Sufiyum
Sujatayum,
the
first
direct-to-OTT
release
of
Malayalam
cinema
has
finally
premiered
on
Amazon
Prime
today.
The
movie,
which
features
Aditi
Rao
Hydari,
Jayasurya,
and
newcomer
Dev
Mohan
in
the
lead
roles,
marked
the
release
of
a
Malayalam
film
after
a
long
gap
of
100
days.
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
is
directed
by
Naranipuzha
Shanavas
and
produced
by
Vijay
Babu
for
Friday
Film
House.
Did
the
Aditi
Rao
Hydari-starrer
succeed
in
impressing
the
audiences?
Read
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
movie
review
here
to
know...
Plot
Sujata
(Aditi
Rao
Hydari)
and
Rajeevan
(Jayasurya)
are
leading
an
unhappy
married
life.
Despite
being
married
for
over
10
years
and
having
a
child
together,
Sujata
is
unable
to
forget
her
ex-lover,
a
Sufi
priest
(Dev
Mohan),
and
move
on.
After
hearing
about
the
Sufi's
death,
Rajeevan
decides
to
bring
Sujata
back
to
the
native
to
bid
him
a
final
goodbye,
so
that
she
can
get
closure
and
give
their
marriage
another
chance.
What
happens
during
the
couple's
visit
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.
Script
&
Direction
Naranipuzha
Shanavas,
the
writer-director
makes
a
decent
debut
with
Sufiyum
Sujatayum,
which
is
an
ambitious
film.
The
filmmaker
successfully
creates
a
visually
enthralling
experience
with
the
poetic
love
story
of
the
mute
Kathak
dancer
Sujata
and
Sufi
priest.
But
what
holds
back
the
movie
is
its
reluctant,
depthless
script.
It
is
hard
to
root
for
the
love
story
of
Sufi
and
Sujata
(despite
the
actors
having
good
on-screen
chemistry)
due
to
the
shallowness
in
the
writing.
Even
though
it
begins
on
a
promising
note,
the
couple's
deep
emotional
bond
that
survived
a
decade
is
shown
in
glimpses,
which
is
definitely
not
enough.
Sufi
is
shown
more
like
a
mystical
being
and
the
script
never
gets
into
his
real
self,
which
makes
the
character
strictly
one
dimensional.
Similarly,
we
are
shown
the
troubled
marriage
of
Sujata
and
Rajeevan
in
bits
and
pieces.
But
it
is
never
made
clear
why
she
is
still
unable
to
befriend
him,
despite
having
a
child
together.
This
leaves
the
whole
'Sujata
still
hasn't
moved
on'
concept
fall
flat.
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
also
touches
a
few
topics
like
'love
jihad',
but
never
really
gets
into
it.
Performances
Aditi
Rao
Hydari,
who
plays
the
mute
Kathak
dancer
Sujata,
is
the
heart
and
soul
of
the
movie.
The
actress
brilliantly
portrays
the
emotions
of
her
character
despite
not
having
any
dialogues,
with
her
amazing
expressions,
mannerisms,
and
dancing
skills.
We
really
hope
she
signs
more
Malayalam
films
in
the
future.
Dev
Mohan,
the
newcomer
looks
perfect
as
the
Sufi
but
doesn't
get
enough
scope
to
perform
in
his
underwritten
role.
Jayasurya,
who
appears
as
Rajeevan
makes
a
mark
with
his
matured
acting
skills
despite
having
less
screen
time.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Siddique,
Kala
Ranjini,
Valsala
Menon,
Mamukoya,
Manikandan
Pattambi,
Hareesh
Kanaran,
and
so
on
have
done
justice
to
their
respective
roles.
Technical
Aspects
Anu
Moothedath,
the
cinematographer
has
done
a
brilliant
job
with
the
visualisation
of
the
movie,
which
makes
it
absolutely
poetic.
The
editing
by
Deepu
Joseph
is
not
up
to
the
mark,
as
the
movie
falls
into
a
slow
pace
at
certain
points
despite
having
screen
time
of
just
2
hours
and
2
minutes.
The
soulful
songs
and
highly
effective
background
score
composed
by
the
National
award-winning
musician
M
Jayachandran
totally
elevates
the
overall
experience.
The
art
direction,
choreography
and
sound
design
team
of
this
technically
sound
film
deserve
special
mentions.
Verdict
Sufiyum
Sujatayum
is
an
ambitious
film
that
narrates
a
unique
love
story
in
an
absolutely
poetic
way.
But
the
flawed
writing
prevents
it
from
becoming
a
fulfilling
experience.
Do
watch
it
if
you
love
romance
and
music.