Jamnapyari Malayalam Movie
'Jamna Pyari' is merely an age old tale that tries to masquerade under the garb of a fresh flick, by bringing in...errr...a few goats. Drive them off the narrative, and you are left with an old fashioned story that starts, proceeds and ends exactly as you think it would.
Vasuttan (Kunchacko Boban), the auto rickshaw driver is looked upon by everyone in the village as a savior of sorts. When he offers to take Parvathy (Gayathri Suresh) to the railway station and after a bumpy ride makes sure that she catches the train, he leaves the girl all impressed. So much so, that she invites him home to help her sort out some severe financial troubles that her family has landed itself in!
Vasuttan is reminiscent of a few characters that have been etched in the viewer hearts, and if he doesn't remind you of Sudhi in 'Aye Auto', he might at least bring to your mind Balettan. And what's more he even has a song dedicated to him that goes 'Vasutta', just as Balettan was honoured by his fellow villagers.
The trailer of the film, that had promised something real different, had thrown at us the query as to what the title of the film meant. The answer to this pertinent question is revealed within the first half an hour of the film, and since it does not in any way appear to me a spoiler, here goes. 'Jamna Pyari' is a rare breed of goat it seems, that had gained its name from roaming about on the banks of the Jamuna!
The film takes a plunge from the point of this revelation, and Vasuttan and his gang set out on their journey of procuring the target of one hundred Jamna Pyaris within a week. Regrettably, this is no fun journey, and as they move from one point to the next, pick up a kid (Neeraj Madhav) who latches on to them for some weird reason.
There is a 'Jamna Pyari' meter that runs at the right bottom corner of the screen that keeps tracks of the number of 'Jamna Pyari's that have been garnered by Vasuttan and Co. Not long after, you fretfully start praying for the meter to come up with the much desired hundred so that the snag would end once and for all. Towards the climax, its only with sheer dismay that you can watch the meter show signs of dipping further down.
The older men aspire to be called 'Bros'. The younger one vociferously states that all that he is obsessed with , is taking selfies and wearing some bright colored underwear. There is something amiss here, and that is the spark of life that makes tales appear real.
There is however a character that appears as genuine as it gets, and its none other than the newly wedded wife (Muthumani) of the ex-don (Suraj Venjarammoodu), who has decided to turn over a new leaf post-marriage. Two-faced to the core, she tries to bind up her husband using emotional tactics, and succeeds in making him feel miserable, if not anything else.
There is nothing spectacular on show when it comes to the acting, and all the actors including Kunchacko Boban, Suraj Venjarammoodu and Joy Mathew make sure that their respective parts are played out perfectly well. Gayathri Suresh makes a tremendously confident debut with 'Jamna Pyari', and adds herself to the league of promising heroines who have made their debut this year.
'Jamna Pyari' is mostly shallow, and is ridden with a deadpan script. Playing out against its highly generic backdrop, it's unlikely to outrun this festive season.
MOVIE REVIEWS