Exploring new themes are all well and good, but creatively executing them is the challenging part. ‘Oru Muthassi Gadha’ has its heart in the right place, but ultimately fails to live up to its intention. This is a grandmother’s tale, and of course not in the sense one would expect - a traditional, loving, demure ‘muthassi’ ready to tell the grandkids, stories of yore. This one is sassy, irritable, terrifying, ill-behaved and moody. Yet she is lovable. What does the movie in is the building up of something big, only to peter out into a preachy and contrived monologue.
The first half was entirely devoted to sketching out the sassy grandmother Leelamma, played by new comer Rajini Chandy. Her moody temperaments, tantrums and irritable behavior are all shown. The lives around her are affected by her. Her son (Suraaj Venjaramoodu) is in a fix, trying to accommodate his mother with his wife (Lena) and two children. There is constant interference from Leelamma, making life difficult for them all. Be it the guests who come to their home or the servants, all bear the brunt of her foul temperament.
This part of the movie does not have much of a ‘story’ per se, but places the narrative deftly. There is the constant question of how to handle Leelamma. The answer to this is what the second half gives out with the help of another grandma, the sweet natured Susamma (Bhagyalekshmi). There is a story to Leelama’s foulness and Susamma goes about righting them. There are unfulfilled wishes too which are made into a list and fulfilled. There are some surprises in store in this part of the narrative.
Some humour is built into the movie towards the end, but somehow they don’t gel as though it has been put there for the sake of it, considering the kind of narrative director Jude Anthony opted for till then. What is refreshing are the fresh theme, the family role that Suraaj played, and the message that is conveyed. However, the script lacks clarity and Jude has not used the opportunity to explore such a movie more deeply. Technically, the movie is in the safe zone, with good cinematography and editing. Shaan Rahmaan’s peppy BGM makes it a fun ride. Rajini Chandy takes some time to get into the skin of the character, Lena and Aparna Balamurali are flawless as usual. Bhagyalakshmi has also done a neat job. Vineeth Sreenivasan’s extended cameo was again interesting.
Director Jude Anthony’s first movie ‘Ohm Santhi Oosana’ was a much popular one and ‘Oru Muthassi Gadha’ too tries to woo the viewers with a unique theme and does succeed to an extent. This is a fun movie with a message and has a fresh perspective on the generation gaps. Baring a not too well defined script and a certain preachiness creeping into it, the movie is a watchable one.
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