delight to watch Mukesh in such a significant role and his scenes with Dulquer are one of the positives about the film. Dulquer meanwhile certainly compliments Mukesh quite well and carries off the role effectively. If only Iqbal Kuttipuram’s screenplay could have offered more scope to these wonderful actors the film would have been even better.

Bottonline:

Overall Jomonte Suvishengal is definitely watchable thanks to Mukesh and Dulquer Salmaan as well as a reasonably engaging first half.  However it’s disappointing to see Sathyan Anthikkad coming up with a clone of Jacobinte Swargarajyam, he is way better than this for sure.

Rating: 2.5/5

Post your rating and review for Jomonte Suvishengal here