Swapaanam - Movie Review - Only For Class Movie Lovers
Reviews
oi-Sandesh
By Ajin Krishna
Rating:
3.0/5
Shaji
N
Karun,
well
known
for
top
class
movies,
is
back
with
his
latest
movie
Swapaanam,
with
Jayaram
doing
the
lead
role
of
a
Chenda
artist.
The
movie,
like
his
earlier
flicks,
is
also
a
slow
paced
one
backed
with
some
good
performances
and
some
excellent
music
and
visuals.
Story
The
story
of
Swapaanam
deals
with
the
life
of
Unnikrishnan
(Jayaram),
hailing
from
a
family
of
Chenda
artists.
During
the
childhood
itself,
Unnikrishnan
suffers
mental
problem
followed
by
an
accident.
Growing
up,
Unnikrishnan
also
becomes
a
chenda
artist
like
his
brothers
Achyuthan
(PD
Namboothiri)
and
Kuttan
(Udayan
Namboothiri)
and
joins
them
for
Chenda
Melam's
in
various
festivals.
Experiencing
some
difficulties
in
the
beginning,
Unnikrishnan
slowly
gains
popularity
in
festivals.
Being
impressed
with
his
expertise,
Raman
Marar
asks
Unni
to
marry
his
daughter
Kalyani
(Lakshmi
Gopalaswamy).
Kalyani
is
in
love
with
their
driver
Prakashan
(Sarath).
However,
Unni
and
Kalyani
get
married,
but
Kalyani
faces
several
difficulties
in
married
life
due
to
the
abnormal
behaviour
of
Unnikrishnan
and
runs
away
with
Prakashan.
Unnikrishnan
while
on
a
visit
to
Narayanan
Namboothiri
(Siddique),
gets
close
to
Nalini
(Kadambari),
sister
of
Narayanan
and
a
Mohiniyattam
artist.
Their
relation
gets
intense
till
Narayanan
gets
to
know
about
the
same.
Unnikrishnan,
with
the
help
of
his
mother
(Ashwini
Ranga)
consults
Pookkaattiri
Thirumeni
(Suresh
Kurup)
for
healing
his
mental
illness.
During
this,
Narayanan
arranges
marriage
of
Kalyani
with
Thuppan
Namboothiri
(Vineeth),
and
Kalyani
had
to
agree
without
any
choice.
After
their
marriage
Kalyani
gets
to
know
that
Thuppan
Namboothiri
is
sort
of
a
transgender
and
doesn't
like
anyone
even
to
touch
him.
Rest
of
the
movie
deals
with
the
stressful
lives
of
Unnikrishnan
and
Kadambari
trying
to
cope
up
with
their
situations.
Performances
Jayaram
as
Unnikrishnan
have
portrayed
the
role
to
near
perfection.
Though
the
role
can't
be
termed
as
his
career
best,
he
has
essayed
the
expressions
of
abnormality
quite
well.
Kadambari
as
Nalini
is
good
with
her
role,
but
could
have
improved
better
on
the
dubbing
portions.
Surprise
package
of
the
movie
is
the
character
by
Siddiue
as
Narayanan
Namboothiri.
The
role
was
challenging
for
the
actor
and
he
has
done
full
justice
to
it.
Vineeth
as
Thuppan
Namboothiri
is
another
pick
among
actors.
Rest
of
the
actors
including
Sarath,
Lakshmi
Gopalaswami,
Indrans
(Selvan),
Aswini
Ranga,
PD
Namboothiri,
Udayan
Namboothiri
and
all
others
have
done
their
part
well.
Technical
Aspects
Cinematography
by
Saji
Nair
is
excellent.
Be
it
the
dark
mood,
beautiful
scenarios,
or
close-up
frames
of
actors,
he
has
managed
to
capture
almost
everything
with
brilliance.
Songs
composed
by
Sreevalsan
J
Menon
controls
the
movie
throughout.
There
are
many
songs
included
in
the
movie
which
are
pleasing
to
the
ears.
BGM
by
Issac
Thomas
Kootukapally
is
also
appealing
to
the
ears
and
blends
well
with
mood
of
the
movie.
Makeup
by
Pattanam
Rasheed
deserves
a
special
mention.
He
has
managed
the
section
exceptionally
well
which
can
be
seen
on
the
screens
in
make
overs
of
lead
actors.
With
all
these
positives,
Swapaanam
is
not
devoid
of
flaws.
The
script
seems
to
confuse
as
the
narrative
is
sort
of
mixed
between
flashback
and
present.
The
movie
requires
some
patience
to
sit
throughout
its
150
minutes.
The
length
of
the
movie
could
have
been
trimmed
for
a
better
acceptance
among
common
people.
Verdict
On
the
whole,
Swapaanam
is
a
winner
for
class
movie
lovers.
If
you
are
ready
to
watch
some
wonderful
performances
and
have
some
patience,
the
movie
won't
disappoint
you.