Shahjahanum Pareekuttiyum Review
Songs in exotic locales, run of the mill plot, contrived humour and of course memory loss are evidently done to death and way out of the scene. Yet even now these are used as formulistic which viewers are less inclined to accept these days. 'Shajahanum Pareekuttiyum' falls into this trap and there is little in it that impresses an average viewer. Director Bobban Samuel is usually adept in generating comedy that is entertaining and this movie too has its share of guffaw inducing sequences. But they are far and in between. He has also ropes in some of the best talents in the industry but they too haven't been able to salvage the situation.
This movie has Jayasurya playing the lead with Kunchako Boban in the rear. In a way this is Amala Paul's story. But an all too familiar memory loss tale leaves the plot all squishy. There have been a few such movies of late which couldn't create a ripple and 'Shajahanum Pareekuttiyum' joins the list. There is Jiya (Amala Paul), who is at a loss about the "P" in her life. There is Prince (Jayasurya) and Pranav (Kunchako Boban) in contention, claiming to be the "P". The movie is basically about who takes the cake. There are clichés galore in the movie and after a while anyone can guess the advancement of the tale.
This predictability says a lot about the repetition of sequences in such movies. There are no surprises. What is presented as twists in the tale are actually not. In Bobban's 'Romans', the novelty in theme and humour arising out of it were highly entertaining. But with an all too familiar theme, that spark is missing and he has not been able to recreate that earlier magic.
Jayasurya as Prince is impressive and he is all brawn and style. Kunchako is for a change content to play second fiddle but manages go to hold his own. Amala Paul who has been missing in action for some time, though has ample talent couldn't come out of a badly scripted characterisation. After all it is Jiya who suffers from memory loss. With such a talented cast the movie could have gone the distance and they in turn shoulder some of the burden admirably. But the content totally spoils it for them.
Director Bobban Samuel has already proven himself to be a great director. Humour is his forte. But 'Shajahanum Pareekuttiyum' is way too lame for much exploration. Most of the humour are there for the sake of it and are not situational which creates a bad impression. Cinematography is fine and editing is passable. Songs taken alone are great. All said, the movie could be a one time watch to be watched with no rational thoughts during the hundred and forty minute ride.