The award winning director Shaji N Karun's latest Swapaanam is one movie that tells about the emotional landscapes that transverses the minds of a percussion artist and a Mohiniyattom dancer. Reminding you of the classic `Vanaprastham' in many frames, the movie is tailor-made for the admirers of Shaji N Karun movies. The movie deals with the thin line of bioding between the art and the artist. Jayaram is Unni in the movie who consider `Chenda' as a part of his body. Coming from a family of percussionist in Palakkad, his jealous elder brothers brand him as an useless as he strives for perfection in his art. His marriage with the daughter of a percussionist also ends up as a failure, as the graceful lady (Lekshmy Gopalaswamy) remains a virgin as Unni has little time for his earthly desires than to perfect his art and to earn an identity among his brothers. Unni , as he accidentally meets an eccentric Chenda enthusiast Narayanan Nambuthri(Sidhique), never recognises that this will change his life for ever. He immediately falls for the charms of his sister Nalini (Kadombari), a Mohiniyattaom dancer. Though chenda never accompanies Mohiniyattom, they starts a rare unison, which also results in the two souls and bodies getting united. This creates every sort of problems with his married life and soon Unni is heading towards mental asylum , as he becomes an alcoholic and the pangs of love starts to affect him. The movie which has a plot that shows promise offers many engaging moments. But it proceeds in that typical shaji style, in a sluggish pace. The performance of Jayaram is good and the chenda artist is safe in his manoeuvres but Sidhique makes another impactful act in the role of the odd Brahmin. Kadambari appears good while performing Mohiniyattom but her lypsync and performances spoil the show in many sequences. Some scenes reminds you of the similar ones in Vanaprastham' and some appear overly melodramatic. The scripts by Sajeev Pazhoor and Harikrishnan is rich in detailing. The visuals by Hari Nair are impressive and the music suits the mood while Sreevatsan J menon's music is soulful. `Swapanam' fails to strike a chord with the ordinary audience, but for the connoisseurs of serious cinema, this can be a finer watch for its multiple layers. Rating-5.5/10 |
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