A dominant performance by Meera Jasmine coupled with a touchy screenplay by director Lohitha Dass makes Kasthoori Maan an engrossing movie.
A honest and realistic remake of the Malayalam movie directed by Lohitha Dass himself, the entire movie revolves around Meera Jasmine and her sacrifices.
With unpredictable sequence of events and crisp dialogues by Jaya Mohan, the movie is certainly an offbeat entertainer worth a watch.
Meera Jasmine walks away with all honors. Meera steals the show playing a bubbly youth in the first part and a totally different portrayal towards the end. Prasanna playing her lover, who shares her grief, has given a restrained performance.
The movie begins with Arun Kumar (Prasanna) taking up charge as a collector in one of the districts in Tamil Nadu. His father Pazhaniappan, once a rich film producer, urges him to marry the daughter of a rich money-lender for the money that he had borrowed from him.
Now the entire story unfolds in a flashback. Arun Kumar and Umashankari (Meera Jasmine) are students of a college and are at loggerheads with each other.
Both mistake the other of coming from a rich family. After a sequence of events, they come to know the truth and eventually fall in love.
Arun Kumar's father borrows money from several men and is unable to pay. He then attempts suicide. Umashankari steps in and helps Arun's family.
Arun comes to know that she hails from a poor family where her sister's hubby is crazy after her. He promises to marry her and rescues her from all trouble. Meanwhile, Umashankari borrows money to support Arun in taking up IAS. When he eventually becomes an IAS officer, he reaches Umashankari's house to take her with him. He is shocked to see Umashankari, unable to put up with her sister husband's troubles, eventually hacks him to death in a fit of rage. She gets arrested and is imprisoned for nine years and Arun Kumar is posted in the same district. He then decides to wait for her.
Meera Jasmine has utilised the opportunity well to give a matured performance. Looks fresh and charming on screen, she has yet again proved that she is not a glamdoll but an actress who can really perform.
Prasanna's role is simple and he provides the right foil to Meera's author-backed role. Prasanna again shows that he is a skillful actor.
Ilayaraja as usual comes up with melodious tunes that fits the story. The film does not have technical polish. But is also technically not wanting.
Lohitha Dass deserves all credit for giving a movie which is certainly different from run-of-the-mill stuff. The film may be slow for certain sections of the audience. But when you are telling a sensitive story, you have to show patience and perseverance.
Lohitha Dass has shown that.
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