Sarabham Review

Mystery stories have a way of its own, to keep you glued to your seat. Trust CV Kumar to invest in nail biting stories, and here is one more to league that keeps you engaged in two and half hours of entertainment. Bringing in Naveen Chandra from his hectic Sandalwood schedule and having chosen debutante Salony Luthra for the prime roles, 'Sarabham' is a captivating thriller.

Shruthi (Salony) scales up the wall of her own house, which is when Vikram (Naveen) notices her and follows her all the way, leading her to his own house eventually. Over discussion, they discover that both have only one thing in common - need for money. Incidentally, Salony's father Chandrashekar ('Aadukalam' Naren) happens to be Vikram's desisted boss. Vikram learns from Shruthi that Chandrashekar has a huge amount of black money stashed away, a portion of which, he plans to abduct, by claiming ransom for a staged kidnap of Shruthi herself. And they complete the drama too. But the real story begins when Shruthi returns home from the drama. The last Vikram gets to see her is walking near her house, blindfolded with her hands tied. But the headlines the following morning flash that Chandrashekar's daughter was found dead, with her hands tied. Guilt and angst takes over Vikram, while mystery shocks him. The truth of what actually happened, in nail biting series of one twist after another, is the entertaining story of 'Sarabham'.

Not only is it the craze for money, it is also the tension of a crime that he hasn't committed. Confused, angry, distraught, focused - be it any point the movie, Naveen proves himself to have been the right choice for protagonist. While that is at the experienced youth's end, the seasoned actor Naren has performed with class as the singularly focused businessman. It is debutante Salony's performance that takes the cake, for she comes around like a pro, ever so comfortable and confident with the camera. The three have had fairly equal screen presence and importance over the two hours of the movie.

Arun Mohan deserves to be lauded for one of the most well conceived stories of recent times. With so many twists and turns, such mystery stories either begin to bore or confuse, but 'Sarabham' has an amazing screenplay that ensures that you stay put in your seat, not missing a single scene. Though the first half hour seems very usual and nothing worth any hype, the rest of the movie justifies the first few minutes, for what follows is completely unpredictable. Further, the movie is clean and audience of any age can watch, follow and be thrilled by this mystery roller-coaster. What makes the film even more interesting, especially the second half, is the lack of songs that otherwise normally hinder or slow down the flow of the movie. However, background score has a pulse that well compliments the story at each level. Britto Michael is a highly creative composer, proving himself with this flick.

Krishnan Vasanth showcases his outstanding talent with the excellent quality of visuals. CG work is also at its best, seeming convincingly real at every frame. Leo John Paul proves himself once again on the finesse that the movie has. In all, 'Sarabham' is an interesting story, and is nothing like anything thus far in K-town. Despite the story being rather confusing otherwise, with this talented team, the movie is an excellent entertainer, and is sure to go places.

Rating: 3.25/5 - Mystery at its best