A best shortcut to attempt a political satire in Malayalam is just to lend plot devices from satires of Sathyan Anthikkad like Sandhesham and Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka. Mix these elements with the essentials from regular Jayaram potboilers including Salperu Raamankutty and other similar ''fit to glove'' caricatures. Here you are at the narratives of `Samastha Keralam P O', a bleak unsuccessful attempt to recreate the magic of any of the previous hits. Preserving a generalized middle stream tone, the movie also falters to take advantage of the election scenario of the state, even while attempting a political satire.
The movie has Jayaram as Prabhakaran (Jayaram), a hardcore Gandhian, who is also a former Panchayat member of a remote village called Thonoorkkara. He has devised his own ways of protesting against the corrupt practices followed by Avarachan and co, who is ruling the Panchayath. Though he lives in a house owned by his uncle and is finding it difficult to manage his state of financial affairs, he is a staunch advocate of principles in every little steps, he takes. The movie offers many plot divergences, that comes in the form of marriage of his adopted sister Radhika, arrival of his cousin Renjini and a short mistaken love affair, and then the routine muscleman crook from Mumbai for providing a little fisticuffs and the crude plots of all other bad souls in the village to corner this virtuous conscientious protagonist. And as expected the movie calls the final shot when Prabhakaran emerges the winner after several tests of his patience, honesty and sincerity.
The movie does make an engaging opening with Prabhakaran presenting his village and its interesting stock characters including Chandy (Jagadheesh), President Avarachan's nephew who follow his uncle's footsteps. Subramanian (Salimkumar), who works in Prabhakaran's book stall Osharam Abdu (Suraj Venjaarmoodu), a miserly auto driver, Reghu (Kalabhavan Prajod), who works in a milk society and, Mao Mohanan, a Maoist who always dreams of the arrival of revolution. The movie rushes past the interval, lags with usual sentiments track for a while, falling into the pits of conventional drama and progresses into a leisurely climax. The problem with the movie is the petty regular, but predictable storyline by K Gireesh Kumar, who has sprinkled some interesting dialogues all over, but fails to present any more surprises to the viewers.
Jayaram makes a cake walk through the character which is in the regular moulds that he had been playing umpteenth time in the recent five-six years. Priyanka Nair and Balachandran Chullikkad does have some moments to cherish, in this foreseeable drama. The director Bibin Prabhakar qualities in his capabilities to safeguard the new actress Serah, from overly displaying her inabilities in acting by going for wide and back shots
The technical side of the movie is reasonably good with Raja Rethnam creating some fast paced shots and good visuals, which makes the formulated plot end up as a racy one. The songs by M Jayachandaran, including the ''Sundari'' song are enjoyable and are aptly visualised.
Amidst this Vishu's big list of movies, `Samastha Keralam P O', may find it hard to survive with viewers, for long. Have a watch, if you have nothing else to do.
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